OpenResearch MCP — Claude Code MCP server: how to install
Connects 22 research tools to your agent for web search, academic papers, and SEC filings. Runs immediately without requiring API keys.
claude mcp add --env GITHUB_TOKEN=<GITHUB_TOKEN> --env OPENALEX_EMAIL=<OPENALEX_EMAIL> --env STACKEXCHANGE_KEY=<STACKEXCHANGE_KEY> --env SEC_USER_AGENT=<SEC_USER_AGENT> --transport stdio openresearch-mcp -- uvx openresearch-mcpWhat OpenResearch MCP does
This server gives coding agents direct access to public records and open databases. An assistant can retrieve company filings from the SEC, fetch research papers via OpenAlex and Europe PMC, scrape news through GDELT, and search the web with DuckDuckGo. It also covers World Bank indicators, European Central Bank exchange rates, cryptocurrency valuations, and YouTube caption downloads.
The tool schemas consume around 6.2K tokens of context per request. By default, it executes through uvx and binds to http://127.0.0.1:8000/mcp, keeping network access restricted to the loopback interface. Built-in network filters block private and local IP ranges during URL fetching to stop SSRF attempts.
No login credentials are required. Environment variables such as GITHUB_TOKEN or STACKEXCHANGE_KEY simply raise rate allowances on those platforms. If you expose the server on 0.0.0.0, you must place an authenticating proxy in front of it because the process itself lacks authentication.
What it helps with
- pull SEC corporate filings and pair them with recent news
- query academic articles on OpenAlex and parse PDF files
- fetch macroeconomic indicators from the World Bank database
- extract video captions from YouTube without platform API credentials
Example prompts for the agent
- Check Apple's latest annual SEC filing and pull recent news on its hardware lineup.
- Search OpenAlex for recent papers on transformer architectures and extract key findings.
- Retrieve historical inflation metrics for Germany using World Bank indicators.
How to install OpenResearch MCP
Platform CLI
claude mcp add --env GITHUB_TOKEN=<GITHUB_TOKEN> --env OPENALEX_EMAIL=<OPENALEX_EMAIL> --env STACKEXCHANGE_KEY=<STACKEXCHANGE_KEY> --env SEC_USER_AGENT=<SEC_USER_AGENT> --transport stdio openresearch-mcp -- uvx openresearch-mcpReplace <…> with your own values. uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from openresearch-mcp <command>
Platform CLI
codex mcp add openresearch-mcp --env GITHUB_TOKEN=<GITHUB_TOKEN> --env OPENALEX_EMAIL=<OPENALEX_EMAIL> --env STACKEXCHANGE_KEY=<STACKEXCHANGE_KEY> --env SEC_USER_AGENT=<SEC_USER_AGENT> -- uvx openresearch-mcpReplace <…> with your own values. uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from openresearch-mcp <command>
Config file
{
"mcpServers": {
"openresearch-mcp": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"openresearch-mcp"
],
"env": {
"GITHUB_TOKEN": "<GITHUB_TOKEN>",
"OPENALEX_EMAIL": "<OPENALEX_EMAIL>",
"STACKEXCHANGE_KEY": "<STACKEXCHANGE_KEY>",
"SEC_USER_AGENT": "<SEC_USER_AGENT>"
}
}
}
}Replace <…> with your own values. uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from openresearch-mcp <command>
Config file
{
"servers": {
"openresearch-mcp": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"openresearch-mcp"
],
"env": {
"GITHUB_TOKEN": "<GITHUB_TOKEN>",
"OPENALEX_EMAIL": "<OPENALEX_EMAIL>",
"STACKEXCHANGE_KEY": "<STACKEXCHANGE_KEY>",
"SEC_USER_AGENT": "<SEC_USER_AGENT>"
}
}
}
}Replace <…> with your own values. uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from openresearch-mcp <command>
Platform CLI
gemini mcp add -e GITHUB_TOKEN=<GITHUB_TOKEN> -e OPENALEX_EMAIL=<OPENALEX_EMAIL> -e STACKEXCHANGE_KEY=<STACKEXCHANGE_KEY> -e SEC_USER_AGENT=<SEC_USER_AGENT> openresearch-mcp uvx openresearch-mcpReplace <…> with your own values. uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from openresearch-mcp <command>
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 OpenResearch MCP
How do I install OpenResearch MCP in Claude Code?
Run the following command in your terminal: `claude mcp add --env GITHUB_TOKEN=<GITHUB_TOKEN> --env OPENALEX_EMAIL=<OPENALEX_EMAIL> --env STACKEXCHANGE_KEY=<STACKEXCHANGE_KEY> --env SEC_USER_AGENT=<SEC_USER_AGENT> --transport stdio openresearch-mcp -- uvx openresearch-mcp`.
What does OpenResearch MCP do?
It adds 22 lookup tools to an MCP client, covering academic databases, financial registries, currency rates, news feeds, and general web search.
Are API keys mandatory for OpenResearch MCP?
Every tool functions without secret tokens out of the box. Optional variables like GITHUB_TOKEN only serve to increase rate thresholds for specific platforms.
