drAbreu/alex-mcp

A **streamlined** Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for author disambiguation and academic research using the OpenAlex.org API. Specifically designed for AI agents with optimized data structures and enhanced functionality.
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🎯 Key Features
🔍 **Core Capabilities**
- **Advanced Author Disambiguation**: Handles complex career transitions and name variations
- **Institution Resolution**: Current and past affiliations with transition tracking
- **Academic Work Retrieval**: Journal articles, letters, and research papers
- **Citation Analysis**: H-index, citation counts, and impact metrics
- **ORCID Integration**: Highest accuracy matching with ORCID identifiers
🚀 **AI Agent Optimized**
- **Streamlined Data**: Focused on essential information for disambiguation
- **Fast Processing**: Optimized data structures for rapid analysis
- **Smart Filtering**: Enhanced filtering options for targeted queries
- **Clean Output**: Structured responses optimized for AI reasoning
🤖 **Agent Integration**
- **Multiple Candidates**: Ranked results for automated decision-making
- **Structured Responses**: Clean, parseable output optimized for LLMs
- **Error Handling**: Graceful degradation with informative messages
- **Enhanced Filtering**: Journal-only, citation thresholds, and temporal filters
🏛️ **Professional Grade**
- **MCP Best Practices**: Built with FastMCP following official guidelines
- **Tool Annotations**: Proper MCP tool annotations for optimal client integration
- **Resource Management**: Efficient HTTP client management and cleanup
- **Rate Limiting**: Respectful API usage with proper delays
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🚀 Quick Start
Prerequisites
- Python 3.10 or higher
- MCP-compatible client (e.g., Claude Desktop)
- Email address (for OpenAlex API courtesy)
Installation
For detailed installation instructions, see INSTALL.md.
1. **Clone the repository:**
2. **Create a virtual environment:**
3. **Install the package:**
4. **Configure environment:**
5. **Run the server:**
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⚙️ MCP Configuration
Claude Desktop Configuration
Add to your Claude Desktop configuration file:
Replace /path/to/alex-mcp with the actual path to the repository on your system.
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🤖 Using with AI Agents
OpenAI Agents Integration
You can load this MCP server in your OpenAI agent workflow using the agents.mcp.MCPServerStdio interface:
Academic Research Agent Integration
This MCP server is specifically optimized for academic research workflows:
Direct Launch with uvx
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🛠️ Available Tools
1. **autocomplete_authors** ⭐ NEW
Get multiple author candidates using OpenAlex autocomplete API for intelligent disambiguation.
**Parameters:**
- name (required): Author name to search (e.g., "James Briscoe", "M. Ralser")
- context (optional): Context for disambiguation (e.g., "Francis Crick Institute developmental biology")
- limit (optional): Maximum candidates (1-10, default: 5)
**Key Features:**
- ⚡ **Fast**: ~200ms response time
- 🎯 **Smart**: Multiple candidates with institutional hints
- 🧠 **AI-Ready**: Perfect for context-based selection
- 📊 **Rich**: Works count, citations, institution info
**Streamlined Output:**
**Usage Pattern:**
2. **search_authors**
Search for authors with streamlined output for AI agents.
**Parameters:**
- name (required): Author name to search
- institution (optional): Institution name filter