How do I connect this MCP to my AI client?

You subscribe through Vinkius and then connect your client, such as Claude or Cursor, with a single click. Vinkius handles the hosting and management.

Do I need an NCBI API key?

An API key is optional. You can provide one to access higher rate limits, but it is not required for basic use.

What formats can the AI retrieve articles in?

The MCP can retrieve full-text articles in BioC XML or JSON formats through the get_bioc_article capability.

Can I convert a DOI to a PMCID?

Yes, the convert_ids capability allows you to map between PMCID, PMID, and DOI identifiers.

Is the literature available in this MCP open access?

The MCP provides access to the PubMed Central archive, which includes millions of open-access articles.

How do I convert a DOI or PMID into a PMCID for full-text access?

Use the convert_ids capability. Provide a comma-separated list of identifiers, and the agent will return the mapped PMCID, which is required for many other PMC retrieval capabilities.

Can I retrieve the actual content of an article, not just the abstract?

Yes. If the article is in the Open Access subset, use get_bioc_article with the PMCID. You can specify 'json' or 'xml' format to get the full-text sections.

How can I find which papers have cited a specific study?

Use the get_citing_articles capability by providing the PubMed ID (PMID) of the study. It will return a list of PMC articles that reference that specific work.

An astronaut overseeing a futuristic data hub

Download PDF Markdown Version

Connect PubMed Central 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. Pull full-text scientific papers directly into your AI workspace.

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 · 7 capabilities

We ship only the actions that matter.

Capability set01 / 02

01-04

4 capabilities in this set.

Part of 7 available through PubMed Central.

01
Get citing articles
Find PMC articles that cite a specific PubMed ID. Use this to track the scientific impact and evolution of a study.
02
Get oa record
Retrieve citation data, license info, and file locations for Open Access articles. This is useful for verifying usage rights.
03
Search articles
Search the PubMed Central database for specific articles. You can filter by authors, dates, or other complex queries.
04
Convert ids
Convert between different article identifiers like PMCID, PMID, and DOI. This keeps your data consistent across different platforms.

Capability set02 / 02

05-07

3 capabilities in this set.

Part of 7 available through PubMed Central.

05
Get article summary
Get metadata summaries for PMC articles. Use this to quickly scan the context of a paper.
06
Get bioc article
Retrieve full-text articles via the BioC API. This provides the raw content needed for deep analysis.
07
Oai pmh request
Harvest metadata through the PMC OAI-PMH Service. This is built for large-scale metadata collection.

Real work

What teams actually run

Literature Reviews

Ask your agent to find and summarize recent papers on a specific biological pathway.

Citation Mapping

Identify how a specific discovery has been cited by newer research papers.

Dataset Building

Use metadata harvesting to build a structured list of articles for large-scale analysis.

Fact Checking

Quickly verify clinical findings by querying the PMC archive directly from your chat interface.

Automate a task

Put 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

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 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

943ms average. Fast in production.

PubMed Central is checked daily against the live service.

Daily averagePeak 1420ms

Oct 9Today

Fastest day: 753ms
Slowest day: 1420ms
14-day trend: Slowing+89%

Connect your client

One URL. Every client.

Activate the Connector, copy your link, and paste it into the client you already use. 7 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 PubMed Central, so you can see the experience inside your AI.

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

PubMed Central Connector

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

Connector linkhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_U9ekHpIXBEbNwNHsdwHGddpNGYPUoyZeaXWyzTn8/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 — PubMed Central capabilities are ready to use.

Configuration · claude_desktop_config.jsonCopy

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pubmed-central-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_U9ekHpIXBEbNwNHsdwHGddpNGYPUoyZeaXWyzTn8/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 PubMed Central in Claude and other AIs

See all the AI clients this connector works with ↑

Who it's for

Built for the work PubMed Central owners hand off.

This MCP is built for professionals working within the biomedical and life sciences sectors who need to interact with massive literature databases.

01
Researchers
They hand off the task of finding and extracting data from full-text papers to their agent.
02
Healthcare Professionals
They use the agent to verify medical facts against the latest clinical studies.
03
Data Scientists
They automate the collection of biomedical datasets and citation networks.

FAQ

Questions PubMed Central owners ask.

01
How do I connect this MCP to my AI client?
You subscribe through Vinkius and then connect your client, such as Claude or Cursor, with a single click. Vinkius handles the hosting and management.
02
Do I need an NCBI API key?
An API key is optional. You can provide one to access higher rate limits, but it is not required for basic use.
03
What formats can the AI retrieve articles in?
The MCP can retrieve full-text articles in BioC XML or JSON formats through the get_bioc_article capability.
04
Can I convert a DOI to a PMCID?
Yes, the convert_ids capability allows you to map between PMCID, PMID, and DOI identifiers.
05
Is the literature available in this MCP open access?
The MCP provides access to the PubMed Central archive, which includes millions of open-access articles.
06
How do I convert a DOI or PMID into a PMCID for full-text access?
Use the convert_ids capability. Provide a comma-separated list of identifiers, and the agent will return the mapped PMCID, which is required for many other PMC retrieval capabilities.
07
Can I retrieve the actual content of an article, not just the abstract?
Yes. If the article is in the Open Access subset, use get_bioc_article with the PMCID. You can specify 'json' or 'xml' format to get the full-text sections.
08
How can I find which papers have cited a specific study?
Use the get_citing_articles capability by providing the PubMed ID (PMID) of the study. It will return a list of PMC articles that reference that specific work.

Explore

More in Knowledge Management

Connect 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

Get citing articles

Get oa record

Search articles

Convert ids

05-07

Get article summary

Get bioc article

Oai pmh request

What teams actually run

Literature Reviews

Citation Mapping

Dataset Building

Fact Checking

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

PubMed Central Connector

Claude Desktop

Researchers

Healthcare Professionals

Data Scientists

How do I connect this MCP to my AI client?

Do I need an NCBI API key?

What formats can the AI retrieve articles in?

Can I convert a DOI to a PMCID?

Is the literature available in this MCP open access?

How do I convert a DOI or PMID into a PMCID for full-text access?

Can I retrieve the actual content of an article, not just the abstract?

How can I find which papers have cited a specific study?

PMC Open Access (PubMed Central) AI Connector

Unpaywall (Open Access Papers) AI Connector

CORE (Open Access Research) AI Connector

Open-Meteo Full Access AI Connector

Suggestions

SEC EDGAR Filings — 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K, Insider Trades & Full-Text Search AI Connector

Azure AI Search AI Connector

OpenAlex AI Connector

Stanford OpenAlex AI Connector