Tools (6)

search_papers
get_paper
get_author_profile
list_citations
get_trending_papers
report_feedback

search_papers

Search scholarly papers by keyword across 250M+ works from OpenAlex.

Args:
query: Search terms (e.g. "transformer attention mechanisms", "CRISPR gene editing").
year_from: Filter to papers published from this year onward (e.g. 2020). Optional.
year_to: Filter to papers published up to this year (e.g. 2024). Optional.
field_of_study: Filter by research field (e.g. "machine learning", "biology"). Optional.
max_results: Number of results to return (1–25, default 10).

Returns:
Dictionary with count and papers list (id, doi, title, year, venue, cited_by_count,
open_access flag, authors up to 5, top 5 concepts).

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`query`	`string`	required	Search terms (e.g. "transformer attention mechanisms", "CRISPR gene editing").
`year_from`	`any`	optional	Filter to papers published from this year onward (e.g. 2020). Optional.
`year_to`	`any`	optional	Filter to papers published up to this year (e.g. 2024). Optional.
`field_of_study`	`any`	optional	Filter by research field (e.g. "machine learning", "biology"). Optional.
`max_results`	`integer`	optional	Number of results to return (1–25, default 10). (default: 10)

JSON-RPC Request

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "id": 1,
  "params": {
    "name": "search_papers",
    "arguments": {
      "query": "example"
    }
  }
}

get_paper

Get full details for a specific paper including abstract and citation count.

Args:
paper_id: OpenAlex ID (e.g. "W2741809807"), DOI (e.g. "10.1038/s41586-021-03819-2"),
or full URL (e.g. "https://openalex.org/W2741809807").

Returns:
Full paper record: id, doi, title, publication_year, venue, abstract,
authors, concepts, cited_by_count, references_count, open_access.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`paper_id`	`string`	required	OpenAlex ID (e.g. "W2741809807"), DOI (e.g. "10.1038/s41586-021-03819-2"), or full URL (e.g. "https://openalex.org/W2741809807").

JSON-RPC Request

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "id": 1,
  "params": {
    "name": "get_paper",
    "arguments": {
      "paper_id": "123456789"
    }
  }
}

get_author_profile

Get a researcher's profile — works, citations, h-index, and affiliations.

Args:
author_id: OpenAlex author ID (e.g. "A5023888391"), ORCID (e.g. "0000-0001-6187-6610"),
or full ORCID URL.

Returns:
Author profile: id, display_name, orcid, works_count, cited_by_count,
h_index, and affiliations (up to 3 recent institutions).

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`author_id`	`string`	required	OpenAlex author ID (e.g. "A5023888391"), ORCID (e.g. "0000-0001-6187-6610"), or full ORCID URL.

JSON-RPC Request

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "id": 1,
  "params": {
    "name": "get_author_profile",
    "arguments": {
      "author_id": "example"
    }
  }
}

list_citations

List papers that cite or are referenced by a given paper.

Args:
paper_id: OpenAlex ID, DOI, or full URL of the paper.
direction: "cited_by" for papers that cite this one (default),
or "references" for papers this paper cites.
max_results: Number of results to return (1–25, default 20).

Returns:
Dictionary with count and papers list (id, doi, title, year, cited_by_count, authors).

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`paper_id`	`string`	required	OpenAlex ID, DOI, or full URL of the paper.
`direction`	`string`	optional	"cited_by" for papers that cite this one (default), or "references" for papers this paper cites. (default: "cited_by")
`max_results`	`integer`	optional	Number of results to return (1–25, default 20). (default: 20)

JSON-RPC Request

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "id": 1,
  "params": {
    "name": "list_citations",
    "arguments": {
      "paper_id": "example"
    }
  }
}

get_trending_papers

Get recently published high-impact papers in a research field.

Args:
field: Research field to search (e.g. "machine learning", "immunology", "climate change").
days: Look back this many days for recent papers (default 30).
max_results: Number of results to return (1–25, default 10).

Returns:
Dictionary with count and recent papers ranked by citation count.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`field`	`string`	required	Research field to search (e.g. "machine learning", "immunology", "climate change").
`days`	`integer`	optional	Look back this many days for recent papers (default 30). (default: 30)
`max_results`	`integer`	optional	Number of results to return (1–25, default 10). (default: 10)

JSON-RPC Request

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "id": 1,
  "params": {
    "name": "get_trending_papers",
    "arguments": {
      "field": "example"
    }
  }
}

report_feedback

Report a bug, feature request, or general feedback for this data source.

Use this when something doesn't work as expected, when you'd like
a new feature, or when you have suggestions for improvement.

Args:
feedback: Describe the issue or suggestion.
feedback_type: One of 'bug', 'feature_request', or 'general'.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`feedback`	`string`	required
`feedback_type`	`string`	optional	(default: "general")

JSON-RPC Request

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "id": 1,
  "params": {
    "name": "report_feedback",
    "arguments": {
      "feedback": "example"
    }
  }
}

Quick Start

Shell

curl -X POST "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/openalex/" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \
  -H "Gnist-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "tools/call", "id": 1, "params": {"name": "search_papers", "arguments": {"query": "example"}}}'

Python

import httpx

resp = httpx.post(
    "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/openalex/",
    headers={"Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "Content-Type": "application/json"},
    json={
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "id": 1,
  "params": {
    "name": "search_papers",
    "arguments": {
      "query": "example"
    }
  }
},
)
print(resp.json())