OpenAlex MCP Server for OpenAI Agents SDK 5 tools — connect in under 2 minutes
The OpenAI Agents SDK enables production-grade agent workflows in Python. Connect OpenAlex through the Vinkius and your agents gain typed, auto-discovered tools with built-in guardrails — no manual schema definitions required.
ASK AI ABOUT THIS MCP SERVER
Vinkius supports streamable HTTP and SSE.
import asyncio
from agents import Agent, Runner
from agents.mcp import MCPServerStreamableHttp
async def main():
# Your Vinkius token — get it at cloud.vinkius.com
async with MCPServerStreamableHttp(
url="https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
) as mcp_server:
agent = Agent(
name="OpenAlex Assistant",
instructions=(
"You help users interact with OpenAlex. "
"You have access to 5 tools."
),
mcp_servers=[mcp_server],
)
result = await Runner.run(
agent, "List all available tools from OpenAlex"
)
print(result.final_output)
asyncio.run(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.
The OpenAI Agents SDK auto-discovers all 5 tools from OpenAlex through native MCP integration. Build agents with built-in guardrails, tracing, and handoff patterns — chain multiple agents where one queries OpenAlex, another analyzes results, and a third generates reports, all orchestrated through the Vinkius.
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 OpenAI Agents SDK 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 OpenAI Agents SDK via MCP
Follow these steps to integrate the OpenAlex MCP Server with OpenAI Agents SDK.
Install the SDK
Run pip install openai-agents in your Python environment
Replace the token
Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your Vinkius token from cloud.vinkius.com
Run the script
Save the code above and run it: python agent.py
Explore tools
The agent will automatically discover 5 tools from OpenAlex
Why Use OpenAI Agents SDK with the OpenAlex MCP Server
OpenAI Agents SDK provides unique advantages when paired with OpenAlex through the Model Context Protocol.
Native MCP integration via `MCPServerSse` — pass the URL and the SDK auto-discovers all tools with full type safety
Built-in guardrails, tracing, and handoff patterns let you build production-grade agents without reinventing safety infrastructure
Lightweight and composable: chain multiple agents and MCP servers in a single pipeline with minimal boilerplate
First-party OpenAI support ensures optimal compatibility with GPT models for tool calling and structured output
OpenAlex + OpenAI Agents SDK Use Cases
Practical scenarios where OpenAI Agents SDK combined with the OpenAlex MCP Server delivers measurable value.
Automated workflows: build agents that query OpenAlex, process the data, and trigger follow-up actions autonomously
Multi-agent orchestration: create specialist agents — one queries OpenAlex, another analyzes results, a third generates reports
Data enrichment pipelines: stream data through OpenAlex tools and transform it with OpenAI models in a single async loop
Customer support bots: agents query OpenAlex to resolve tickets, look up records, and update statuses without human intervention
OpenAlex MCP Tools for OpenAI Agents SDK (5)
These 5 tools become available when you connect OpenAlex to OpenAI Agents SDK 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 OpenAI Agents SDK
Ready-to-use prompts you can give your OpenAI Agents SDK 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 OpenAI Agents SDK
Common issues when connecting OpenAlex to OpenAI Agents SDK through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.
MCPServerStreamableHttp not found
pip install --upgrade openai-agentsAgent not calling tools
OpenAlex + OpenAI Agents SDK FAQ
Common questions about integrating OpenAlex MCP Server with OpenAI Agents SDK.
How does the OpenAI Agents SDK connect to MCP?
MCPServerSse(url=...) to create a server connection. The SDK auto-discovers all tools and makes them available to your agent with full type information.Can I use multiple MCP servers in one agent?
MCPServerSse instances to the agent constructor. The agent can use tools from all connected servers within a single run.Does the SDK support streaming responses?
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 OpenAI Agents SDK
Get your token, paste the configuration, and start using 5 tools in under 2 minutes. No API key management needed.