drAbreu/alex-mcp
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OpenAlex Author Disambiguation MCP Server is a streamlined server designed for author disambiguation and academic research using the OpenAlex.org API, optimized for AI agents.
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.
๐ฏ Key Features
๐ 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
๐ 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
๐ค 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
๐๏ธ 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
๐ 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 .
-
Clone the repository:
git clone https://github.com/drAbreu/alex-mcp.git cd alex-mcp
-
Create a virtual environment:
python3 -m venv venv source venv/bin/activate # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
-
Install the package:
pip install -e .
-
Configure environment:
export OPENALEX_MAILTO=your-email@domain.com
-
Run the server:
./run_alex_mcp.sh # Or, if installed as a CLI tool: alex-mcp
โ๏ธ MCP Configuration
Claude Desktop Configuration
Add to your Claude Desktop configuration file:
{
"mcpServers": {
"alex-mcp": {
"command": "/path/to/alex-mcp/run_alex_mcp.sh",
"env": {
"OPENALEX_MAILTO": "your-email@domain.com"
}
}
}
}
Replace /path/to/alex-mcp
with the actual path to the repository on your system.
๐ค Using with AI Agents
OpenAI Agents Integration
You can load this MCP server in your OpenAI agent workflow using the agents.mcp.MCPServerStdio
interface:
from agents.mcp import MCPServerStdio
async with MCPServerStdio(
name="OpenAlex MCP For Author disambiguation and works",
cache_tools_list=True,
params={
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"--from", "git+https://github.com/drAbreu/alex-mcp.git@4.1.0",
"alex-mcp"
],
"env": {
"OPENALEX_MAILTO": "your-email@domain.com"
}
},
client_session_timeout_seconds=10
) as alex_mcp:
await alex_mcp.connect()
tools = await alex_mcp.list_tools()
print(f"Available tools: {[tool.name for tool in tools]}")
Academic Research Agent Integration
This MCP server is specifically optimized for academic research workflows:
# Optimized for academic research workflows
from alex_agent import run_author_research
# Enhanced functionality with streamlined data
result = await run_author_research(
"Find J. Abreu at EMBO with recent publications"
)
# Clean, structured output for AI processing
print(f"Success: {result['workflow_metadata']['success']}")
print(f"Quality: {result['research_result']['metadata']['result_analysis']['quality_score']}/100")
Direct Launch with uvx
# Standard launch
uvx --from git+https://github.com/drAbreu/alex-mcp.git@4.1.0 alex-mcp
# With environment variables
OPENALEX_MAILTO=your-email@domain.com uvx --from git+https://github.com/drAbreu/alex-mcp.git@4.1.0 alex-mcp
๐ ๏ธ Available Tools
1. search_authors
Search for authors with streamlined output for AI agents.
Parameters:
name
(required): Author name to searchinstitution
(optional): Institution name filtertopic
(optional): Research topic filtercountry_code
(optional): Country code filter (e.g., "US", "DE")limit
(optional): Maximum results (1-25, default: 20)
Streamlined Output:
{
"query": "J. Abreu",
"total_count": 3,
"results": [
{
"id": "https://openalex.org/A123456789",
"display_name": "Jorge Abreu-Vicente",
"orcid": "https://orcid.org/0000-0000-0000-0000",
"display_name_alternatives": ["J. Abreu-Vicente", "Jorge Abreu Vicente"],
"affiliations": [
{
"institution": {
"display_name": "European Molecular Biology Organization",
"country_code": "DE"
},
"years": [2023, 2024, 2025]
}
],
"cited_by_count": 316,
"works_count": 25,
"summary_stats": {
"h_index": 9,
"i10_index": 5
},
"x_concepts": [
{
"display_name": "Astrophysics",
"score": 0.8
},
{
"display_name": "Machine Learning",
"score": 0.6
}
]
}
]
}
Features: Clean structure optimized for AI reasoning and disambiguation
2. retrieve_author_works
Retrieve works for a given author with enhanced filtering capabilities.
