---
title: MCP Server - Scholar Sidekick
description: Use Scholar Sidekick as an MCP server in Claude, Cursor, and other AI assistants.
doc_version: "1.0"
last_updated: "2026-05-04"
---

# MCP Server - Scholar Sidekick

> Use Scholar Sidekick as an MCP server in Claude, Cursor, and other AI assistants.
> Last updated: 2026-05-04
> HTML version: https://scholar-sidekick.com/mcp

Scholar Sidekick is available as a [Model Context Protocol (MCP)](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/getting-started/intro) server. This lets AI assistants such as Claude, Cursor, and other MCP-compatible clients resolve scholarly identifiers, format citations, and export bibliography files - directly within a conversation.

---

## Available Tools

The MCP server exposes five tools:

### resolveIdentifier

Resolve DOIs, PMIDs, PMCIDs, ISBNs, arXiv IDs, ISSNs, ADS bibcodes, and WHO IRIS URLs to structured bibliographic metadata (title, authors, journal, year, identifiers).

### formatCitation

Format one or more identifiers into a specific citation style. Supports Vancouver, AMA, APA, IEEE, CSE, and 10,000+ CSL styles. Output as text, HTML, or JSON.

### exportCitation

Export one or more identifiers to bibliography file formats: BibTeX, RIS, CSL JSON, EndNote (XML and Refer), RefWorks, MEDLINE/NBIB, Zotero RDF, CSV, or plain text.

### checkRetraction

Check whether a single work has been retracted, corrected, or had an expression of concern raised. Sourced from Crossref `updated-by` (Retraction Watch). Accepts a DOI, PMID, PMCID, arXiv ID, or ADS bibcode (non-DOI inputs are resolved to a DOI before lookup). Wraps [`POST /api/retraction-check`](https://scholar-sidekick.com/api/retraction-check).

### checkOpenAccess

Check whether a single work is openly accessible and where to find the best legal version. Sourced from Unpaywall. Returns OA status (gold/green/hybrid/bronze/closed), the best landing or PDF URL, license, and version when available. Wraps [`POST /api/oa-check`](https://scholar-sidekick.com/api/oa-check).

`resolveIdentifier`, `formatCitation`, and `exportCitation` accept multiple identifiers in a single request (separated by newlines), so batch operations work out of the box. `checkRetraction` and `checkOpenAccess` take a single identifier per call. For per-item enrichment across a batch, use the `?checks=retraction,oa` query flag on `POST /api/format`, `POST /api/format/stream`, or `POST /api/format-items` (which adds a per-item `_checks` sibling field to the response).

---

## Supported Identifiers

- DOIs (e.g. `10.1056/NEJMoa2033700`)
- PubMed IDs (e.g. `PMID:30049270`)
- PubMed Central IDs (e.g. `PMC7793608`)
- ISBNs (e.g. `ISBN:9780192854087`)
- arXiv IDs (e.g. `2301.08745`)
- ISSNs and eISSNs
- NASA ADS bibcodes
- WHO IRIS URLs

Identifiers are auto-detected and normalised. You can mix types freely in a single batch request.

---

## Compatible Clients

- Claude Desktop
- Claude Code
- Cursor
- VS Code (with MCP extension)
- Windsurf
- Any MCP-compatible client

---

## Authentication

The MCP server authenticates via a RapidAPI key. If you already have a Scholar Sidekick API subscription on RapidAPI, the same key works for MCP access. A free tier is available for testing and light use.

Get a key: https://rapidapi.com/scholar-sidekick-scholar-sidekick-api/api/scholar-sidekick

---

## Setup

The MCP server is installed via npx and connects to `https://scholar-sidekick.p.rapidapi.com`. Pass your RapidAPI key via the `RAPIDAPI_KEY` environment variable.

### Claude Desktop

Add to `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json` (macOS):

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "scholar-sidekick": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "scholar-sidekick-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "RAPIDAPI_KEY": "your-rapidapi-key"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

### Claude Code

```bash
claude mcp add scholar-sidekick \
  -e RAPIDAPI_KEY=your-rapidapi-key \
  -- npx -y scholar-sidekick-mcp@latest
```

### Cursor / VS Code / Windsurf

Add to `.cursor/mcp.json` or `.vscode/mcp.json` in your project:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "scholar-sidekick": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "scholar-sidekick-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "RAPIDAPI_KEY": "your-rapidapi-key"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

---

## Environment Variables

| Variable | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `RAPIDAPI_KEY` | Yes | Your RapidAPI subscription key |
| `RAPIDAPI_HOST` | No | RapidAPI host (default: `scholar-sidekick.p.rapidapi.com`) |
| `SCHOLAR_SIDEKICK_TIMEOUT_MS` | No | Request timeout in ms (default: 30000) |

---

## Available in MCP Registries

- GitHub: https://github.com/mlava/scholar-sidekick-mcp
- MCP Registry: https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0.1/servers?search=scholar-sidekick
- mcpservers.org: https://mcpservers.org/servers/mlava/scholar-sidekick-mcp
- mcp.so: https://mcp.so/server/scholar-sidekick-mcp/mlava
- PulseMCP: https://www.pulsemcp.com/servers/mlava-scholar-sidekick-mcp
- Glama: https://glama.ai/mcp/servers/mlava/scholar-sidekick-mcp
- Smithery: https://smithery.ai/servers/scholar-sidekick/scholar-sidekick-mcp

---

## Example Usage

Once connected, you can ask your AI assistant:

- "Format 10.1056/NEJMoa2033700 in Vancouver style"
- "Resolve PMID:30049270 and export as BibTeX"
- "Format these three identifiers as AMA and save as a RIS file: 10.1056/NEJMoa2033700, PMID:30049270, ISBN:9780192854087"

The assistant will call the appropriate Scholar Sidekick tools and return the results directly in the conversation.

---

## Useful Workflows

- Format a DOI while drafting a document
- Batch-resolve a list of PMIDs during a literature review
- Export citations to RIS or BibTeX for import into a reference manager
- Generate formatted reference lists in a specific style on demand
- Verify bibliographic metadata for identifiers mid-conversation

---

## Relationship to the REST API

The MCP server wraps the same Scholar Sidekick API that powers the web tool and RapidAPI integration. The underlying resolution, formatting, and export logic is identical. MCP provides a standardised interface for AI assistants to call those same endpoints.

REST API docs: https://scholar-sidekick.com/docs
REST API docs (markdown): https://scholar-sidekick.com/docs.md

---

## Related

- API Docs: https://scholar-sidekick.com/docs
- API Docs (markdown): https://scholar-sidekick.com/docs.md
- RapidAPI listing: https://rapidapi.com/scholar-sidekick-scholar-sidekick-api/api/scholar-sidekick
- API Terms: https://scholar-sidekick.com/legal/api-terms

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](/sitemap.md) for all pages.