ArXiv MCP Server

An implementation of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for interacting with the arXiv API. This server allows AI assistants to search for scientific papers, retrieve paper details, and discover the latest papers in specific categories.

Features

• Search papers on arXiv with complex queries
• Retrieve papers by ID
• Discover the latest papers in specific categories
• Returns papers as structured MCP resources

Installation

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/arxiv-mcp-server.git
   cd arxiv-mcp-server
   

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install
   

3. Build the project:

   npm run build
   

4. Start the server:

   npm start
   

Project Structure

• src/index.ts - Main server implementation
• package.json - Project dependencies and scripts
• tsconfig.json - TypeScript configuration

Usage with Claude Desktop

1. First, make sure you have the Claude Desktop app installed.

2. Start the ArXiv MCP server:

   npm start
   

3. Edit the Claude Desktop configuration file at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (create it if it doesn't exist):

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "arxiv": {
         "command": "node",
         "args": ["path/to/arxiv-mcp-server/dist/index.js"]
       }
     }
   }
   

4. Restart the Claude Desktop app.

5. You can now ask Claude to use the ArXiv MCP server with queries like:

   • "Search for papers about quantum computing on arXiv"
   • "Find the latest papers in machine learning"
   • "Get details for arXiv paper 2104.12345"

Available Tools

searchArXiv

Search for papers on arXiv with a custom query.

Parameters:

• query (required): Search query. Can use prefixes like 'ti:' for title, 'au:' for author
• max_results: Maximum number of results to return (default: 10)
• sort_by: Sort order for results (options: "relevance", "lastUpdatedDate", "submittedDate")
• sort_order: Sort direction (options: "ascending", "descending")
• categories: Limit results to specific arXiv categories (e.g., 'cs.AI', 'physics')

getPaperById

Retrieve a specific paper by its arXiv ID.

Parameters:

• id (required): The arXiv ID of the paper (e.g., '2101.12345')

getLatestPapers

Get the latest papers from a specific category.

Parameters:

• category (required): arXiv category (e.g., 'cs.AI', 'physics.gen-ph')
• max_results: Maximum number of results to return (default: 10)

License

MIT

Acknowledgments

• Thank you to arXiv for use of its open access interoperability.
• Built with Anthropic's Model Context Protocol.