MCP server/search

NASA ADS MCP Server

An MCP server for the NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

★ 3cbyrohl/mcp-server-ads ↗by cbyrohlupdated
1

Add it to Claude Code

claude mcp add -e "ADS_API_TOKEN=${ADS_API_TOKEN}" mcp-server-ads -- uvx --from git+https://github.com/cbyrohl/mcp-server-ads mcp-server-ads
Required:ADS_API_TOKEN+ 1 optional
2

Make your agent remember this setup

mcp-server-ads's config, env vars, and the gotchas you hit — recalled in every future Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex session. 

npx conare@latest

Free · one command · indexes the sessions already on disk. Set up in the browser instead →

What it does

  • Full-text search of the NASA ADS database using advanced query syntax
  • Citation graph traversal for forward and backward reference discovery
  • Automated computation of academic metrics like h-index and g-index
  • Comprehensive bibliography management and export in 18+ formats
  • Integration with astronomical object databases like SIMBAD and NED

Tools 11

ads_searchSearch the ADS database with full query syntax.
ads_bigquerySearch within a specific set of bibcodes.
ads_exportExport records in 18+ formats like BibTeX, AASTeX, RIS, and CSL.
ads_metricsCompute citation metrics including h-index and g-index.
ads_libraryManage libraries to list, get, create, edit, or delete paper collections.
ads_library_documentsManage documents and notes within a library.
ads_resolve_linksResolve available links for a paper such as full text or data.
ads_object_searchTranslate astronomical object names to ADS queries.
ads_citation_helperSuggest papers that should be cited alongside a given set.
ads_resolve_referenceResolve free-text reference strings to ADS bibcodes.
ads_networkGenerate author collaboration or paper citation networks.

Environment Variables

ADS_API_TOKENrequiredAPI token from ADS
ADS_API_URLAPI base URL (override for SciX)

Try it

→Perform a literature review on the latest research regarding black hole accretion disks.
→Generate a bibliography in BibTeX format for the top 10 most cited papers on dark matter.
→Find the h-index for the author with bibcode 2023ApJ...950L...1A.
→Create a new library called 'Supernova Research' and add the last 5 papers found in my search.
→Generate a citation network visualization for the papers related to the James Webb Space Telescope.
Original README from cbyrohl/mcp-server-ads

mcp-server-ads

A powerful MCP server for the NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS) — the primary database for astrophysics literature. Search papers, traverse citation graphs forward and backward, export BibTeX, compute metrics, and manage reading lists, all through natural language. Works with Claude Desktop/Code, Cursor, OpenAI Codex, and any MCP-compatible client.

demo_15fps_crf20.webm

Quick Start

Get an ADS API Token

  1. Create a free account at NASA ADS
  2. Log in and go to Settings > API Token
  3. Click Generate a new key and copy the token

Installation

No separate install step needed — the client configurations below use uvx to automatically fetch and run the server. Just pick your client and go. Requires Python 3.11+ and uv.

Claude Code

claude mcp add --scope user mcp-server-ads -e ADS_API_TOKEN=your-api-token-here -- uvx --from git+https://github.com/cbyrohl/mcp-server-ads mcp-server-ads

Use --scope project instead to share the configuration via .mcp.json in your repo, or omit --scope for local (current project only).

Claude Desktop

Add to your Claude Desktop config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ads": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["--from", "git+https://github.com/cbyrohl/mcp-server-ads", "mcp-server-ads"],
      "env": {
        "ADS_API_TOKEN": "your-api-token-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Codex CLI

codex mcp add mcp-server-ads --env ADS_API_TOKEN=your-api-token-here -- uvx --from git+https://github.com/cbyrohl/mcp-server-ads mcp-server-ads

This installs to ~/.codex/config.toml (user-level, available across all projects). For project-scoped config, add the entry to .codex/config.toml in your project root instead.

Standalone / Python API

If you want to install the package directly (e.g. as a Python library or to run the server manually):

# Install with uv
uv tool install git+https://github.com/cbyrohl/mcp-server-ads

# Or with pip
pip install git+https://github.com/cbyrohl/mcp-server-ads

Running from Source

git clone https://github.com/cbyrohl/mcp-server-ads.git
cd mcp-server-ads
uv sync

# Run the server
ADS_API_TOKEN=your-token uv run mcp-server-ads

Configuration

Environment Variable Required Default Description
ADS_API_TOKEN Yes — API token from ADS
ADS_API_URL No https://api.adsabs.harvard.edu API base URL (override for SciX)

Tools (11)

Search

Tool Description
ads_search Search the ADS database with full query syntax, including citations(), references(), similar(), trending(), and reviews() operators
ads_bigquery Search within a specific set of bibcodes (up to 2000)

Export & Metrics

Tool Description
ads_export Export records in 18+ formats (BibTeX, AASTeX, RIS, CSL, etc.)
ads_metrics Compute citation metrics (h-index, g-index, citation counts, etc.)

Libraries

Tool Description
ads_library Manage libraries: list, get, create, edit, or delete saved paper collections
ads_library_documents Manage documents and notes within a library: add/remove papers, set operations (union, intersection, difference, copy, empty), and note CRUD

Discovery & Resolution

Tool Description
ads_resolve_links Resolve available links for a paper (full text, data, etc.)
ads_object_search Translate astronomical object names to ADS queries (SIMBAD/NED)
ads_citation_helper Suggest papers that should be cited alongside a given set
ads_resolve_reference Resolve free-text reference strings to ADS bibcodes

Network Visualization

Tool Description
ads_network Generate author collaboration or paper citation networks from a set of papers

Resources

URI Description
ads://fields Complete reference of searchable and returnable ADS fields
ads://syntax ADS query syntax quick-reference with examples
ads://rate-limits Live API rate-limit status

Prompts

Prompt Description
literature_review Multi-step literature review workflow for a research topic
citation_analysis Citation network analysis workflow for a set of papers
generate_bibliography Generate a formatted bibl

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the key features of NASA ADS?

Full-text search of the NASA ADS database using advanced query syntax. Citation graph traversal for forward and backward reference discovery. Automated computation of academic metrics like h-index and g-index. Comprehensive bibliography management and export in 18+ formats. Integration with astronomical object databases like SIMBAD and NED.

What can I use NASA ADS for?

Automating the collection of relevant papers for a new research project. Quickly generating formatted bibliographies for academic manuscripts. Analyzing the impact and citation trends of specific astrophysics authors. Resolving ambiguous astronomical object names into precise database queries. Managing and organizing large collections of research papers into thematic libraries.

How do I install NASA ADS?

Install NASA ADS by running: Add to claude_desktop_config.json

What MCP clients work with NASA ADS?

NASA ADS works with any MCP-compatible client including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, and other editors with MCP support.

Conare · memory for coding agents

Turn this server into reusable context

Keep NASA ADS docs, env vars, and workflow notes in Conare so your agent carries them across sessions.

Set up free$npx conare@latest

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