pubmed-mcp-server
pubmed-mcp-server is an MCP server. It reaches ncbi. It needs NCBI_API_KEY to authenticate. Its repository has 163 GitHub stars and is licensed under Apache-2.0; we last read it on 2026-10-22.
This server searches PubMed and Europe PMC, fetches articles and full text from PMC, EPMC, and Unpaywall, and retrieves citations and MeSH terms via the MCP API. It supports STDIO or Streamable HTTP input.
Install
Read from pubmed-mcp-server’s own README, close to verbatim -- not written by us, and not guessed.
npx -y @cyanheads/pubmed-mcp-server
What it reaches, and what it needs
Maintenance
Search PubMed/Europe PMC, fetch articles and full text (PMC/EPMC/Unpaywall), citations, MeSH terms via MCP. STDIO or Streamable HTTP.
What pubmed-mcp-server can do
10 tools documented in its README. An AI client calls these by name.
pubmed_search_articles- No description in the README.
pubmed_fetch_fulltext- Fetch the full text of a PubMed article by PMID, PMCID, or DOI. Returns the full text, abstract, and metadata. Europe PMC and Unpaywall are used as fallbacks for non-NCBI articles.
pubmed_find_related- Find related articles, citations, or references for a given PMID. Supports similar articles, cited by, and references, with up to 50 results per page. Fallbacks to Europe PMC and OpenAlex if NCBI fail
pubmed_spell_check- Spell check a query and suggest corrections. Corrections are applied in place, preserving field tags, operators, spacing, and gene symbols.
pubmed_lookup_mesh- Lookup MeSH descriptors by name or free-text term. Returns up to 50 descriptors per page with pagination via nextOffset. Includes details like tree numbers, scope notes, and entry terms.
pubmed_lookup_citation- Lookup citations by partial information such as journal, year, volume, and author. Returns matched, not found, or ambiguous results with recovery details.
pubmed_convert_ids- Convert between different identifier types such as PMID, PMCID, and DOI. Returns success or error for each ID, in order.
pubmed_europepmc_fetch- Fetch articles from Europe PMC by EPIC ID. Returns up to 25 records per call with full abstracts. Europe PMC is used as a fallback for non-NCBI articles.
pubmed_format_citations- Format citations in APA, MLA, BibTeX, RIS, or Vancouver styles. Supports bookshelf records and retraction notices.
research_plan- Generate a research plan with four phases: literature review, hypothesis generation, data collection, and interpretation. Includes agent guidance for each step.
Read from the README; names are kept only if the README contains them.
Common questions about pubmed-mcp-server
- What does pubmed-mcp-server do?
- This server searches PubMed and Europe PMC, fetches articles and full text from PMC, EPMC, and Unpaywall, and retrieves citations and MeSH terms via the MCP API. It supports STDIO or Streamable HTTP input.
- How do I install pubmed-mcp-server?
- Its own README gives this command: npx -y @cyanheads/pubmed-mcp-server. Run it where your MCP client can launch the server, and check the README for any settings it asks for.
- What does pubmed-mcp-server connect to, and what does it need?
- It reaches ncbi. The credentials we found in its source are NCBI_API_KEY.
- Is pubmed-mcp-server official and is it maintained?
- We found nothing naming it as a vendor’s official server. Its repository has 163 GitHub stars and its state in our directory is listed. Its last commit we recorded was on 2026-10-12.
- What licence does pubmed-mcp-server use?
- The repository declares the Apache-2.0 licence.