How do I install Scholar?

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

What credentials does Scholar need?

Scholar requires the following credentials or environment variables: SCHOLAR_MCP_READ_ONLY, SCHOLAR_MCP_BEARER_TOKEN, SCHOLAR_MCP_BASE_URL, SCHOLAR_MCP_OIDC_CONFIG_URL, SCHOLAR_MCP_OIDC_CLIENT_ID, SCHOLAR_MCP_OIDC_CLIENT_SECRET, SCHOLAR_MCP_OIDC_JWT_SIGNING_KEY. You can find setup instructions on the server detail page.

What AI apps work with Scholar?

Scholar 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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Scholar

by Pvliesdonk

Education & ResearchModerate6.2MCP RegistryLocal

Free

Server data from the Official MCP Registry

Academic literature search, citation graphs, and PDF conversion via Semantic Scholar.

About

Academic literature search, citation graphs, and PDF conversion via Semantic Scholar.

What You'll Need

Set these up before or after installing:

Set to 'false' to enable write tools (default: true)Optional

Environment variable: SCHOLAR_MCP_READ_ONLY

Static bearer token for authentication (optional)Optional

Environment variable: SCHOLAR_MCP_BEARER_TOKEN

Public base URL of this server, required for OIDC (e.g. https://mcp.example.com)Optional

Environment variable: SCHOLAR_MCP_BASE_URL

OIDC discovery endpoint URL (e.g. https://auth.example.com/.well-known/openid-configuration)Optional

Environment variable: SCHOLAR_MCP_OIDC_CONFIG_URL

OIDC client IDOptional

Environment variable: SCHOLAR_MCP_OIDC_CLIENT_ID

OIDC client secretOptional

Environment variable: SCHOLAR_MCP_OIDC_CLIENT_SECRET

JWT signing key — required on Linux/Docker to survive restarts (generate with: openssl rand -hex 32)Optional

Environment variable: SCHOLAR_MCP_OIDC_JWT_SIGNING_KEY

How to Install

Add this to your MCP configuration file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "io-github-pvliesdonk-scholar-mcp": {
      "env": {
        "SCHOLAR_MCP_BASE_URL": "your-scholar-mcp-base-url-here",
        "SCHOLAR_MCP_READ_ONLY": "your-scholar-mcp-read-only-here",
        "SCHOLAR_MCP_BEARER_TOKEN": "your-scholar-mcp-bearer-token-here",
        "SCHOLAR_MCP_OIDC_CLIENT_ID": "your-scholar-mcp-oidc-client-id-here",
        "SCHOLAR_MCP_OIDC_CONFIG_URL": "your-scholar-mcp-oidc-config-url-here",
        "SCHOLAR_MCP_OIDC_CLIENT_SECRET": "your-scholar-mcp-oidc-client-secret-here",
        "SCHOLAR_MCP_OIDC_JWT_SIGNING_KEY": "your-scholar-mcp-oidc-jwt-signing-key-here"
      },
      "args": [
        "pvliesdonk-scholar-mcp"
      ],
      "command": "uvx"
    }
  }
}

Security Report

6.2

Moderate6.2Moderate Risk

The Scholar MCP server is well-architected with proper authentication handling via environment variables and rate limiting. Minor code quality concerns include broad exception handling patterns, but permissions and operations align well with its academic research purpose. Supply chain analysis found 1 known vulnerability in dependencies (1 critical, 0 high severity). Package verification found 1 issue.

Scanned 4 files · 5 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.

env_vars

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

HTTP Network Access

Connects to external APIs or services over the internet.

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.

database

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

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