OpenAlex MCP Server for Google ADK 5 tools — connect in under 2 minutes
Google Agent Development Kit (ADK) is Google's framework for building production AI agents. Add OpenAlex as an MCP tool provider through Vinkius and your ADK agents can call every tool with full schema introspection.
ASK AI ABOUT THIS MCP SERVER
Vinkius supports streamable HTTP and SSE.
from google.adk.agents import Agent
from google.adk.tools.mcp_tool import McpToolset
from google.adk.tools.mcp_tool.mcp_session_manager import (
StreamableHTTPConnectionParams,
)
# Your Vinkius token. get it at cloud.vinkius.com
mcp_tools = McpToolset(
connection_params=StreamableHTTPConnectionParams(
url="https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp",
)
)
agent = Agent(
model="gemini-2.5-pro",
name="openalex_agent",
instruction=(
"You help users interact with OpenAlex "
"using 5 available tools."
),
tools=[mcp_tools],
)
* Every MCP server runs on Vinkius-managed infrastructure inside AWS - a purpose-built runtime with per-request V8 isolates, Ed25519 signed audit chains, and sub-40ms cold starts optimized for native MCP execution. See our infrastructure
About OpenAlex MCP Server
Connect your AI agent to the world's largest fully open catalog of scholarly works — a free, CC0-licensed replacement for enterprise platforms like Scopus and Web of Science.
Google ADK natively supports OpenAlex as an MCP tool provider. declare Vinkius Edge URL and the framework handles discovery, validation, and execution automatically. Combine 5 tools with Gemini's long-context reasoning for complex multi-tool workflows, with production-ready session management and evaluation built in.
What you can do
- Works Search — Search 250M+ works with complete metadata including authors, institutional affiliations, citation counts, open access status, and reconstructed abstracts
- Author Profiles — Find researchers worldwide with publication counts, total citations, h-index metrics, and current institutional affiliation
- Institution Discovery — Explore the research output of universities, labs, hospitals, and government agencies globally with full bibliometric data
- Research Trends — Discover the most researched scientific topics ranked by total number of published works to understand where the scientific community is focusing
- Open Access Detection — Every work indicates its open access status (green, gold, hybrid, bronze) for instant full-text availability assessment
The OpenAlex MCP Server exposes 5 tools through the Vinkius. Connect it to Google ADK in under two minutes — no API keys to rotate, no infrastructure to provision, no vendor lock-in. Your configuration, your data, your control.
How to Connect OpenAlex to Google ADK via MCP
Follow these steps to integrate the OpenAlex MCP Server with Google ADK.
Install Google ADK
Run pip install google-adk
Replace the token
Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your Vinkius token
Create the agent
Save the code above and integrate into your ADK workflow
Explore tools
The agent will discover 5 tools from OpenAlex via MCP
Why Use Google ADK with the OpenAlex MCP Server
Google ADK provides unique advantages when paired with OpenAlex through the Model Context Protocol.
Google ADK natively supports MCP tool servers. declare a tool provider and the framework handles discovery, validation, and execution
Built on Gemini models, ADK provides long-context reasoning ideal for complex multi-tool workflows with OpenAlex
Production-ready features like session management, evaluation, and deployment come built-in. not bolted on
Seamless integration with Google Cloud services means you can combine OpenAlex tools with BigQuery, Vertex AI, and Cloud Functions
OpenAlex + Google ADK Use Cases
Practical scenarios where Google ADK combined with the OpenAlex MCP Server delivers measurable value.
Enterprise data agents: ADK agents query OpenAlex and cross-reference results with internal databases for comprehensive analysis
Multi-modal workflows: combine OpenAlex tool responses with Gemini's vision and language capabilities in a single agent
Automated compliance checks: schedule ADK agents to query OpenAlex regularly and flag policy violations or configuration drift
Internal tool platforms: build self-service agent platforms where teams connect their own MCP servers including OpenAlex
OpenAlex MCP Tools for Google ADK (5)
These 5 tools become available when you connect OpenAlex to Google ADK via MCP:
get_openalex_trending_topics
Essential for understanding global research trends. Discover the most researched scientific topics and concepts globally
get_openalex_work
Accepts OpenAlex ID (e.g. W2741809809 or full URL) or DOI (e.g. 10.1038/nature12373). Get full details of an academic work by OpenAlex ID or DOI
search_openalex_authors
Returns works count, total citations, h-index, current institution, and top research concepts. Find researchers with publication metrics, h-index, and institutional affiliations
search_openalex_institutions
Returns publication counts, citation metrics, country, and top research areas. Covers universities, research labs, hospitals, and government agencies globally. Find research institutions, universities, and organizations worldwide
search_openalex_works
Returns title, authors with institutional affiliations, journal, year, citation count, open access status, concepts, and reconstructed abstracts. CC0 licensed data. Search 250M+ academic works in the world's largest open scholarly database
Example Prompts for OpenAlex in Google ADK
Ready-to-use prompts you can give your Google ADK agent to start working with OpenAlex immediately.
"Which institutions publish the most research on quantum computing worldwide?"
"Search for Geoffrey Hinton and show me his publication metrics and affiliations."
"What are the most researched scientific topics globally right now?"
Troubleshooting OpenAlex MCP Server with Google ADK
Common issues when connecting OpenAlex to Google ADK through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.
McpToolset not found
pip install --upgrade google-adkOpenAlex + Google ADK FAQ
Common questions about integrating OpenAlex MCP Server with Google ADK.
How does Google ADK connect to MCP servers?
Can ADK agents use multiple MCP servers?
Which Gemini models work best with MCP tools?
Connect OpenAlex with your favorite client
Step-by-step setup guides for every MCP-compatible client and framework:
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GitHub Copilot in VS Code with Agent mode and MCP support.
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Anthropic's agentic CLI for terminal-first development.
Python SDK for building production-grade OpenAI agent workflows.
Google's framework for building production AI agents.
Type-safe agent development for Python with first-class MCP support.
TypeScript toolkit for building AI-powered web applications.
TypeScript-native agent framework for modern web stacks.
Python framework for orchestrating collaborative AI agent crews.
Leading Python framework for composable LLM applications.
Data-aware AI agent framework for structured and unstructured sources.
Microsoft's framework for multi-agent collaborative conversations.
Connect OpenAlex to Google ADK
Get your token, paste the configuration, and start using 5 tools in under 2 minutes. No API key management needed.