# nobleblocks-mcp

Search academic papers by meaning and citation links, retrieve records, compare related work, and build cited literature reviews.

- MCP server · `type=mcp` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf (Devin Desktop), Cline, Zed, Gemini CLI · ★ 1
- Author: nobleblocks
- License: MIT · policy=link-only · description only; the file stays with the author
- Source: https://github.com/nobleblocks/nobleblocks-mcp
- Updated: 2026-06-08
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/nobleblocks-mcp

## What it does

nobleblocks-mcp connects Claude Code and other MCP clients to an index containing 340M+ academic records. Its tools support hybrid paper search, metadata lookup by DOI, PMID, arXiv ID, or OpenAlex ID, semantic similarity, and citation-network queries.

A biomedical knowledge graph links papers with genes, drugs, diseases, institutions, and other entities. `create_literature_review` produces a structured cited review on the Pro plan. Local use requires a NobleBlocks account and `NOBLEBLOCKS_API_KEY`; without that key, the local server cannot call the API. A remote setup uses `https://mcp.nobleblocks.com/mcp`.

## Requirements
- Remote server: `https://mcp.nobleblocks.com/mcp`

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

**Platform CLI: remote server**
```bash
claude mcp add --transport http nobleblocks-mcp https://mcp.nobleblocks.com/mcp
```

### Codex

**Platform CLI: remote server**
```bash
codex mcp add nobleblocks-mcp --url https://mcp.nobleblocks.com/mcp
```

### Cursor

**Config file**
File `.cursor/mcp.json`:
```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "nobleblocks-mcp": {
            "url": "https://mcp.nobleblocks.com/mcp"
        }
    }
}
```

### GitHub Copilot

**Config file**
File `.vscode/mcp.json`:
```json
{
    "servers": {
        "nobleblocks-mcp": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.nobleblocks.com/mcp"
        }
    }
}
```

### Gemini CLI

**Platform CLI: remote server**
```bash
gemini mcp add -t http nobleblocks-mcp https://mcp.nobleblocks.com/mcp
```

## When to use it
- search papers with year and source filters
- retrieve a record from its DOI or PMID
- find research related by meaning
- trace references and citing papers
- connect a gene or drug to related studies

## Example prompts
- Find the most-cited papers about CRISPR base editing from 2022-2024.
- Show papers semantically related to “Attention Is All You Need”.
- Build a citation graph for DOI `10.1038/s41586-020-2649-2`.

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