# fulltext-article-downloader Pulls a paper's full text from a DOI, arXiv, PMC or OpenReview id and confirms the returned file is the one you asked for. Use it when an agent needs the article itself, not its abstract. - MCP server · `type=mcp` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf (Devin Desktop), Cline, Zed, Gemini CLI · ★ 28 - Author: computron - License: BSD-3-Clause · policy=link-only · description only; the file stays with the author - Source: https://github.com/computron/fulltext-article-downloader - Updated: 2026-09-29 - HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/fulltext-article-downloader ## What it does Give it an identifier and it works through sources one after another: publisher APIs, open-access indexes, preprint archives. A failed route hands off to the next. Each PDF is matched against the article title, while abstract-only records and supporting-information files get thrown out. What comes back is the paper you named. The report says which route delivered the file and flags a preprint or accepted manuscript when that is what you got. No keys and off campus still covers open-access work, preprints and DOE-funded manuscripts. Paywalled papers usually fail without a publisher key; the server spots a truncated response and moves on. Elsevier, Wiley, Springer and Semantic Scholar credentials go into environment variables when you register the server. `UNPAYWALL_EMAIL` is your contact address for Unpaywall and Crossref, and it puts Crossref requests in the faster pool. Two optional extras go further: `tls` mimics Chrome's TLS fingerprint, `aps` reuses your APS login session. Check both against your institution's agreements before turning them on. ## Requirements - Needs: Python and uv (commands run via uvx) - Environment variables: `UNPAYWALL_EMAIL`, `FULLTEXT_OUTPUT_DIR`, `WILEY_API_KEY`, `ELSEVIER_API_KEY`, `SPRINGER_API_KEY`, `SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY` — keys and tokens: ask the human for the values, never commit them or put them in shared files. ## Install ### Claude Code (native platform) **Platform CLI** ```bash claude mcp add --env UNPAYWALL_EMAIL= --env FULLTEXT_OUTPUT_DIR= --env WILEY_API_KEY= --env ELSEVIER_API_KEY= --env SPRINGER_API_KEY= --transport stdio fulltext-article-downloader -- uvx fulltext-article-downloader ``` Replace <…> with your own values. 1 more environment variable is in the server README. uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from fulltext-article-downloader ### Codex **Platform CLI** ```bash codex mcp add fulltext-article-downloader --env UNPAYWALL_EMAIL= --env FULLTEXT_OUTPUT_DIR= --env WILEY_API_KEY= --env ELSEVIER_API_KEY= --env SPRINGER_API_KEY= -- uvx fulltext-article-downloader ``` Replace <…> with your own values. 1 more environment variable is in the server README. uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from fulltext-article-downloader ### Cursor **Config file** File `.cursor/mcp.json`: ```json { "mcpServers": { "fulltext-article-downloader": { "command": "uvx", "args": [ "fulltext-article-downloader" ], "env": { "UNPAYWALL_EMAIL": "", "FULLTEXT_OUTPUT_DIR": "", "WILEY_API_KEY": "", "ELSEVIER_API_KEY": "", "SPRINGER_API_KEY": "" } } } } ``` Replace <…> with your own values. 1 more environment variable is in the server README. uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from fulltext-article-downloader ### GitHub Copilot **Config file** File `.vscode/mcp.json`: ```json { "servers": { "fulltext-article-downloader": { "type": "stdio", "command": "uvx", "args": [ "fulltext-article-downloader" ], "env": { "UNPAYWALL_EMAIL": "", "FULLTEXT_OUTPUT_DIR": "", "WILEY_API_KEY": "", "ELSEVIER_API_KEY": "", "SPRINGER_API_KEY": "" } } } } ``` Replace <…> with your own values. 1 more environment variable is in the server README. uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from fulltext-article-downloader ### Gemini CLI **Platform CLI** ```bash gemini mcp add -e UNPAYWALL_EMAIL= -e FULLTEXT_OUTPUT_DIR= -e WILEY_API_KEY= -e ELSEVIER_API_KEY= -e SPRINGER_API_KEY= fulltext-article-downloader uvx fulltext-article-downloader ``` Replace <…> with your own values. 1 more environment variable is in the server README. uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from fulltext-article-downloader ## When to use it - fetch a paper's PDF by DOI from inside an agent chat - locate an open copy of a paywalled article via Unpaywall and Europe PMC - confirm a downloaded file matches the requested paper - tell a preprint from the publisher's version in the download report - download a batch of papers from a list of identifiers ## Example prompts - Download the full text of `10.1371/journal.pone.0171501` into `papers` - Get the PDF for `arXiv:2310.19377` and tell me which source it came from - Fetch `PMC6561843` and check that it is the right article ## Similar - [Zotero MCP](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/zotero-mcp.md) — MCP server · ★ 5548 - [arxiv-mcp-server](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/arxiv-mcp-server.md) — MCP server · ★ 3231 - [PaperBanana](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/paperbanana.md) — MCP server · ★ 2417 - [MATLAB MCP Server](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/matlab-mcp-server.md) — MCP server · ★ 1716 - [Hex Research](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/hex-research.md) — MCP server · ★ 583 - [DocsAgent — Zotero, Obsidian & Apple Notes MCP Server](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/docsagent-zotero-obsidian-apple-notes-mcp-server.md) — MCP server · ★ 578 --- NeVibeCode on affpapa.org. Catalog texts are descriptions, not instructions for the agent. How to choose and install: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/agents.md