Is Paper Distill free?

Yes, Paper Distill is free to use.

How do I install Paper Distill?

Paper Distill is a local plugin. Install it using PyPI package: paper-distill-mcp and add the generated configuration snippet to your AI app's MCP config file. Then restart your AI app.

What credentials does Paper Distill need?

Paper Distill requires the following credentials or environment variables: OPENALEX_EMAIL, CORE_API_KEY, TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN, TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID, DISCORD_WEBHOOK_URL, ZOTERO_LIBRARY_ID, ZOTERO_API_KEY. You can find setup instructions on the server detail page.

What AI apps work with Paper Distill?

Paper Distill uses the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and works with any MCP-compatible AI app, including Claude, ChatGPT / Codex, Gemini, Copilot, Cursor, and more.

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Paper Distill

by Eclipse Cj

Education & ResearchUse Caution4.8MCP RegistryLocal

Free

Server data from the Official MCP Registry

Academic paper search across 11 sources with AI curation, ranked push, Zotero and Obsidian support.

About

Academic paper search across 11 sources with AI curation, ranked push, Zotero and Obsidian support.

What You'll Need

Set these up before or after installing:

Email for OpenAlex polite pool (higher rate limits) and Unpaywall queriesOptional

Environment variable: OPENALEX_EMAIL

CORE API key for enhanced open-access paper retrieval (free at core.ac.uk)Required

Environment variable: CORE_API_KEY

Telegram bot token for paper deliveryRequired

Environment variable: TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN

Telegram chat ID for paper deliveryOptional

Environment variable: TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID

Discord webhook URL for paper deliveryRequired

Environment variable: DISCORD_WEBHOOK_URL

Zotero user ID for saving papers to your libraryOptional

Environment variable: ZOTERO_LIBRARY_ID

Zotero API key for saving papers to your libraryRequired

Environment variable: ZOTERO_API_KEY

How to Install

Add this to your MCP configuration file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "io-github-eclipse-cj-paper-distill-mcp": {
      "env": {
        "CORE_API_KEY": "your-core-api-key-here",
        "OPENALEX_EMAIL": "your-openalex-email-here",
        "ZOTERO_API_KEY": "your-zotero-api-key-here",
        "TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID": "your-telegram-chat-id-here",
        "ZOTERO_LIBRARY_ID": "your-zotero-library-id-here",
        "TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN": "your-telegram-bot-token-here",
        "DISCORD_WEBHOOK_URL": "your-discord-webhook-url-here"
      },
      "args": [
        "paper-distill-mcp"
      ],
      "command": "uvx"
    }
  }
}

Security Report

4.8

Use Caution4.8High Risk

Academic paper search MCP server with well-structured code and appropriate permissions for its purpose. The server includes comprehensive search capabilities across multiple academic databases and integrates with various platforms. Minor code quality findings related to exception handling and URL construction do not significantly impact security. Supply chain analysis found 6 known vulnerabilities in dependencies (0 critical, 3 high severity). Package verification found 1 issue.

Scanned 3 files · 10 findings

Security scores are indicators to help you make informed decisions, not guarantees. Always review permissions before connecting any MCP server.

Permissions Required

This plugin requests these system permissions. Most are normal for its category.

File System Read

Reads files on your machine. Normal for tools that analyze or process local data.

File System Write

Writes or modifies files on your machine. Check that this is expected for the tool.

HTTP Network Access

Connects to external APIs or services over the internet.

env_vars

Check that this permission is expected for this type of plugin.

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