Stanford OpenAlex MCP Server for CursorGive Cursor instant access to 16 tools to Get Author, Get Author Works, Get Concept, and more

Name: Stanford OpenAlex
Price: 29 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 0.2 (1 reviews)
Author: Vinkius

GDPR Free for Subscribers

Cursor is an AI-first code editor built on VS Code that integrates LLM-powered coding assistance directly into the development workflow. Its Agent mode enables autonomous multi-step coding tasks, and MCP support lets agents access external data sources and APIs during code generation.

Ask AI about this MCP Server for Cursor

Open in ChatGPT Open in Claude Open in Perplexity

The Stanford OpenAlex MCP Server for Cursor is a standout in the Education category — giving your AI agent 16 tools to work with, ready to go from day one.

Built for AI Agents by Vinkius

Vinkius delivers Streamable HTTP and SSE to any MCP client

Claude

ChatGPT

Cursor

Gemini

Windsurf

VS Code

JetBrains

Vercel

+ other MCP clients

Classic Setup·json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "stanford-openalex": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
    }
  }
}

RecommendedModern Approach — Zero Configuration

Vinkius Desktop App

The modern way to manage MCP Servers — no config files, no terminal commands. Install Stanford OpenAlex and 4,000+ MCP Servers from a single visual interface.

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EU AI ActCompliant

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Ed25519Audit chain

<40msKill switch

Stream every event to Splunk, Datadog, or your own webhook in real-time

* 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 Stanford OpenAlex MCP Server

Connect to the OpenAlex API — the fully open catalog of the global research system.

Cursor's Agent mode turns Stanford OpenAlex into an in-editor superpower. Ask Cursor to generate code using live data from Stanford OpenAlex and it fetches, processes, and writes. all in a single agentic loop. 16 tools appear alongside file editing and terminal access, creating a unified development environment grounded in real-time information.

What you can do

Works — Search and analyze 250M+ academic works (papers, books, datasets, patents)
Authors — Browse 90M+ researcher profiles with h-index, i10-index, and citation metrics
Institutions — Explore 100K+ universities, labs, and research organizations worldwide
Sources — Query 240K+ journals, conferences, and repositories with impact metrics
Concepts — Navigate the 65K+ scientific concept taxonomy from broad to specific
Funders — Discover which organizations fund specific research areas
Publishers — Analyze the academic publishing landscape
Topics — Explore hierarchical topic classifications across all of science
Open Access — Find freely available research papers

The Stanford OpenAlex MCP Server exposes 16 tools through the Vinkius. Connect it to Cursor in under two minutes — credentials fully managed, no infrastructure to provision, no vendor lock-in. Your configuration, your data, your control.

All 16 Stanford OpenAlex tools available for Cursor

When Cursor connects to Stanford OpenAlex through Vinkius, your AI agent gets direct access to every tool listed below — spanning openalex, academic-research, bibliometrics, and more. Every call runs in a secure, isolated environment with full audit visibility. Beyond a simple connection, you get real-time monitoring of agent activity, enterprise governance, and optimized token usage.

get

Get author on Stanford OpenAlex

Returns name, affiliations, paper count, citation count, h-index, i10-index, 2-year mean citedness, top research concepts, and publication trends by year. The definitive tool for assessing academic impact. Get author profile with h-index, citations, and impact metrics

get

Get author works on Stanford OpenAlex

Returns works with titles, DOIs, years, citation counts, open access status, and primary venues. Sort by "cited_by_count:desc" for most cited or "publication_date:desc" for most recent. Get all works by a specific author

get

Get concept on Stanford OpenAlex

Essential for understanding the structure of a research field. Get concept details with ancestors, related concepts, and trends

get

Get funder on Stanford OpenAlex

Use this to understand which organizations fund specific research areas. Get funder details and funded research statistics

get

Get institution on Stanford OpenAlex

Get institution details with research metrics and collaborations

get

Get source on Stanford OpenAlex

Essential for evaluating journal quality and coverage. Get journal or conference details with impact metrics

get

Get work on Stanford OpenAlex

Accepts OpenAlex IDs (e.g. "W2741809807"), DOIs (e.g. "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03819-2"), PubMed IDs (e.g. "pmid:34845388"), or MAG IDs. Returns title, abstract, authors with institutions, concepts, citation count, open access status, and publication details. Get academic work details by OpenAlex ID, DOI, or PubMed ID

Search authors on Stanford OpenAlex

Returns display name, ORCID, works count, citation count, h-index, i10-index, and last known institution. Filter examples: "cited_by_count:>10000", "works_count:>100", "last_known_institutions.country_code:US". Search 90M+ academic authors by name

Search concepts on Stanford OpenAlex

Returns names, levels, descriptions, works counts, and citation counts. Search 65K+ scientific concepts in the knowledge hierarchy

Search funders on Stanford OpenAlex

Returns names, countries, grants counts, works funded, and citation impact. Essential for understanding research funding landscapes. Search funding organizations worldwide

