scopus-mcp

An MCP server for the Elsevier Scopus API. Runs over stdio with npx and keeps the API's parameter names and JSON responses.

Quick start

Requires Node.js 22.22.0 or newer, npm, and an MCP client with stdio support. Get an API key from the Elsevier Developer Portal and add this server to your client's configuration:

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "scopus": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "scopus-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "ELSEVIER_API_KEY": "your-elsevier-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Reload the client to connect. To pin a release, use scopus-mcp@<version> in args.

Configuration

Environment variable	Description
`ELSEVIER_API_KEY`	Required for all tools except `subject_classifications`.
`ELSEVIER_INST_TOKEN`	Institutional token, if provided by your institution.

Set credentials in the client's env object. The server does not load .env files. Access to data and views depends on your Elsevier subscription and institutional access.

The server reports its version in MCP serverInfo and the startup log on stderr.

Tools

Tool	Description
scopus_search	Find publications.
author_search	Find authors and co-authors.
affiliation_search	Find institutions.
author_retrieval	Get author profiles by ID, EID, or ORCID.
affiliation_retrieval	Get an institution profile by ID or EID.
citation_overview	Get yearly citation counts and summaries.
plumx_metrics	Get publication metrics by identifier.
subject_classifications	Look up subject codes; no API key needed.

Each call makes one API request. For additional pages, use the tool's pagination parameters. Requests support cancellation and a 30-second timeout; retries and redirects are not automatic.

Responses and errors

Results follow each tool's outputSchema. The original API JSON is returned in both structuredContent and a text content block, without reshaping fields or converting values.

Available quota headers are returned as strings in _meta["scopus-mcp/headers"]: X-RateLimit-Limit, X-RateLimit-Remaining, X-RateLimit-Reset, and Retry-After.

API failures return isError: true and a JSON text error with code, message, and, when available, an HTTP status. Credentials are redacted. Invalid arguments are rejected before an API request.

Error	What to check
`MISSING_API_KEY`	Set `ELSEVIER_API_KEY` in the server's environment.
HTTP 401 or 403	Check your key, subscription, institutional network, and token.
HTTP 429	Check quota headers and `Retry-After` before retrying.
`TIMEOUT` or `NETWORK_ERROR`	Check connectivity to `api.elsevier.com`.
`INVALID_RESPONSE`	Elsevier returned invalid JSON or an unexpected response shape.