MCP server for the Semantic Scholar API: search 200M+ papers, citations, authors, recommendations.
To add Semantic Scholar MCP Server to Claude, run the install command below or copy the ready-made config for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor and VS Code further down. Restart your client after adding it and its tools show up in your next conversation. It needs 2 environment variables, listed below.
Install
uvx s2-mcp-server@1.7.13Environment variables
SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEYSet in your MCP configSEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_MIN_SECONDS_BETWEEN_REQUESTSSet in your MCP configInstall with your client
claude mcp add semantic-scholar --env SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY=<YOUR_SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY> --env SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_MIN_SECONDS_BETWEEN_REQUESTS=<YOUR_SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_MIN_SECONDS_BETWEEN_REQUESTS> -- uvx s2-mcp-server@1.7.13
Run this in a terminal to add the server to Claude Code.
What this does
Semantic Scholar MCP Server exposes a set of tools to Claude over the Model Context Protocol. After you add it to claude_desktop_config.json (snippet above) and restart Claude Desktop, those tools become callable inside any conversation.
Requirements
This server needs the following environment variables to be set before it can run:
SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_MIN_SECONDS_BETWEEN_REQUESTS
Set these via the env object in your MCP config (see claude_desktop_config.json snippet above).
Frequently asked questions
How do I install Semantic Scholar MCP Server?
Run the Claude Code command in the install section to add Semantic Scholar MCP Server to Claude Code, or copy the ready-made config for your client from the install section on this page. Restart your client afterwards and the tools appear in your next conversation.
Which clients work with Semantic Scholar MCP Server?
This page carries setup and config for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor and VS Code. Any other MCP client that accepts a standard server config can connect to Semantic Scholar MCP Server as well.
Does Semantic Scholar MCP Server need an API key?
Yes. Before it can run, set these environment variables: SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY, SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_MIN_SECONDS_BETWEEN_REQUESTS. They go in the env block of your MCP config.
Imported from the Official MCP Registry. The details above come from the registry entry; the maker can claim this listing to correct them, add docs, and see its traffic.
Is this your MCP server?
Claim this listing to see its traffic, fix details yourself, and skip the review queue on future updates.
Add this badge to your README
Show visitors this server is listed in the ClaudeRules directory. The badge links straight to this listing.
[](https://clauderules.net/mcp/io-github-smaniches-semantic-scholar-mcp)<a href="https://clauderules.net/mcp/io-github-smaniches-semantic-scholar-mcp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img src="https://clauderules.net/api/badge/io-github-smaniches-semantic-scholar-mcp" alt="Listed on clauderules.net" /></a>More Search MCP servers
GitHub
Connect AI assistants to GitHub - manage repos, issues, PRs, and workflows through natural language.
Serena MCP: the IDE for your agent
A powerful toolkit for coding, providing semantic retrieval and editing capabilities.
mediar-ai/screenpipe
🎖️ 🦀 🏠 🍎 Local-first system capturing screen/audio with timestamped indexing, SQL/embedding storage, semantic search, LLM-powered history analysis, and event-triggered actions - enables building c
MCP Toolbox for Databases
MCP Toolbox for Databases enables your agent to connect to your database.