# OpenAlex MCP for AI Agents AI Agent Connect > OpenAlex gives your agent a direct line to over 250 million scholarly works. It lets you search papers, pull author metrics like h-indexes, and track research trends without needing a pricey Scopus or Web of Science subscription. It's the go-to for anyone needing deep bibliometric data for free. ## Overview - **Category:** the-unthinkable - **Price:** Free - **Endpoint:** https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_VOY4fyGhNsUQoKOSjh0Q3A3hhrOEVH1pqXavvzDA/ai-agent-connect - **Tags:** bibliometrics, academic-research, citation-analysis, open-access, research-trends, data-discovery ## Description Imagine you're trying to map out a new field of study, but you're stuck scrolling through dozens of tabs and manual search results. You need to know who the heavy hitters are, which institutions are leading the charge, and what the current hot topics actually are. This Connector changes that by giving your agent a massive, structured library of academic data to pull from instantly. Instead of you doing the heavy lifting of copy-pasting citation counts or hunting for open access links, your agent can just do it for you. It handles the nitty-gritty of finding research trends and pulling down full publication records with all the metadata attached. It's a huge win for anyone who needs to stay on top of scientific output without the gatekeeping of traditional enterprise databases. You can find it in the Vinkius catalog to get your agent connected to the world's largest open scholarly catalog in minutes. It turns a week of manual literature review into a few targeted questions. ## Tools ### get_openalex_trending_topics See what scientific topics are currently getting the most attention worldwide. This helps you understand which research areas are currently moving the needle. ### get_openalex_work Pull full metadata and details for a specific paper using its DOI or OpenAlex ID. This is useful for getting deep data on a single record without manual searching. ### search_openalex_authors Get publication counts, h-index metrics, and current affiliations for specific researchers. This lets you see a person's career impact and institutional ties at a glance. ### search_openalex_institutions Discover research output and citation metrics for universities, labs, and government agencies. This is great for mapping out institutional influence and geographic research hubs. ### search_openalex_works Search the database for papers with abstracts, citation counts, and open access status. This lets you find millions of scholarly works quickly while checking for free availability. ## Prompt Examples **Prompt:** ``` Who are the top 5 universities for research on mRNA vaccines? ``` **Response:** ``` ### Top 5 Research Institutions for mRNA Vaccines | Institution | Publication Count | Citation Metrics | Top Research Concepts | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **University of Oxford** | 4,200+ | 1.2M+ | mRNA Therapeutics, Virology | | **MIT** | 3,800+ | 950K+ | Biotechnology, Vaccinology | | **Stanford University** | 3,100+ | 820K+ | Immunology, mRNA Delivery | | **University of Cambridge** | 2,900+ | 740K+ | Molecular Biology | | **Johns Hopkins University** | 2,700+ | 680K+ | Public Health, Vaccine Research | *Data includes total publication counts and aggregated citation metrics.* ``` **Prompt:** ``` Can you find Geoffrey Hinton's h-index and tell me his most cited work? ``` **Response:** ``` ### Researcher Profile: Geoffrey Hinton * **Current Affiliation:** University of Toronto / Google Brain * **Total Publications:** 650+ * **Total Citations:** 750,000+ * **h-index:** 183 **Most Cited Work:** * *ImageNet Classification with Deep Convolutional Neural Networks* (2012) * **Citations:** 120,000+ **Top Research Concepts:** * Machine Learning * Neural Networks * Deep Learning * Artificial Intelligence ``` **Prompt:** ``` What are the most-researched topics in physics right now? ``` **Response:** ``` ### Global Research Trends: Physics Based on the latest publication data, the most active research areas in physics are: 1. **Quantum Computing & Information** (Highest volume of new papers) 2. **Condensed Matter Physics** 3. **High-Energy Particle Physics** 4. **Astrophysics & Cosmology** 5. **Quantum Optics** **Trending Sub-topics:** * Quantum supremacy * Superconductivity * Dark matter detection* Neutrino oscillations ``` ## Capabilities ### Search millions of academic papers Find specific works and their metadata across a massive database. ### Pull researcher publication metrics Get h-indexes, citation counts, and affiliations for any author. ### Identify top research institutions See which universities and labs are leading in specific research areas. ### Spot