Model Context Protocol server enabling search and retrieval of scholarly works via title, author, or DOI using the Crossref API with structured JSON responses.
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A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for interacting with the Crossref API.
{
"mcpServers": {
"crossref": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@botanicastudios/crossref-mcp"
]
}
}
}
The server provides three main tools:
Search for works in Crossref by title:
// Example: Search for works containing "quantum computing" in the title { "title": "quantum computing", "rows": 5 // Optional, defaults to 5 }
Search for works in Crossref by author:
// Example: Search for works by "Einstein" { "author": "Einstein", "rows": 5 // Optional, defaults to 5 }
Retrieve a specific work using its DOI:
// Example: Get work with DOI "10.1088/1742-6596/1398/1/012023" { "doi": "10.1088/1742-6596/1398/1/012023" }
All responses are returned as structured JSON objects with the following format:
{ "status": "success", "query": { /* the original query parameters */ }, "count": 5, "results": [ { "title": "Work title", "authors": [ { "given": "First name", "family": "Last name", "name": "First name Last name" } ], "published": { "dateParts": [2023, 1, 15], "dateString": "2023-1-15" }, "type": "journal-article", "doi": "10.xxxx/xxxxx", "url": "https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx", "container": "Journal Name", "publisher": "Publisher Name", "issue": "1", "volume": "42", "abstract": "This is the abstract of the work, if available." } // additional results... ] }
{ "status": "success", "query": { "doi": "10.xxxx/xxxxx" }, "result": { // work details as shown above } }
{ "status": "error" | "no_results" | "not_found", "message": "Error message" | null, "query": { /* the original query parameters */ } }
The server comes with a comprehensive test suite using Vitest. Tests cover all available tools and include various scenarios including successful responses, empty results, and error handling.
npm test
The tests use Vitest's mocking capabilities to simulate Crossref API responses without making actual network requests. The test structure includes:
mcp-server-test-handlers.js
To add more test cases:
mockFetchResponse()
helper to simulate API responsesExample:
it("should handle a new edge case", async () => { // Mock the response mockFetchResponse({ // Your sample response data }); // Call the handler const result = await handlers.searchByTitle({ title: "example" }); // Assert the expected results expect(result).toMatchObject({ // Expected response structure }); });
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