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Connect OpenAlex to ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini

Set it up once and it works in ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, and any other client you love. It all runs safely in the background, so you can relax and focus on what really matters. Access 250 million scholarly works through your AI agent.

Ask AI about this Connector

Developed, maintained, and hosted by Vinkius.

MCP VERIFIED · PRODUCTION READY · VINKIUS GUARANTEED

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Works with modern AI clients that support MCP, including ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, and more.

ChatGPTClaudeCursorPerplexityGeminiMicrosoft CopilotRaycastMeta AI

Your AI does the work. We keep it safe and sound.

No other AI tool gives you this. Your workflow runs in the client you already love, your account stays protected, and you decide what the agent can and cannot do. It is the whole reason to make the switch.

Each Connector lives inside our infrastructure, the same place where your workflow runs. The three things below are already part of it, working quietly in the background so you never have to think about them. Nothing to add, nothing to set up, nothing to worry about.

A futuristic MCP client docking bay
V8 Isolate01

Each Connector runs inside its own sealed environment.

Each Connector runs inside its own sealed V8 runtime — no access to your files, your system, or other servers. A Connector never sees past its own request.

Kill Switch02

One switch stops every agent. Instantly.

One action deactivates every Connector, revokes every token, and ends every session at once. AI Governance keeps the record.

FinOps per User03

Spending limits that pause instead of surprise.

Every user keeps their own connections and credentials, isolated from everyone else. Anything that would cross your spending limit is held for your approval, not billed.

Three controls, built into the layer your AI connects through.

Curated set · 5 capabilities

We ship only the actions that matter.

Capability set01 / 02

01-03

3 capabilities in this set.

Part of 5 available through OpenAlex.

  1. 01

    Get openalex trending topics

    This capability identifies the most researched scientific topics and concepts currently trending globally.

  2. 02

    Get openalex work

    This capability retrieves full details for a specific academic work using its OpenAlex ID or DOI.

  3. 03

    Search openalex authors

    This capability finds researchers and returns their publication counts, h-index, total citations, and current affiliations.

Capability set02 / 02

04-05

2 capabilities in this set.

Part of 5 available through OpenAlex.

  1. 04

    Search openalex institutions

    This capability searches for universities, labs, and government agencies to provide their publication counts and citation metrics.

  2. 05

    Search openalex works

    This capability searches the database of 250M+ works to return titles, authors, journals, citation counts, and open access status.

Real work

What teams actually run

01

Literature Reviews

Your agent searches for specific papers and pulls reconstructed abstracts to summarize research areas.

02

Competitor Research

You can track the publication output and citation impact of specific research labs or institutions.

03

Trend Spotting

Your agent identifies emerging scientific concepts by analyzing global publication volume.

04

Author Verification

You can quickly check a researcher's h-index and current institutional affiliation.

Automate a task

Put OpenAlex to work on one thing.

Step-by-step automations your AI runs through this Connector: the workflow, the prompts to start with, and the exact capabilities behind each move.

One connector, every AI

OpenAlex works with the most popular AI clients.

These are the most popular clients, each with a step-by-step guide: one link, set up once, with governance and visibility built in. And because everything runs on the MCP standard, the same connection also works in any other compatible client — nothing to rebuild.

ClaudeClaudeChatGPTChatGPTGeminiGeminiPerplexityPerplexityGrokGrokMicrosoft CopilotMicrosoft CopilotCursorCursorVS CodeVS CodeWindsurfWindsurfJetBrainsJetBrainsClineClineLangChainLangChainVercel AI SDKVercel AI SDKLovableLovableZ.aiZ.aiRaycastRaycastQwen CodeQwen CodeKimi CodeKimi CodeLe ChatLe Chat

Building your own app? The connector is yours to use.

You don't need a client to put OpenAlex to work: the same hosted connection plugs into your own applications and agent code, with the same governance on every request. Build with it, chat with it — one connection for both.