Parameters:
author_id
(required): OpenAlex author IDlimit
(optional): Maximum results (1-50, default: 20)order_by
(optional): "date" or "citations" (default: "date")publication_year
(optional): Filter by specific yeartype
(optional): Work type filter (e.g., "journal-article")authorships_institutions_id
(optional): Filter by institutionis_retracted
(optional): Filter retracted worksopen_access_is_oa
(optional): Filter by open access status
Enhanced Output:
{
"author_id": "https://openalex.org/A123456789",
"total_count": 25,
"results": [
{
"id": "https://openalex.org/W123456789",
"title": "A platform for the biomedical application of large language models",
"doi": "10.1038/s41587-024-02534-3",
"publication_year": 2025,
"type": "journal-article",
"cited_by_count": 42,
"authorships": [
{
"author": {
"display_name": "Jorge Abreu-Vicente"
},
"institutions": [
{
"display_name": "European Molecular Biology Organization"
}
]
}
],
"locations": [
{
"source": {
"display_name": "Nature Biotechnology",
"type": "journal"
}
}
],
"open_access": {
"is_oa": true
},
"primary_topic": {
"display_name": "Biomedical Engineering"
}
}
]
}
Features: Comprehensive work data with flexible filtering for targeted queries
๐ Data Optimization
Focused Information Architecture
This MCP server provides focused, structured data specifically designed for AI agent consumption:
Author Data Features
- Identity Resolution: Names, ORCID, alternatives for disambiguation
- Affiliation Tracking: Current and historical institutional connections
- Impact Metrics: Citation counts, h-index, and scholarly impact
- Research Context: Fields, concepts, and domain expertise
- Career Analysis: Temporal affiliation changes and transitions
Work Data Features
- Publication Metadata: Title, DOI, venue, and publication details
- Impact Assessment: Citation counts and scholarly influence
- Access Information: Open access status and availability
- Authorship Details: Complete author lists and institutional affiliations
- Research Classification: Topics, concepts, and domain categorization
Enhanced Filtering
# Target high-impact journal articles
works = await retrieve_author_works(
author_id="https://openalex.org/A123456789",
type="journal-article", # Focus on journal publications
open_access_is_oa=True, # Open access only
order_by="citations", # Most cited first
limit=15
)
# Career transition analysis
authors = await search_authors(
name="J. Abreu",
institution="EMBO", # Current institution
topic="Machine Learning", # Research focus
limit=10
)
๐งช Example Usage
Author Disambiguation
from alex_mcp.server import search_authors_core
# Comprehensive author search
results = search_authors_core(
name="J Abreu Vicente",
institution="EMBO",
topic="Machine Learning",
limit=20
)
print(f"Found {results.total_count} candidates")
for author in results.results:
print(f"- {author.display_name}")
if author.affiliations:
current_inst = author.affiliations[0].institution.display_name
print(f" Institution: {current_inst}")
print(f" Metrics: {author.cited_by_count} citations, h-index {author.summary_stats.h_index}")
if author.x_concepts:
fields = [c.display_name for c in author.x_concepts[:3]]
print(f" Research: {', '.join(fields)}")
Academic Work Analysis
from alex_mcp.server import retrieve_author_works_core
# Comprehensive work retrieval
works = retrieve_author_works_core(
author_id="https://openalex.org/A5058921480",
type="journal-article", # Academic focus
order_by="citations", # Impact-based ordering
limit=20
)
print(f"Found {works.total_count} publications")
for work in works.results:
print(f"- {work.title}")
if work.locations:
journal = work.locations[0].source.display_name
print(f" Published in: {journal} ({work.publication_year})")
print(f" Impact: {work.cited_by_count} citations")
if work.open_access and work.open_access.is_oa:
print(" โ Open Access")
Institution and Field Analysis
# Analyze career transitions
def analyze_career_path(author_result):
affiliations = author_result.affiliations
if len(affiliations) > 1:
print("Career path:")
for aff in sorted(affiliations, key=lambda x: min(x.years)):
