OpenAlex Connector for AI agents.
14 live capabilities
Search and analyze scholarly research and bibliometric data.
Waiting for input…
Why people use OpenAlex
OpenAlex for Scholarly Research Metadata
With this Connector, you just tell your AI client what you're looking for. It queries the OpenAlex index and brings the metadata directly into your conversation. You get a clean list of works, authors, and institutions without ever leaving your workspace.
What Vinkius changes
You get direct access to the global research index from your AI client.
Use it from Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or another AI client you already have.
One account · 5,900+ Connectors
- Real-world use case 01
Literature Review
A researcher asks for 'Large Language Model' papers from 2023 and gets a list of titles and metadata.
- Real-world use case 02
Institutional Mapping
A scientist asks for the top 5 institutions in Germany for AI research and gets a ranked list.
- Real-world use case 03
Author Profile Search
A writer wants to know Yoshua Bengio's affiliation and work count and gets a full profile.
Complete set · 14capabilities
The complete OpenAlex capability set.
These are the exact actions your AI can choose when you ask it to work with OpenAlex.
01—04
4 capabilities in this set.
Part of 14 available through OpenAlex.
- 01 Capability
List authors
Search and filter for authors by name or other criteria. This is the first step to finding specific researchers.
- 02 Capability
List funders
Search and filter for various research funders. Use this to see who provides the money for science.
- 03 Capability
List institutions
Search and filter for universities and research organizations. This helps you map out global research hubs.
- 04 Capability
List publishers
Search and filter for different publishers. Use this to see who is distributing scholarly content.
05—08
4 capabilities in this set.
Part of 14 available through OpenAlex.
- 05 Capability
List sources
Search and filter for journals, conferences, and repositories. Use this to find where research is published.
- 06 Capability
Get author
Get a single author's profile using their OpenAlex ID. This helps you see specific researcher details.
- 07 Capability
Get funder
Retrieve details for a specific funder by ID. Use this to see who is financing research.
- 08 Capability
Get institution
Get information on a specific university or research org by ID. This shows you where research is happening.
09—11
3 capabilities in this set.
Part of 14 available through OpenAlex.
- 09 Capability
Get publisher
Get details for a specific publisher using their ID. This helps you identify the source of a work.
- 10 Capability
Get source
Get details for a specific journal or repository by ID. Use this to check publication venues.
- 11 Capability
Get topic
Get details for a specific research topic by ID. This helps you understand research categories.
12—14
3 capabilities in this set.
Part of 14 available through OpenAlex.
- 12 Capability
Get work
Get the full metadata for a single scholarly work using its ID. This provides all the details for a specific paper.
- 13 Capability
List topics
Search and filter for different research topics. This helps you see how different fields are organized.
- 14 Capability
List works
Search and filter millions of scholarly works by year, author, or topic. This is your primary way to find research.
Set up in minutes
One URL. Then ask OpenAlex to work.
Claude and ChatGPT only need the Connector URL. Copy it once, add it in settings, and use OpenAlex from the conversation.
Choose your client
Live previewAdvanced clients IDE · CLI
Claude · Web + desktop
Connector URL · ready to paste
Streamable HTTPhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_GWJRq8g6Otnq7V6IuPeVtI4hYHUyReAjbxOMayr4/mcp - Step 01
Open Connectors
In Claude Web or Claude Desktop, open Settings and choose Connectors.
- Step 02
Add the URL
Choose Add custom connector, name it OpenAlex, and paste the URL above.
- Step 03
Turn it on in chat
Select +, open Connectors, and enable OpenAlex for the conversation.
ChatGPT · Web + desktop
Connector URL · ready to paste
Streamable HTTPhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_GWJRq8g6Otnq7V6IuPeVtI4hYHUyReAjbxOMayr4/mcp - Step 01
Open MCP settings
On desktop, open Settings and MCP servers. On web, open your workspace app or connector settings.
- Step 02
Add the URL
Choose Add server with Streamable HTTP, or create a custom MCP app, then paste the OpenAlex URL.
- Step 03
Save and start
Save the connection and enable OpenAlex in your conversation. Desktop may ask you to restart once.
