OpenAlex MCP Server for Mastra AI 5 tools — connect in under 2 minutes
Mastra AI is a TypeScript-native agent framework built for modern web stacks. Connect OpenAlex through the Vinkius and Mastra agents discover all tools automatically — type-safe, streaming-ready, and deployable anywhere Node.js runs.
ASK AI ABOUT THIS MCP SERVER
Vinkius supports streamable HTTP and SSE.
import { Agent } from "@mastra/core/agent";
import { createMCPClient } from "@mastra/mcp";
import { openai } from "@ai-sdk/openai";
async function main() {
// Your Vinkius token — get it at cloud.vinkius.com
const mcpClient = await createMCPClient({
servers: {
"openalex": {
url: "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp",
},
},
});
const tools = await mcpClient.getTools();
const agent = new Agent({
name: "OpenAlex Agent",
instructions:
"You help users interact with OpenAlex " +
"using 5 tools.",
model: openai("gpt-4o"),
tools,
});
const result = await agent.generate(
"What can I do with OpenAlex?"
);
console.log(result.text);
}
main();
* 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.
Mastra's agent abstraction provides a clean separation between LLM logic and OpenAlex tool infrastructure. Connect 5 tools through the Vinkius and use Mastra's built-in workflow engine to chain tool calls with conditional logic, retries, and parallel execution — deployable to any Node.js host in one command.
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 Mastra AI 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 Mastra AI via MCP
Follow these steps to integrate the OpenAlex MCP Server with Mastra AI.
Install dependencies
Run npm install @mastra/core @mastra/mcp @ai-sdk/openai
Replace the token
Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your Vinkius token
Run the agent
Save to agent.ts and run with npx tsx agent.ts
Explore tools
Mastra discovers 5 tools from OpenAlex via MCP
Why Use Mastra AI with the OpenAlex MCP Server
Mastra AI provides unique advantages when paired with OpenAlex through the Model Context Protocol.
Mastra's agent abstraction provides a clean separation between LLM logic and tool infrastructure — add OpenAlex without touching business code
Built-in workflow engine chains MCP tool calls with conditional logic, retries, and parallel execution for complex automation
TypeScript-native: full type inference for every OpenAlex tool response with IDE autocomplete and compile-time checks
One-command deployment to any Node.js host — Vercel, Railway, Fly.io, or your own infrastructure
OpenAlex + Mastra AI Use Cases
Practical scenarios where Mastra AI combined with the OpenAlex MCP Server delivers measurable value.
Automated workflows: build multi-step agents that query OpenAlex, process results, and trigger downstream actions in a typed pipeline
SaaS integrations: embed OpenAlex as a first-class tool in your product's AI features with Mastra's clean agent API
Background jobs: schedule Mastra agents to query OpenAlex on a cron and store results in your database automatically
Multi-agent systems: create specialist agents that collaborate using OpenAlex tools alongside other MCP servers
OpenAlex MCP Tools for Mastra AI (5)
These 5 tools become available when you connect OpenAlex to Mastra AI 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 Mastra AI
Ready-to-use prompts you can give your Mastra AI 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 Mastra AI
Common issues when connecting OpenAlex to Mastra AI through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.
createMCPClient not exported
npm install @mastra/mcpOpenAlex + Mastra AI FAQ
Common questions about integrating OpenAlex MCP Server with Mastra AI.
How does Mastra AI connect to MCP servers?
MCPClient with the server URL and pass it to your agent. Mastra discovers all tools and makes them available with full TypeScript types.Can Mastra agents use tools from multiple servers?
Does Mastra support workflow orchestration?
Connect OpenAlex with your favorite client
Step-by-step setup guides for every MCP-compatible client and framework:
Anthropic's native desktop app for Claude with built-in MCP support.
AI-first code editor with integrated LLM-powered coding assistance.
GitHub Copilot in VS Code with Agent mode and MCP support.
Purpose-built IDE for agentic AI coding workflows.
Autonomous AI coding agent that runs inside VS Code.
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 Mastra AI
Get your token, paste the configuration, and start using 5 tools in under 2 minutes. No API key management needed.