Unpaywall

Name: Unpaywall
Author: SMABoundless

by SMABoundlessversion 1.0.1i★ –iRuns on your computer

Registry nameio.github.SMABoundless/unpaywall

Install

Overview

Description from the maker (original English)

Open-access availability for 120M+ scholarly articles via the Unpaywall API

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

These three are never merged into one score: opinions, measurements and popularity are different things.

User voiceiNo reviews yetReviews open together with accounts in a later step
Our basic checksi1 of 1 passedChecked from public information; code not scanned yet
UsageiNot measured yet★ –

What you can do with it

We have not written a plain-language summary for this one yet. Below are the facts we read from the registry.

Connection: Runs on your computer
Transport: stdio
Category: Other
You need to fill in: UNPAYWALL_EMAIL

Install

Pick the AI app you use, then copy the settings.

Before you install

Basic checks: 1 of 1 passed
Runs on your computer with your user’s permissions (files, network, apps).
You fill in yourself: UNPAYWALL_EMAIL

You need

PyPIPython’s uv installed (for the uvx command)

Which app do you use?

ClaudeClaude CodeCursorVS CodeChatGPT

Pick your app above. We remember it, so next time the button says “Install in …”.

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config, and paste this into claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "unpaywall": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "unpaywall-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "UNPAYWALL_EMAIL": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Run this in your terminal

claude mcp add unpaywall --env UNPAYWALL_EMAIL=your-value -- uvx unpaywall-mcp-server

Fill in the empty values before running it.

Open in Cursor

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .cursor/mcp.json in your project, or ~/.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "unpaywall": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "unpaywall-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "UNPAYWALL_EMAIL": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

Open in VS Code

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .vscode/mcp.json in your project

{
  "servers": {
    "unpaywall": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "unpaywall-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "UNPAYWALL_EMAIL": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

This one runs on your computer, and ChatGPT can only connect to servers on the internet. Pick another app.

Your choice stays on this device in a cookie; no account needed.

Values you fill in

UNPAYWALL_EMAIL required env
Your email address — required by the Unpaywall API as an identifier (no API key needed). See https://unpaywall.org/products/api

These settings are generated from the maker’s registry entry. If the README says otherwise, follow the README.

What it can do

Runs on your computer; the tool list appears in your AI app after you install it.

Basic checksi

We check information anyone can see; we have not read the code. Checks that do not apply are left out of the count. · Checked Nov 7, 2026

✓ Pass
Maker matches the repo
The registry name was verified with the GitHub account SMABoundless, which owns the repo
… Not checked yet
Still maintained
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
… Not checked yet
Has a licence
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
– Not applicable
Endpoint responds
This one runs on your computer; there is no internet endpoint
– Not applicable
Sign-in with OAuth
Runs on your computer and uses local settings instead
… Not checked yet
No hidden instructions in tool descriptions
Runs on your computer; we can only read tool lists from internet endpoints

Compared with others in Otheri

More stars than 0% of the other 32709 servers in this category
Published to the registry more recently than 15% of the other 32709 servers in this category
Basic checks equal to or better than 100% of the other 32709 servers in this category

Compared with every active server in this category in the registry. Stars count only when the publisher owns the repo.

Common questions

Is Unpaywall safe?

It passed 1 of 1 applicable basic checks. We have not read the code. Before adding a key or token, see what access the server asks for and use a key with only the permissions you need.

What keys or codes does it need?

You need to fill in: UNPAYWALL_EMAIL

Does it run on my computer or in the cloud?

It runs on your computer. Your AI app starts it when needed, and data does not pass through the maker’s servers (unless it calls an online service itself).

Is it still maintained?

The GitHub repo last changed –, and the latest version (1.0.1) reached the registry 4 months ago.

Which apps can use it?

Apps that support MCP, such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code. You also need Python (uv) on your computer.

What can I use instead?

In the same category: Spec Driven Development, Remote Desktop Commander, SwarmMemo

Alternatives

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Reading a card:★ GitHub starsiThree pillars: reviews · checks · usageiUpdated = latest version published to the registryi

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README from the maker

Open the README

Copied from the maker’s repo as written. PopNx MCP has not reviewed or endorsed it. HTML, images and scripts are removed. Links lead off this site.

Unpaywall MCP Server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for the Unpaywall API — open-access availability for 120M+ scholarly articles.

Built with FastMCP.

Tools

Tool	Description
`unpaywall_lookup`	Look up open-access availability by DOI — returns OA status, PDF/landing page URLs, license, all OA locations
`unpaywall_search`	Search 120M+ article titles with OA filtering and pagination
`unpaywall_export_ris`	Export results as RIS (for Zotero, EndNote, etc.)
`unpaywall_export_bibtex`	Export results as BibTeX

What you get

Open-access status and OA type (gold, green, hybrid, bronze)
Best OA location with direct PDF link
All OA locations across repositories and publishers
Journal OA status, ISSN, publisher info
Author lists, publication dates, DOIs
License information per location

Setup

1. Get your email ready

Unpaywall requires an email address as your API identifier (no API key needed). See the Unpaywall API docs.

2. Install

pip install unpaywall-mcp-server

Or install from source:

cd unpaywall-mcp-server

python3 -m venv venv source venv/bin/activate pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Add to Claude Desktop

Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json:

"mcpServers": { "unpaywall": { "command": "uvx", "args": ["unpaywall-mcp-server"], "env": { "UNPAYWALL_EMAIL": "your-email@example.com" } } } }

Or if using Claude Code CLI:

claude mcp add unpaywall \

uvx unpaywall-mcp-server \ -e UNPAYWALL_EMAIL=your-email@example.com

Usage examples

"Is there an open-access version of DOI 10.1038/nature12373?"
"Search Unpaywall for open-access papers on CRISPR gene editing"
"Export these results as RIS for Zotero"
"Find OA articles about climate change mitigation"

License

MIT

Unpaywall

Overview

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

What you can do with it

Install

Before you install

Values you fill in

What it can do

Basic checksi

Maker matches the repo

Still maintained

Has a licence

Endpoint responds

Sign-in with OAuth

No hidden instructions in tool descriptions

Compared with others in Otheri

Common questions

Alternatives

Spec Driven Development

Remote Desktop Commander

SwarmMemo

README from the maker

Unpaywall MCP Server

Tools

What you get

Setup

1. Get your email ready

2. Install

3. Add to Claude Desktop

Usage examples

License