Semantic ScholarSAFE
🔍 This project implements a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for interacting with the Semantic Scholar API. It provides tools for searching papers, retrieving paper and author details, and fetching citations and references.
Overview
From the repository's own README, as read at the audited commit. Badges and raw HTML are left out.
[](https://smithery.ai/server/@JackKuo666/semanticscholar-mcp-server)
This project implements a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for interacting with the Semantic Scholar API. It provides tools for searching papers, retrieving paper and author details, and fetching citations and references.
✨ Features
- 🔍 Search for papers on Semantic Scholar
- 📄 Retrieve detailed information about specific papers
- 👤 Get author details
- 🔗 Fetch citations and references for a paper
📋 Prerequisites
- 🐍 Python 3.10+
- 📚
semanticscholarPython package - 🔧
mcpPython package (Model Context Protocol)
🚀 Installation
Installing via Smithery
To install semanticscholar Server for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:
claude
npx -y @smithery/cli@latest install @JackKuo666/semanticscholar-mcp-server --client claude --config "{}"Cursor
Paste the following into Settings → Cursor Settings → MCP → Add new server:
- Mac/Linux
npx -y @smithery/cli@latest run @JackKuo666/semanticscholar-mcp-server --client cursor --config "{}" Windsurf
npx -y @smithery/cli@latest install @JackKuo666/semanticscholar-mcp-server --client windsurf --config "{}"CLine
npx -y @smithery/cli@latest install @JackKuo666/semanticscholar-mcp-server --client cline --config "{}"- Clone this repository:
git clone https://github.com/JackKuo666/semanticscholar-MCP-Server.git cd semanticscholar-mcp-server
- Install the required packages:
pip install semanticscholar mcp
🖥️ Usage
- Start the Semantic Scholar MCP server:
python semantic_scholar_server.py
- The server will start and listen for MCP requests.
- Use an MCP client to interact with the server and access the following tools:
4601406d74e5OBSERVED · 2026-10-07Exposed tools (4)
4 read · 0 write · 0 destructive.
| Tool | Risk | Description |
|---|---|---|
get_semantic_scholar_author_details | read | logging.info(f |
get_semantic_scholar_citations_and_references | read | logging.info(f |
get_semantic_scholar_paper_details | read | logging.info(f |
search_semantic_scholar | read | logging.info(f |
Trust audit
SAFEgrade B · trust 89/100 Nothing in the source contradicts what it says it does. Grade A is reserved for packages that have also passed the behavioural sandbox.
| Layer | What it checks | Result |
|---|---|---|
| L0 | Provenance & inventory | WARN |
| L1 | Static analysis of the code | PASS |
| L2 | Instruction surface (what it tells the agent) | PASS |
| L3 | Class-specific surface | PASS |
| L4 | Behavioural (sandbox) | SKIPPED |
What the source does
- Filesystem
- none-observed
- Network
- none-observed
- Shell
- none-observed
- Dependencies
- not all pinned
- Secrets in source
- none-found
Findings (3)
semantic_scholar_search.cpython-310.pyc
requests, bs4, mcp, semanticscholar
Gates applied: no_behavioural_pass, no_license.
4601406d74e5full audit observations/trust-audit/mcp-server/jackkuo666__semantic-scholar-1.json · Report an issue / request a re-scanAudit history
Every audit this server has had. A grade with a past is a grade somebody is still checking.
| Date | Source | Verdict | Grade | Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-07 | 4601406d74e5 | SAFE | B | 89 | first audit |
Questions
What is the Semantic Scholar MCP server?
🔍 This project implements a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for interacting with the Semantic Scholar API. It provides tools for searching papers, retrieving paper and author details, and fetching citations and references.
What tools does Semantic Scholar expose?
4 in total: 4 read-only, 0 that write, and 0 that can delete or overwrite. Every one is listed on this page with its risk.
Is Semantic Scholar safe to connect to an agent?
The audit found nothing in the source that contradicts what it says it does, and graded it B (89/100). Grade A is held back for packages that have also passed a sandboxed behavioural run, which is why a clean server reads B.
What credentials does Semantic Scholar need?
No credential environment variables were found in its source, so it appears to need none.
How does Semantic Scholar run?
It speaks stdio, so it runs as a local process your client starts.
How current is this page?
The grade is for one exact copy of the source (4601406d74e5), read on 2026-10-07. The repository is watched and re-audited when it changes.