# CORE (Open Access Research) MCP for AI Agents AI Agent Connect

> CORE (Open Access Research) gives your AI agent direct access to millions of open-access research papers, journals, and institutional repositories. Instead of manual searching, your agent can pull full metadata, find PDF links, and explore scholarly archives using the CORE API. It is the fastest way to pull academic data into your research workflow without hitting paywalls.

## Overview
- **Category:** knowledge-management
- **Price:** Free
- **Endpoint:** https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_7PeKa9CanElMqqQ2XoE84ZpBG1HOnxRxZSO8lIZu/ai-agent-connect
- **Tags:** open-access, research-papers, academic-search, scholarly-data, scientific-articles

## Description

When you're deep in a literature review, the last thing you want to do is jump between twenty different tabs to see if a paper is actually open access or if a repository has the latest version. You need your agent to do the heavy lifting of finding the source material so you can stay focused on the actual writing. This Connector connects your agent to a massive archive of scholarly work, letting it act as a research assistant that knows where the data lives. You can ask it to find specific journals by their ISSN, hunt down repository links, or pull down direct PDF download paths for specific papers. It handles the tedious parts of academic discovery, like resolving identifiers or checking for the most recent updates to a study. By adding this to your Vinkius setup, you get access to a curated library of research tools that work across your favorite clients. You stop hunting for links and start analyzing the content. It's about getting the right paper, in the right format, without the friction of manual searching or navigating complicated institutional portals. You can move from a vague topic to a list of specific, downloadable sources without ever leaving your workspace. This turns a manual search process into a direct conversation about the research you need to see.

## Tools

### global_search
Search across the entire CORE database with a single query. Use this to find broad topics quickly.

### search_repositories
Find institutional repositories within the CORE database. Use this to locate authoritative source collections.

### get_repository
Pull a specific repository using its unique ID. This is useful for accessing specific institutional collections.

### resolve_oai
Turn an OAI identifier into a usable repository page. This helps you find original metadata from specific archives.

### search_articles
Find specific research articles based on your search terms. This helps you narrow down results in a large corpus.

### search_journals
Look for journals by name or other identifying information. Use this to find specific publications.

### get_article_history
See the update history and version changes for a specific article. This ensures you have the latest information.

### get_article_pdf
Get the direct URL for an article's PDF download. This saves you from hunting for links on external pages.

### get_article
Fetch all the metadata for a specific paper using its CORE ID. Use this to gather citations and details.

### get_journal
Get details for a specific journal using its ISSN. This is the most accurate way to find journal info.

## Prompt Examples

**Prompt:** 
```
Find the latest open-access papers on solid-state battery research.
```

**Response:** 
```
I've searched the CORE database for recent open-access research on solid-state batteries. Here are the top results:

| Title | Year | Source |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| **High-Capacity Solid-State Electrolytes** | 2024 | Repository |
| **Advancements in Sulfide-Based Batteries** | 2023 | Journal |
| **Next-Gen Solid-State Architecture** | 2024 | Repository |

Would you like the direct PDF links for any of these?
```

**Prompt:** 
```
Give me the PDF link for the paper with CORE ID 987654.
```

**Response:** 
```
I've retrieved the information for CORE ID 987654. 

**Article:** *Neural Network Optimization in Robotics*
**Status:** Open Access
**Download Link:** [Click here to download the PDF](https://example.com/path/to/pdf)
```

**Prompt:** 
```
Find all articles in the journal with ISSN 12345678.
```

**Response:** 
```
I've located the journal associated with ISSN 12345678. 

**Journal Name:** *International Journal of Robotics Research*

I found 15 recent articles in this journal. Would you like me to list their titles or provide the metadata for a specific one?
```

## Capabilities

### Search across all CORE resources
Find articles, journals, and repositories using a single text query.

### Pull full paper metadata
Get version history and details for specific research papers using CORE IDs.

### Grab direct PDF download links
Retrieve the direct URL for an open-access article's PDF.

### Identify journals by ISSN
Search for specific journals and pull their metadata using standard identifiers.

### Resolve OAI identifiers
Turn OAI identifiers into original repository pages and metadata.

### Browse institutional repositories
Explore various repositories to find authoritative and peer-reviewed sources.

## Use Cases

### Finding open-access papers on a specific topic
A student needs papers on NLP transformers. They ask their agent to find them, and the agent uses global_search to provide a list of titles and direct PDF links.

### Building a bibliography for a literature review
A researcher wants to collect metadata from a specific journal. They ask the agent to use search_journals and get_article to list the details for all recent publications.

### Verifying the latest version of a preprint
A scientist has a CORE ID and wants the final version. The agent uses get_article_history to check for updates and get_article_pdf to provide the final link.

### Resolving OAI identifiers for archives
An academic has an OAI identifier and needs the source page. The agent uses resolve_oai to find the original repository page and metadata instantly.

## Benefits

- Stop searching through multiple databases by using global_search to find articles, journals, and repositories in one go.
- Get direct PDF download links with get_article_pdf so you can read the full text immediately without hunting for links.
- Verify you have the latest version of a study by checking the update history with get_article_history.
- Quickly identify high-quality sources using search_journals to filter by ISSN or name.
- Bridge the gap between identifiers and content by using resolve_oai to find original repository pages.
- Pull full metadata for specific papers with get_article to keep your citations organized and accurate.

## How It Works

The bottom line is you get a direct pipeline to millions of open-access research papers inside your favorite AI app.

1. Subscribe to the CORE MCP on Vinkius and get your API key from the CORE website.
2. Plug that key into your Connector settings in your AI client.
3. Ask your agent to find papers, journals, or PDF links for your research.

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Can CORE (Open Access Research) find paywalled articles?**
No, this Connector specifically focuses on open-access research. It helps you find papers that are freely available to the public.

**How do I get PDF links for research papers?**
Your agent can pull direct PDF download links for articles indexed in the CORE database, making it easy to read full texts.

**Can I use CORE (Open Access Research) to find specific journals?**
Yes, you can search for journals by name or ISSN to get full metadata and see their recent publications.

**What happens if I only have an OAI identifier?**
The Connector can resolve those identifiers to find the original repository pages and the metadata associated with them.

**Is this good for literature reviews?**
It is perfect for literature reviews because it can pull metadata and version histories for thousands of papers at once.

**Can I see the history of a specific research paper?**
Yes, you can check the update history of a paper to make sure you are looking at the most recent version available.

**How do I get the PDF of a specific research article?**
Use the `get_article_pdf` tool with the CORE Article ID. The agent will return the direct download URL for the open access PDF version of the paper.

**Can I search for specific journals or repositories?**
Yes! You can use `search_journals` or `search_repositories` for general text queries, or use `get_journal` (with an ISSN) and `get_repository` (with a Repository ID) for direct lookups.

**What does the OAI resolution tool do?**
The `resolve_oai` tool takes an OAI identifier (like oai:oro.open.ac.uk:75049) and resolves it to the CORE metadata page or the original repository link, helping you find the source of the research.