Search institutions on Stanford OpenAlex

Returns names, countries, types, works counts, citation counts, and homepages. Filter examples: "country_code:US", "type:education", "cited_by_count:>1000000". Search 100K+ research institutions worldwide

Search open access on Stanford OpenAlex

This is a specialized filter of the works endpoint that returns only papers with open access PDFs. Ideal for researchers who need freely accessible literature for reading, citation, or meta-analysis. Search only open access academic works

Search publishers on Stanford OpenAlex

Returns names, countries, works counts, and citation counts. Useful for analyzing the publishing landscape. Search academic publishers

Search sources on Stanford OpenAlex

Returns names, ISSNs, types, works counts, citation counts, and open access status. Filter examples: "type:journal", "is_oa:true", "cited_by_count:>100000". Search 240K+ academic journals, conferences, and repositories

Search topics on Stanford OpenAlex

Returns topic names, descriptions, associated works and citations, plus the parent field and domain. Use this to map the landscape of a research area. Search topic classifications across all of science

Search works on Stanford OpenAlex

Supports full-text search plus structured filters. Filter syntax examples: "publication_year:2024", "open_access.is_oa:true", "type:journal-article", "cited_by_count:>100". Sort options: "cited_by_count:desc", "publication_date:desc", "relevance_score:desc". Search 250M+ academic works by keyword or filter

Connect Stanford OpenAlex to Cursor via MCP

Follow these steps to wire Stanford OpenAlex into Cursor. The entire setup takes under two minutes — your credentials stay safe behind Vinkius.

Open MCP Settings

Press Cmd+Shift+P (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) → search "MCP Settings"

Add the server config

Paste the JSON configuration above into the mcp.json file that opens

Save the file

Cursor will automatically detect the new MCP server

Start using Stanford OpenAlex

Open Agent mode in chat and ask: "Using Stanford OpenAlex, help me...". 16 tools available

Why Use Cursor with the Stanford OpenAlex MCP Server

Cursor AI Code Editor provides unique advantages when paired with Stanford OpenAlex through the Model Context Protocol.

Agent mode turns Cursor into an autonomous coding assistant that can read files, run commands, and call MCP tools without switching context

Cursor's Composer feature can generate entire files using real-time data fetched through MCP. no copy-pasting from external dashboards

MCP tools appear alongside built-in tools like file reading and terminal access, creating a unified agentic environment

VS Code extension compatibility means your existing workflow, keybindings, and extensions all work alongside MCP tools

Stanford OpenAlex + Cursor Use Cases

Practical scenarios where Cursor combined with the Stanford OpenAlex MCP Server delivers measurable value.

Code generation with live data: ask Cursor to generate a security report module using live DNS and subdomain data fetched through MCP

Automated documentation: have Cursor query your API's tool schemas and generate TypeScript interfaces or OpenAPI specs automatically

Infrastructure-as-code: Cursor can fetch domain configurations and generate corresponding Terraform or CloudFormation templates

Test scaffolding: ask Cursor to pull real API responses via MCP and generate unit test fixtures from actual data

Example Prompts for Stanford OpenAlex in Cursor

Ready-to-use prompts you can give your Cursor agent to start working with Stanford OpenAlex immediately.

"Which universities have the highest research output in AI?"

"What are the most cited open access papers on CRISPR?"

"Show me the concept hierarchy for machine learning"

Troubleshooting Stanford OpenAlex MCP Server with Cursor

Common issues when connecting Stanford OpenAlex to Cursor through Vinkius, and how to resolve them.

Tools not appearing in Cursor

Ensure you are in Agent mode (not Ask mode). MCP tools only work in Agent mode.

Server shows as disconnected

Check Settings → Features → MCP and verify the server status. Try clicking the refresh button.

Stanford OpenAlex + Cursor FAQ

Common questions about integrating Stanford OpenAlex MCP Server with Cursor.

What is Agent mode and why does it matter for MCP?

Agent mode is Cursor's autonomous execution mode where the AI can perform multi-step tasks: reading files, editing code, running terminal commands, and calling MCP tools. Without Agent mode, Cursor operates in a simpler ask-and-answer mode that doesn't support tool calling. Always ensure you're in Agent mode when working with MCP servers.

Where does Cursor store MCP configuration?

Cursor looks for MCP server configurations in a mcp.json file. You can configure servers at the project level (.cursor/mcp.json in your project root) or globally (~/.cursor/mcp.json). Project-level configs take precedence.

Can Cursor use MCP tools in inline edits?

No. MCP tools are only available in Agent mode through the chat panel. Inline completions and Tab suggestions do not trigger MCP tool calls. This is by design. tool calls require user visibility and approval.

How do I verify MCP tools are loaded?

Open Settings → Features → MCP and look for your server name. A green indicator means the server is connected. You can also check Agent mode's available tools by clicking the tools dropdown in the chat panel.

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