Sci-Hub MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for accessing academic papers from Sci-Hub. Built with TypeScript and designed for Claude Desktop and other MCP clients.

🎯 Features

• 🔗 Get PDF Links: Get direct PDF download links from Sci-Hub
• 📄 Download PDFs: Download academic papers directly to specified locations
• 🔍 Multi-Domain Support: Automatically tries multiple Sci-Hub domains (sci-hub.se, sci-hub.st, sci-hub.ru)
• 📚 Flexible Input: Accepts DOIs and DOI URLs in various formats
• 🛠️ MCP Integration: Full Model Context Protocol implementation
• 📦 TypeScript: Full type safety and modern JavaScript features
• 🚀 Production Ready: Built-in deployment scripts and configuration

🔧 Available Tools

get_paper_link

Gets direct PDF link for academic papers from Sci-Hub using DOI.

Input:

• doi (string): DOI or DOI URL of the academic paper

Examples:

• 10.1016/j.chb.2021.106974
• https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.106974

Output:

• Direct PDF URL that can be accessed immediately
• Faster response (no download required)

download_pdf

Downloads academic paper PDFs from Sci-Hub to a specified location.

Input:

• doi (string): DOI or DOI URL of the academic paper
• download_location (string): Full path where the PDF should be saved

Examples:

• DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2021.106974
• Location: /Users/username/Documents/papers/paper.pdf

Output:

• PDF file saved to the specified location
• File size information and confirmation message

📋 Prerequisites

• Node.js v18.0.0 or higher
• npm or yarn package manager
• MCP client (e.g., Claude Desktop)

🚀 Quick Start

Option 1: NPX (Recommended)

The fastest way to get started is using npx:

# Run directly with npx (no installation required)
npx sci-mcp-server help

For Claude Desktop Integration:

1. Find your Claude Desktop config file:

   • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
   • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
   • Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add server configuration:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "sci-hub-server": {
         "command": "npx",
         "args": ["sci-mcp-server"]
       }
     }
   }

3. Restart Claude Desktop

Option 2: Manual Installation

If you prefer to clone and build locally:

git clone https://github.com/yokowasis/sci-mcp-server.git
cd sci-mcp-server
npm install
npm run build

For Claude Desktop with local installation:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sci-hub-server": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/your/sci-mcp-server/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

🖥️ Server Modes

This server supports two modes of operation:

stdio Mode (Default)

For MCP client integration (like Claude Desktop):

npx sci-mcp-server          # Default stdio mode
npx sci-mcp-server stdio    # Explicit stdio mode

HTTP Mode

For web-based integrations and testing:

npx sci-mcp-server http               # Start HTTP server on port 3000
npx sci-mcp-server http --port 8080   # Start HTTP server on port 8080

HTTP Endpoints:

• Health check: http://localhost:3000/health
• SSE endpoint: http://localhost:3000/sse
• Message endpoint: http://localhost:3000/message

💡 Usage Examples

Once integrated with Claude Desktop, you can:

"Get me the PDF link for DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2021.106974"

"Download the paper with DOI 10.1038/nature12373 to ~/Downloads/nature-paper.pdf"

"Can you get me the paper for this DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abc1234"

📁 Project Structure

sci-mcp-server/
├── src/
│   └── index.ts              # Main MCP server implementation
├── dist/                     # Compiled JavaScript (generated)
├── scripts/                  # Build and deployment scripts
├── claude_desktop_config_example.json  # Claude Desktop config example
├── package.json              # Dependencies and scripts
├── tsconfig.json             # TypeScript configuration
└── README.md                 # This file

🛠️ Development Scripts

• npm run build - Build for production
• npm run dev - Start development server
• npm run lint - Run ESLint
• npm run clean - Clean build directory

⚙️ How It Works

1. Input Processing: Accepts DOI identifiers in various formats
2. Domain Fallback: Tries multiple Sci-Hub domains for reliability
3. HTML Parsing: Extracts PDF download links from Sci-Hub pages
4. PDF Access: Either returns direct links or downloads files locally

🚨 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. "No PDF found" errors

   • The article may not be available on Sci-Hub
   • Try different DOI formats

2. Network timeouts

   • Sci-Hub domains may be temporarily unavailable
   • The server automatically tries multiple domains

3. Claude Desktop not recognizing server

   • Check the config file path and JSON syntax
   • Ensure the args path points to your dist/index.js
   • Restart Claude Desktop after config changes

⚖️ Legal & Ethical Considerations

This server is designed for educational and research purposes. Users are responsible for:

• 📚 Complying with local laws and institutional policies
• ⚖️ Respecting copyright and fair use principles
• 🏛️ Following academic integrity guidelines
• 🌍 Understanding that Sci-Hub availability varies by location

Recommendation: Use responsibly and consider supporting academic publishers when possible.

📄 License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Run tests: npm run lint && npm run build
5. Submit a Pull Request

🔗 Resources

• Model Context Protocol Documentation
• Claude Desktop

Ready to access academic papers? 🚀

Configure Claude Desktop and start asking for papers!