What is the PMC Open Access MCP?

It is a connector that gives your AI client access to the PubMed Central Open Access subset for biomedical research.

Do I need an NCBI API key?

Yes, you will need to provide your NCBI API Key and registered email to use the capabilities.

Can I download full papers?

Yes, the MCP can locate downloadable PDF, XML, and TGZ files for open-access articles.

Which AI clients can use this?

You can use this with any MCP-compatible client like Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, or VS Code.

What kind of identifiers can it convert?

The MCP converts between PMCIDs, PMIDs, DOIs, and Manuscript IDs.

How can I find the DOI or PMID for a specific PMCID?

Use the convert_ids capability. Simply provide the PMCID (e.g., PMC5334499) and it will return the corresponding PMID, DOI, and other associated identifiers.

Can I get direct download links for research papers?

Yes! The oa_discover capability allows you to find downloadable resources like PDFs or XML files for articles in the PMC Open Access Subset using their PMCID.

How do I retrieve the full metadata for a specific article?

Use the oai_get_record capability with the article's OAI identifier and a metadata prefix like 'pmc' or 'oai_dc' to fetch the complete record details.

An astronaut overseeing a futuristic data hub

Download PDF Markdown Version

Connect Pmc Open Access Pubmed Central to ChatGPT and Claude

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. Direct access to millions of peer-reviewed life science papers.

Ask AI about this Connector

Developed, maintained, and hosted by Vinkius.

MCP VERIFIED · PRODUCTION READY · VINKIUS GUARANTEED

Waiting for input…

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

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.

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 · 8 capabilities

We ship only the actions that matter.

Capability set01 / 02

01-04

4 capabilities in this set.

Part of 8 available through PMC (PubMed Central).

01
Oai identify
Identifies the PMC OAI-PMH repository for your agent.
02
Oai list metadata formats
Lists the available metadata formats in the PMC OAI-PMH repository.
03
Oai list records
Retrieves full OAI records for PMC articles.
04
Convert ids
Converts between PMCIDs, PMIDs, DOIs, and Manuscript IDs.

Capability set02 / 02

05-08

4 capabilities in this set.

Part of 8 available through PMC (PubMed Central).

05
Oai list identifiers
Lists OAI identifiers for PMC articles using specific metadata prefixes.
06
Export citation
Generates formatted citations for PubMed and PMC articles.
07
Oa discover
Finds downloadable resources like PDFs and XMLs within the PMC Open Access subset.
08
Oai get record
Fetches a specific OAI record from the PMC repository.

Real work

What teams actually run

Literature Review Automation

Your agent scans the repository to find relevant papers based on specific metadata.

Dataset Building

Data scientists harvest large-scale biomedical records for training models.

Clinical Evidence Retrieval

Medical professionals convert clinical IDs into full research papers.

Citation Management

Your agent pulls formatted citations directly from the source.

Automate a task

Put PMC (PubMed Central) 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

PMC (PubMed Central) 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.

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

You don't need a client to put PMC (PubMed Central) 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

994ms average. Fast in production.

PMC (PubMed Central) is checked daily against the live service.

Daily averagePeak 1258ms

Oct 3Today

Fastest day: 777ms
Slowest day: 1258ms
14-day trend: Slowing+12%

Connect your client

One URL. Every client.

Activate the Connector, copy your link, and paste it into the client you already use. 8 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 PMC (PubMed Central), so you can see the experience inside your AI.

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

PMC (PubMed Central) Connector

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

Connector linkhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_DDt7jrWPN4OV7Yr6vNnYOOd9TIiNnr8Hz68SHCAw/mcp

Claude Desktop

Follow the steps below to connect in seconds.

1In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Connectors.
2Click “Add custom connector” and paste the connector link above as the remote MCP server URL.
3Click Add and start a new chat — PMC (PubMed Central) capabilities are ready to use.

Configuration · claude_desktop_config.jsonCopy

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pmc-open-access-pubmed-central-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_DDt7jrWPN4OV7Yr6vNnYOOd9TIiNnr8Hz68SHCAw/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 PMC (PubMed Central) in Claude and other AIs

See all the AI clients this connector works with ↑

Who it's for

Built for the work PMC (PubMed Central) owners hand off.

This MCP is built for professionals working with large volumes of biomedical literature.

01
Researchers
Automate literature reviews and find full-text sources.
02
Data Scientists
Harvest biomedical datasets for NLP or knowledge graph construction.
03
Medical Professionals
Find peer-reviewed evidence and convert clinical identifiers.

FAQ

Questions PMC (PubMed Central) owners ask.

01
What is the PMC Open Access MCP?
It is a connector that gives your AI client access to the PubMed Central Open Access subset for biomedical research.
02
Do I need an NCBI API key?
Yes, you will need to provide your NCBI API Key and registered email to use the capabilities.
03
Can I download full papers?
Yes, the MCP can locate downloadable PDF, XML, and TGZ files for open-access articles.
04
Which AI clients can use this?
You can use this with any MCP-compatible client like Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, or VS Code.
05
What kind of identifiers can it convert?
The MCP converts between PMCIDs, PMIDs, DOIs, and Manuscript IDs.
06
How can I find the DOI or PMID for a specific PMCID?
Use the convert_ids capability. Simply provide the PMCID (e.g., PMC5334499) and it will return the corresponding PMID, DOI, and other associated identifiers.
07
Can I get direct download links for research papers?
Yes! The oa_discover capability allows you to find downloadable resources like PDFs or XML files for articles in the PMC Open Access Subset using their PMCID.
08
How do I retrieve the full metadata for a specific article?
Use the oai_get_record capability with the article's OAI identifier and a metadata prefix like 'pmc' or 'oai_dc' to fetch the complete record details.

Explore

More in Knowledge Management

Connect PMC (PubMed Central) to Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT & more

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

Each Connector runs inside its own sealed environment.

One switch stops every agent. Instantly.

Spending limits that pause instead of surprise.

We ship only the actions that matter.

01-04

Oai identify

Oai list metadata formats

Oai list records

Convert ids

05-08

Oai list identifiers

Export citation

Oa discover

Oai get record

What teams actually run

Literature Review Automation

Dataset Building

Clinical Evidence Retrieval

Citation Management

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

PMC (PubMed Central) Connector

Claude Desktop

Researchers

Data Scientists

Medical Professionals

What is the PMC Open Access MCP?

Do I need an NCBI API key?

Can I download full papers?

Which AI clients can use this?

What kind of identifiers can it convert?

How can I find the DOI or PMID for a specific PMCID?

Can I get direct download links for research papers?

How do I retrieve the full metadata for a specific article?

CORE (Open Access Research) AI Connector

PubMed Central AI Connector

OpenAlex AI Connector

Unpaywall (Open Access Papers) AI Connector

Suggestions

UK ONS Discovery — Search 337+ Statistical Datasets AI Connector

OpenAlex AI Connector

Data.gov Catalog AI Connector

CERN Open Data AI Connector