Returns JSON: ```json { "verified": true, "url": "https://...", "matched_paper": { "title": "...", "authors": [...], "year": 2023, "venue": "..." }
Most developer tooling work still happens through a UI a human drives. MCP Refchecker MCP server moves it into the conversation instead. Returns JSON: json { "verified": true, "url": "https://...", "matched_paper": { "title": "...", "authors": [...], "year": 2023, "venue": "..." }, "possible_match": null, "errors": null, "warnings": null, "info": null } .
Installation goes through your MCP client rather than a global install: point it at mcp-refchecker on PyPI and it is fetched when the client starts. The copy-paste blocks for Claude Desktop, Claude Code and Cursor are further down this page.
The server publishes 6 tools. What each one is for:
title — stringauthors — string[]year — integerdoi — stringarxiv_id — stringurl — stringConfiguration is passed through the environment: SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY, CROSSREF_MAILTO. Treat anything key-shaped as a real credential — scope it to the minimum the server needs, and rotate it if it ever lands in a shared config.
Among the developer tooling options, the useful question is rarely "what can it do" but "what does it cost you to run" — permissions, credentials, and how much of your context its toolset consumes. MCP Refchecker's toolset — title, authors, year and 3 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by jonasbaath; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.
This entry was verified against MCP Refchecker's own documentation before publication; SyncDev keeps the directory reviewed rather than auto-generated.
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| title | string |
| authors | string[] |
| year | integer |
| doi | string |
| arxiv_id | string |
| url | string |
{
"mcpServers": {
"refchecker": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["mcp-refchecker"]
}
}
}Configuration as documented by the project. Restart the client after saving.
| Variable | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY | Credential the server authenticates with. | Yes |
| CROSSREF_MAILTO | Configuration value read at startup. | Optional |
Kill hallucinated APIs — version-accurate, up-to-date library documentation injected straight into context.
Microsoft's official browser automation server — drive a real browser through the accessibility tree, no screenshots needed.
GitHub's official server — repos, issues, pull requests, Actions and code security, straight from your assistant.
Issue tracking at the speed of conversation — Linear's official hosted server with OAuth and zero install.
Local repository surgery — status, diffs, commits, branches and history for any repo on disk.
Timezone sanity for AI — current time anywhere and correct conversions, without the model doing date math.