Observed, not estimated

934ms average. Fast in production.

OpenAlex is checked daily against the live service.

Daily averagePeak 1120ms
Oct 3Today
Fastest day
750ms
Slowest day
1120ms
14-day trend
Slowing+16%

Connect your client

One URL. Every client.

Activate the Connector, copy your link, and paste it into the client you already use. 5 capabilities arrive ready to run.

Preview access · not provider authentication

The vk_preview_* token belongs to Vinkius preview infrastructure. It lets Claude discover and display the capabilities of OpenAlex, so you can see the experience inside your AI.

It does not authenticate your account with OpenAlex. Actions requiring credentials or live account data may not run until you activate the Connector and authorize the service.

OpenAlex Connector

You're all set. Choose your MCP client and follow the setup instructions.

Connector linkhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_VOY4fyGhNsUQoKOSjh0Q3A3hhrOEVH1pqXavvzDA/mcp

Claude Desktop

Follow the steps below to connect in seconds.

  1. 1In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Connectors.
  2. 2Click “Add custom connector” and paste the connector link above as the remote MCP server URL.
  3. 3Click Add and start a new chat — OpenAlex capabilities are ready to use.
Configuration · claude_desktop_config.jsonCopy
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openalex-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_VOY4fyGhNsUQoKOSjh0Q3A3hhrOEVH1pqXavvzDA/mcp"
    }
  }
}
  • Claude
  • ChatGPT
  • Cursor
  • VS Code
  • Windsurf
  • Claude Code
  • JetBrains
  • Cline

Step-by-step instructions for each client are in the guide. How to connect

Guided setup for Claude? Set up OpenAlex in Claude and other AIs

See all the AI clients this connector works with ↑

Who it's for

Built for the work OpenAlex owners hand off.

This MCP is built for professionals who need to pull massive amounts of scientific data into their AI-driven workflows.

  • 01

    Academic Researchers

    They use the agent to run bibliometric analyses without paying for enterprise database subscriptions.

  • 02

    University Librarians

    They use the agent to monitor institutional research output and track citation metrics.

  • 03

    Science Policy Analysts

    They use the agent to analyze global research trends and institutional performance across different countries.

FAQ

Questions OpenAlex owners ask.

  • 01

    Do I need to pay for an OpenAlex account?

    No, you can create a free account at openalex.org to get your API key.

  • 02

    Which AI clients can I use with this MCP?

    You can use this MCP with any compatible client, including Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.

  • 03

    Is the data in OpenAlex free to use?

    Yes, the data is CC0-licensed, making it a massive open-source alternative to paid platforms.

  • 04

    Can I find specific papers using a DOI?

    Yes, you can use the get_openalex_work capability to retrieve full details for a paper using its DOI.

  • 05

    Does this replace Scopus or Web of Science?

    It serves as a free, open-source alternative that provides similar bibliometric data like citation counts and h-indices.

  • 06

    Is the OpenAlex API key free and how do I get one?

    Yes, the API key is completely free. OpenAlex provides 100,000 credits per day at no cost. Create your free account at openalex.org, then navigate to Settings → API to generate your key. The key is required since February 2026 when OpenAlex retired the 'polite pool' system.

  • 07

    How does OpenAlex compare to Scopus and Web of Science?

    OpenAlex is a fully open, CC0-licensed alternative covering 250M+ works. comparable in scope to Scopus (90M+) and far exceeding Web of Science (90M+). It provides citation metrics, h-indexes, institutional data, and open access detection. The key difference: OpenAlex is completely free with no institutional subscription required, while Scopus and WoS cost thousands of dollars per year.

  • 08

    What data is available for each scholarly work?

    Each work includes: title, authors with institutional affiliations, publication year, journal/source, DOI, work type, citation count, open access status and URL, research topics/concepts, and a reconstructed abstract. Author profiles add h-index, total publications, and career affiliations. Institutions include country, type, and research area specializations.

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