Cursor · IDE configuration
Advanced setup
{
"mcpServers": {
"openalex-alternative": {
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_GWJRq8g6Otnq7V6IuPeVtI4hYHUyReAjbxOMayr4/mcp"
}
}
}- Step 01
Open MCP Settings
Press Cmd+Shift+P (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) → search "MCP Settings"
- Step 02
Add the server config
Paste the JSON configuration above into the mcp.json file that opens
- Step 03
Save the file
Cursor will automatically detect the new Connector
- Step 04
Start using OpenAlex
Open Agent mode in chat and ask: "Using OpenAlex, help me...". 14 tools available
VS Code Copilot · IDE configuration
Advanced setup
{
"mcpServers": {
"openalex-alternative": {
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_GWJRq8g6Otnq7V6IuPeVtI4hYHUyReAjbxOMayr4/mcp"
}
}
}- Step 01
Create MCP config
Create a .vscode/mcp.json file in your project root
- Step 02
Add the server config
Paste the JSON configuration above
- Step 03
Enable Agent mode
Open GitHub Copilot Chat and switch to Agent mode using the dropdown
- Step 04
Start using OpenAlex
Ask Copilot: "Using OpenAlex, help me...". 14 tools available
Windsurf · IDE configuration
Advanced setup
{
"mcpServers": {
"openalex-alternative": {
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_GWJRq8g6Otnq7V6IuPeVtI4hYHUyReAjbxOMayr4/mcp"
}
}
}- Step 01
Open MCP Settings
Go to Settings → MCP Configuration or press Cmd+Shift+P and search "MCP"
- Step 02
Add the server
Paste the JSON configuration above into mcp_config.json
- Step 03
Save and reload
Windsurf will detect the new server automatically
- Step 04
Start using OpenAlex
Open Cascade and ask: "Using OpenAlex, help me...". 14 tools available
Cline · IDE configuration
Advanced setup
{
"mcpServers": {
"openalex-alternative": {
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_GWJRq8g6Otnq7V6IuPeVtI4hYHUyReAjbxOMayr4/mcp"
}
}
}- Step 01
Open Cline MCP Settings
Click the Connectors icon in the Cline sidebar panel
- Step 02
Add remote server
Click "Add Connector" and paste the configuration above
- Step 03
Enable the server
Toggle the server switch to ON
- Step 04
Start using OpenAlex
Ask Cline: "Using OpenAlex, help me...". 14 tools available
Claude Code · Terminal command
Advanced setup
claude mcp add openalex-alternative --transport http "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_GWJRq8g6Otnq7V6IuPeVtI4hYHUyReAjbxOMayr4/mcp"- Step 01
Install Claude Code
Run npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code if not already installed
- Step 02
Add the Connector
Run the command above in your terminal
- Step 03
Verify the connection
Run claude mcp to list connected servers, or type /mcp inside a session
- Step 04
Start using OpenAlex
Ask Claude: "Using OpenAlex, show me...". 14 tools are ready
Where the request belongs
Work OpenAlex can move forward.
This is for the academic researcher who spends hours digging through databases or the data scientist trying to map out a complex field of study. It's for anyone who needs reliable scholarly data without the manual overhead of searching multiple sites.
Academic Researcher
Finds relevant literature and tracks citations while writing a paper.
Bibliometrician
Gathers data on publication trends and research impact for reports.
Data Scientist
Maps out research trends and funding sources for specific technical domains.
Graduate Student
Discovers authoritative sources and key authors for their thesis.
Build the capability set
Add more capabilities.
Each Connector adds new actions and data without changing how you work.
Browse ConnectorsOpenAlex
Access 250M+ scholarly works with open bibliometric data. search papers, authors, institutions, and trending research topics. The open-source alternative to Scopus and Web of Science.
Stanford OpenAlex
Explore the global research landscape with open access to scholarly works, authors, institutions, and citation graphs.
CrossRef
Search 140M+ scholarly works across all scientific disciplines. with DOI resolution, citation counts, author lookup, and full bibliographic metadata from the world's largest DOI registry.
Scopus
Access the world's largest abstract and citation database. Search for research papers, authors, and institutional profiles directly.
Semantic Scholar
Search 200M+ academic papers with AI-powered TLDR summaries, influential citation tracking, and researcher profiles from the Allen Institute for AI.
MIT DBLP
Search millions of computer science publications, find author profiles, and explore academic citation networks across conferences.
Bring your own AI
Change the model, client or framework. Keep OpenAlex connected.
-
Claude -
ChatGPT -
Gemini -
Cursor -
VS Code -
Windsurf -
ZCode -
Cline -
Zed -
Continue -
Kiro -
Roo Code -
Zencoder -
Goose -
Void -
Augment Code -
Amp -
Qodo -
Tabnine -
Pieces -
Sourcegraph Cody -
JetBrains -
Warp -
Amazon Q -
Antigravity -
BoltAI -
Raycast -
Jan -
LM Studio -
AnythingLLM -
Open WebUI -
Msty -
Cherry Studio -
LibreChat -
TypingMind -
Chorus -
5ire -
n8n -
LangChain -
LlamaIndex -
CrewAI -
Vercel AI SDK
Before you connect
Questions about OpenAlex.
The practical details behind the request, access and result.
What is the OpenAlex MCP?
The OpenAlex MCP connects your AI client to a massive open index of the global research system. It lets you search for scholarly works, authors, and institutions directly in your chat.
Can I use OpenAlex to find specific books or datasets?
Yes, the Connector can retrieve metadata for a wide variety of scholarly works, including articles, books, and datasets, depending on what's indexed in the system.
How does the OpenAlex MCP help with academic research?
It simplifies your literature review by finding relevant papers, identifying key authors, and providing structured data that you can use to build your bibliography faster.
Does the OpenAlex MCP include information on research funding?
Yes, it allows you to see which organizations and funders are backing specific research topics or projects, which is great for mapping out research trends.
Can I find author affiliations using the OpenAlex MCP?
Yes, you can look up specific researchers and see their primary affiliations, such as universities or research organizations, to see where the work is happening.
Is the OpenAlex MCP good for mapping out research trends?
It's excellent for that. You can use it to see which journals are most active in a field or which institutions are leading in specific research categories.
How do I find works by a specific author if I only have their name?
First, use list_authors with the search parameter to find the author's OpenAlex ID. Once you have the ID (e.g., A5012345678), use list_works with a filter like author.id:A5012345678.
Can I filter research papers by publication year or citation count?
Yes. Use the filter parameter in list_works. For example, publication_year:>2020 or cited_by_count:>100. You can also use the sort parameter like cited_by_count:desc to see the most impactful works first.
Is an API key mandatory to use this server?
No. OpenAlex offers a free public tier. However, providing an API key places you in the 'Polite Pool', which offers faster rate limits and more consistent performance for heavy research tasks.
One connection away
Give your agent a direct line to OpenAlex.
Connect OpenAlex once. Keep it beside 5,900+ managed Connectors when the next task needs more.
Explore every Connector No credit card required · Free tier available