Stanford OpenAlex MCP Server for WindsurfGive Windsurf instant access to 16 tools to Get Author, Get Author Works, Get Concept, and more
Windsurf brings agentic AI coding to a purpose-built IDE. Connect Stanford OpenAlex through Vinkius and Cascade will auto-discover every tool. ask questions, generate code, and act on live data without leaving your editor.
Ask AI about this MCP Server for Windsurf
The Stanford OpenAlex MCP Server for Windsurf is a standout in the Education category — giving your AI agent 16 tools to work with, ready to go from day one.
Vinkius delivers Streamable HTTP and SSE to any MCP client
{
"mcpServers": {
"stanford-openalex": {
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
}
}
}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.





* 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.
Windsurf's Cascade agent chains multiple Stanford OpenAlex tool calls autonomously. query data, analyze results, and generate code in a single agentic session. Paste Vinkius Edge URL, reload, and all 16 tools are immediately available. Real-time tool feedback appears inline, so you see API responses directly in your editor.
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 Windsurf 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 Windsurf
When Windsurf 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 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 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 concept on Stanford OpenAlex
Essential for understanding the structure of a research field. Get concept details with ancestors, related concepts, and trends
Get funder on Stanford OpenAlex
Use this to understand which organizations fund specific research areas. Get funder details and funded research statistics
Get institution on Stanford OpenAlex
Get institution details with research metrics and collaborations
Get source on Stanford OpenAlex
Essential for evaluating journal quality and coverage. Get journal or conference details with impact metrics
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 Windsurf via MCP
Follow these steps to wire Stanford OpenAlex into Windsurf. The entire setup takes under two minutes — your credentials stay safe behind Vinkius.
Open MCP Settings
Cmd+Shift+P and search "MCP"Add the server
mcp_config.jsonSave and reload
Start using Stanford OpenAlex
Why Use Windsurf with the Stanford OpenAlex MCP Server
Windsurf provides unique advantages when paired with Stanford OpenAlex through the Model Context Protocol.
Windsurf's Cascade agent autonomously chains multiple tool calls in sequence, solving complex multi-step tasks without manual intervention
Purpose-built for agentic workflows. Cascade understands context across your entire codebase and integrates MCP tools natively
JSON-based configuration means zero code changes: paste a URL, reload, and all 16 tools are immediately available
Real-time tool feedback is displayed inline, so you see API responses directly in your editor without switching contexts
Stanford OpenAlex + Windsurf Use Cases
Practical scenarios where Windsurf combined with the Stanford OpenAlex MCP Server delivers measurable value.
Automated code generation: ask Cascade to fetch data from Stanford OpenAlex and generate models, types, or handlers based on real API responses
Live debugging: query Stanford OpenAlex tools mid-session to inspect production data while debugging without leaving the editor
Documentation generation: pull schema information from Stanford OpenAlex and have Cascade generate comprehensive API docs automatically
Rapid prototyping: combine Stanford OpenAlex data with Cascade's code generation to scaffold entire features in minutes
Example Prompts for Stanford OpenAlex in Windsurf
Ready-to-use prompts you can give your Windsurf 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 Windsurf
Common issues when connecting Stanford OpenAlex to Windsurf through Vinkius, and how to resolve them.
Server not connecting
Stanford OpenAlex + Windsurf FAQ
Common questions about integrating Stanford OpenAlex MCP Server with Windsurf.
How does Windsurf discover MCP tools?
mcp_config.json file on startup and connects to each configured server via Streamable HTTP. Tools are listed in the MCP panel and available to Cascade automatically.Can Cascade chain multiple MCP tool calls?
Does Windsurf support multiple MCP servers?
mcp_config.json. Each server's tools appear in the MCP panel and Cascade can use tools from different servers in a single flow.Explore More MCP Servers
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