years = f"{min(aff.years)}-{max(aff.years)}"
print(f" {years}: {aff.institution.display_name}")
# Research evolution
if author_result.x_concepts:
print("Research areas:")
for concept in author_result.x_concepts[:5]:
print(f" {concept.display_name} (score: {concept.score:.2f})")
# Usage
results = search_authors_core("Jorge Abreu Vicente")
if results.results:
analyze_career_path(results.results[0])
๐ง Configuration Options
Environment Variables
# Required
export OPENALEX_MAILTO=your-email@domain.com
# Optional settings
export OPENALEX_MAX_AUTHORS=100 # Maximum authors per query
export OPENALEX_USER_AGENT=research-agent-v1.0
export ALEX_MCP_VERSION=4.1.0
# Rate limiting (respectful usage)
export OPENALEX_RATE_PER_SEC=10
export OPENALEX_RATE_PER_DAY=100000
Performance Tuning
# For comprehensive research applications
config = {
"max_authors_per_query": 25, # Detailed author analysis
"max_works_per_author": 50, # Complete publication history
"enable_all_filters": True, # Full filtering capabilities
"detailed_affiliations": True, # Complete institutional data
"research_concepts": True # Detailed concept analysis
}
๐งโ๐ป Development & Testing
Project Structure
alex-mcp/
โโโ src/alex_mcp/
โ โโโ server.py # Main MCP server
โ โโโ data_objects.py # Data models and structures
โ โโโ utils.py # Utility functions
โโโ examples/
โ โโโ basic_usage.py # Simple examples
โ โโโ advanced_queries.py # Complex query examples
โ โโโ integration_demo.py # AI agent integration
โโโ tests/
โ โโโ test_server.py # Server functionality tests
โ โโโ test_integration.py # Integration tests
โโโ docs/
โโโ api_reference.md # Detailed API documentation
Running Tests
# Install test dependencies
pip install -e ".[test]"
# Run functionality tests
pytest tests/test_server.py -v
# Test with real queries
python examples/basic_usage.py
# Test AI agent integration
python examples/integration_demo.py
Development Examples
# Test author disambiguation
python examples/basic_usage.py --query "J. Abreu" --institution "EMBO"
# Test work retrieval
python examples/advanced_queries.py --author-id "A123456789" --type "journal-article"
# Test integration patterns
python examples/integration_demo.py --workflow "career-analysis"
๐ Integration Examples
Academic Research Workflows
Perfect integration with AI-powered research analysis:
# Enhanced academic research agent
from alex_agent import AcademicResearchAgent
agent = AcademicResearchAgent(
mcp_servers=[alex_mcp], # Streamlined data processing
model="gpt-4.1-2025-04-14"
)
# Complex research queries with structured data
result = await agent.research_author(
"Find J. Abreu at EMBO with machine learning publications"
)
# Rich, structured output for AI reasoning
print(f"Quality Score: {result.quality_score}/100")
print(f"Author disambiguation: {result.confidence}")
print(f"Research fields: {result.research_domains}")
Multi-Agent Systems
# Collaborative research analysis
async def research_collaboration_network(seed_author):
# Find primary author
authors = await alex_mcp.search_authors(seed_author)
primary = authors['results'][0]
# Get their works
works = await alex_mcp.retrieve_author_works(
primary['id'],
type="journal-article"
)
# Analyze co-authors and build network
collaborators = set()
for work in works['results']:
for authorship in work.get('authorships', []):
collaborators.add(authorship['author']['display_name'])
return {
'primary_author': primary,
'publication_count': len(works['results']),
'collaborator_network': list(collaborators),
'research_impact': sum(w['cited_by_count'] for w in works['results'])
}
๐ค Contributing
We welcome contributions to improve functionality and add new features:
- Fork the repository
- Create a feature branch:
git checkout -b feature/enhanced-filtering
- Add tests: Ensure your changes maintain data quality and structure
- Submit a pull request: Include examples and documentation
Development Priorities
- Enhanced filtering capabilities
- Additional data enrichment
- Performance optimizations
- Integration examples
- Documentation improvements
๐ License
This project is licensed under the MIT License. See for details.