Books & Papers MCP Server — Claude Code MCP server
Federates searches across scholarly databases and catalogs, generates formatted citations, and reads chapters. Useful for literature reviews directly inside your AI client.
claude mcp add --transport http libgen-mcp https://mcp.jmrp.io/libgenWhat Books & Papers MCP Server does
The server is written in Go. It connects AI assistants to Library Genesis while querying external providers like arXiv or OpenAlex when needed. Mirror selection and failover happen automatically in the background.
Four tools handle document workflows. The search tool accepts publication year ranges, get_details outputs formatted citations in BibTeX or APA, and download fetches files. With read, an assistant navigates tables of contents and inspects chapters without pulling the whole file.
Local execution via npx -y @jmrp.io/libgen-mcp requires Node 18. Tool definitions take roughly 6,800 tokens of context. The public endpoint at https://mcp.jmrp.io/libgen works immediately, but local hosting is required to save retrieved files directly to disk.
What it helps with
- Search papers and preprints across arXiv, PubMed, and OpenAlex
- Generate formatted citations in BibTeX, APA, or IEEE styles
- Inspect book chapters and tables of contents without downloading files
- Retrieve papers and research literature directly by DOI
Example prompts for the agent
- Find recent papers on quantum computing from 2022 to 2024 and format their citations in BibTeX.
- Read the introductory chapter of this document and summarize its thesis.
- Fetch the paper associated with DOI 10.1038/nature12373 and inspect its citations.
How to install Books & Papers MCP Server
1Platform CLI: remote server
claude mcp add --transport http libgen-mcp https://mcp.jmrp.io/libgen2Platform CLI
claude mcp add --env LIBGEN_MIRROR=<LIBGEN_MIRROR> --env LIBGEN_MCP_DOWNLOAD_DIR=<LIBGEN_MCP_DOWNLOAD_DIR> --env LIBGEN_MCP_TIMEOUT=<LIBGEN_MCP_TIMEOUT> --transport stdio books-papers-mcp-server -- npx -y @jmrp.io/libgen-mcpReplace <…> with your own values
1Platform CLI: remote server
codex mcp add books-papers-mcp-server --url https://mcp.jmrp.io/libgen2Platform CLI
codex mcp add books-papers-mcp-server --env LIBGEN_MIRROR=<LIBGEN_MIRROR> --env LIBGEN_MCP_DOWNLOAD_DIR=<LIBGEN_MCP_DOWNLOAD_DIR> --env LIBGEN_MCP_TIMEOUT=<LIBGEN_MCP_TIMEOUT> -- npx -y @jmrp.io/libgen-mcpReplace <…> with your own values
Config file
{
"mcpServers": {
"books-papers-mcp-server": {
"url": "https://mcp.jmrp.io/libgen"
}
}
}{
"mcpServers": {
"books-papers-mcp-server": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@jmrp.io/libgen-mcp"
],
"env": {
"LIBGEN_MIRROR": "<LIBGEN_MIRROR>",
"LIBGEN_MCP_DOWNLOAD_DIR": "<LIBGEN_MCP_DOWNLOAD_DIR>",
"LIBGEN_MCP_TIMEOUT": "<LIBGEN_MCP_TIMEOUT>"
}
}
}
}Replace <…> with your own values
Config file
{
"servers": {
"books-papers-mcp-server": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://mcp.jmrp.io/libgen"
}
}
}{
"servers": {
"books-papers-mcp-server": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@jmrp.io/libgen-mcp"
],
"env": {
"LIBGEN_MIRROR": "<LIBGEN_MIRROR>",
"LIBGEN_MCP_DOWNLOAD_DIR": "<LIBGEN_MCP_DOWNLOAD_DIR>",
"LIBGEN_MCP_TIMEOUT": "<LIBGEN_MCP_TIMEOUT>"
}
}
}
}Replace <…> with your own values
1Platform CLI: remote server
gemini mcp add -t http books-papers-mcp-server https://mcp.jmrp.io/libgen2Platform CLI
gemini mcp add -e LIBGEN_MIRROR=<LIBGEN_MIRROR> -e LIBGEN_MCP_DOWNLOAD_DIR=<LIBGEN_MCP_DOWNLOAD_DIR> -e LIBGEN_MCP_TIMEOUT=<LIBGEN_MCP_TIMEOUT> books-papers-mcp-server npx -y @jmrp.io/libgen-mcpReplace <…> with your own values
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to add an MCP server to Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI and more
Questions about Books & Papers MCP Server
How to install Books & Papers MCP Server in Claude Code?
Run claude mcp add --transport http books-papers-mcp-server https://mcp.jmrp.io/libgen in your terminal. This hooks into the hosted endpoint without requiring any API keys.
What does Books & Papers MCP Server do?
It equips your AI assistant to query academic papers and books, retrieve bibliographic citations, and read document sections on demand.
Are API keys required to use this MCP server?
No registration or API token is required. The server queries open catalogs and fallback sources such as arXiv, PubMed, and OpenAlex without credentials.