global scientific trends See what topics are currently getting the most attention worldwide. ### Check open access status Instantly see if a paper is available for free full-text access. ## Use Cases ### Finding open access CRISPR research A researcher needs to find all papers on CRISPR from the last 3 years that are actually open access. They ask their agent to filter the database for free availability. ### Mapping university research output A librarian wants to see which universities in Europe are leading the way in quantum computing research. They ask their agent to pull citation metrics for those institutions. ### Analyzing a professor's career impact A student is looking for the most cited works of a specific professor to understand their career trajectory. They ask their agent to pull publication counts and h-index metrics. ### Identifying global research trends A policy analyst needs to know the top 10 research trends in medicine to help allocate government grants. They ask their agent to find the most researched scientific topics. ## Benefits - Skip the subscription fees for expensive databases by using search_openalex_works to find any paper in the open catalog. This gives you access to millions of records without the enterprise cost. - Get a clear picture of a researcher's impact by pulling h-index and citation counts with search_openalex_authors. This lets you see a person's career impact and institutional ties at a glance. - Identify the best labs for collaboration by checking institutional output with search_openalex_institutions. This is great for mapping out institutional influence and geographic research hubs. - Spot emerging scientific fields quickly by using get_openalex_trending_topics to see what's actually being published. This helps you understand which research areas are currently moving the needle. - Save time on literature reviews by using get_openalex_work to grab full metadata and abstracts in one go. This lets you find specific papers and their details without manual searching. ## How It Works The bottom line is you get instant access to a massive scholarly database without the subscription fees. 1. Get your free API key from the OpenAlex website. 2. Add the key to your AI client settings via Vinkius. 3. Ask your agent to find papers, authors, or research trends. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Can OpenAlex MCP find specific research papers?** Yes. It allows your agent to search a database of over 250 million scholarly works to find specific papers based on titles, authors, or DOIs. **Does OpenAlex MCP include citation counts?** Yes, it pulls bibliometric data including total citations, h-indexes, and publication counts for both individual researchers and institutions. **Can I use OpenAlex MCP to find open access works?** Absolutely. Every work in the catalog indicates its open access status, helping you identify which papers are available for free full-text access. **How does OpenAlex MCP help with research trends?** It allows your agent to identify the most-researched scientific topics globally, helping you see where the scientific community is currently focusing its efforts. **Can OpenAlex MCP find researcher affiliations?** Yes. It provides current institutional affiliations for researchers, making it easy to see where major scientific work is being conducted. **Is OpenAlex MCP a free alternative to Scopus?** Yes, it is a fully open-source alternative to enterprise platforms like Scopus and Web of Science, providing massive amounts of scholarly data without the subscription fees. **Is the OpenAlex API key free and how do I get one?** Yes, the API key is completely free. OpenAlex provides 100,000 credits per day at no cost. Create your free account at openalex.org, then navigate to Settings → API to generate your key. The key is required since February 2026 when OpenAlex retired the 'polite pool' system. **How does OpenAlex compare to Scopus and Web of Science?** OpenAlex is a fully open, CC0-licensed alternative covering 250M+ works — comparable in scope to Scopus (90M+) and far exceeding Web of Science (90M+). It provides citation metrics, h-indexes, institutional data, and open access detection. The key difference: OpenAlex is completely free with no institutional subscription required, while Scopus and WoS cost thousands of dollars per year. **What data is available for each scholarly work?** Each work includes: title, authors with institutional affiliations, publication year, journal/source, DOI, work type, citation count, open access status and URL, research topics/concepts, and a reconstructed abstract. Author profiles add h-index, total publications, and career affiliations. Institutions include country, type, and research area specializations.