AI Scholarly Mode MCP Server

Search and retrieve peer-reviewed academic articles from Springer Nature

README.md

AI-Scholarly-Mode

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server that enables AI assistants to operate in a specialized "scholarly mode," restricting them to exclusively use scholarly article search and retrieval tools powered by Springer Nature's Open Access API.

Overview

This MCP server allows users to engage in research-driven conversations with AI assistants (like Claude) while ensuring the AI only accesses peer-reviewed academic articles from Springer Nature's open access collection.

Features

  • Scholarly Mode Toggle - Enable/disable scholarly-only mode for AI conversations
  • Article Search - Search Springer Nature's open access collection with custom queries
  • Article Retrieval - Fetch full article content in structured JSON format (converted from JATS XML)
  • MCP Protocol - Seamless integration with Claude and other MCP-compatible AI assistants

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/adarshrkumar/AI-Scholarly-Mode.git
cd AI-Scholarly-Mode

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the project
npm run build

Configuration

API Key Setup

You need a Springer Nature API key to use this server.

  1. Obtain an API key from Springer Nature Developer Portal

  2. Create a .env file in the project root:

    SPRINGER_API_KEY=your_api_key_here
    

Usage

Running the Server

# Production
npm start

# Development
npm run dev

MCP Client Configuration

Add this server to your MCP client configuration. For Claude Desktop, add to your config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "scholarly-mode": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["path/to/AI-Scholarly-Mode/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

Tool Description
scholarly-mode-start Activates scholarly mode, restricting AI to use only Springer search tools
scholarly-mode-stop Deactivates scholarly mode, returning AI to normal operation
get_articles_list Searches Springer for articles matching a query. Parameters: query (required), articles_per_page (optional)
get_springer_article_data Retrieves full article content by ID. Parameters: id (required)

Tech Stack

  • TypeScript - Type-safe development
  • @modelcontextprotocol/sdk - MCP server framework
  • xml-js - JATS XML to JSON conversion
  • Zod - Schema validation
  • dotenv - Environment variable management

Project Structure

AI-Scholarly-Mode/
├── index.ts              # Main MCP server implementation
├── springer.ts           # Springer API integration
├── ConsoleManagement.ts  # Console output utilities
├── package.json          # Project configuration
├── tsconfig.json         # TypeScript configuration
└── dist/                 # Compiled output

Author

Created by adarshrkumar for Playlab.ai

License

ISC

Tools 4

scholarly-mode-startActivates scholarly mode, restricting AI to use only Springer search tools
scholarly-mode-stopDeactivates scholarly mode, returning AI to normal operation
get_articles_listSearches Springer for articles matching a query
get_springer_article_dataRetrieves full article content by ID

Environment Variables

SPRINGER_API_KEYrequiredAPI key obtained from the Springer Nature Developer Portal

Try it

Activate scholarly mode and search for recent peer-reviewed articles on quantum computing.
Find articles related to climate change impacts in the Arctic using the scholarly search tool.
Get the full content for the article with ID 10.1007/s12345-023-0000-x.
Stop scholarly mode and return to standard AI assistant operations.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the key features of AI Scholarly Mode?

Scholarly Mode toggle to restrict AI to academic search tools. Search Springer Nature's open access collection with custom queries. Retrieve full article content in structured JSON format. JATS XML to JSON conversion for academic content.

What can I use AI Scholarly Mode for?

Researchers conducting literature reviews using AI-assisted search. Students verifying academic sources for research papers. Academic professionals needing quick access to peer-reviewed open access data.

How do I install AI Scholarly Mode?

Install AI Scholarly Mode by running: git clone https://github.com/adarshrkumar/AI-Scholarly-Mode.git && cd AI-Scholarly-Mode && npm install && npm run build

What MCP clients work with AI Scholarly Mode?

AI Scholarly Mode works with any MCP-compatible client including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, and other editors with MCP support.

Turn this server into reusable context

Keep AI Scholarly Mode docs, env vars, and workflow notes in Conare so your agent carries them across sessions.

Open Conare