Crossref MCP Server - install, status & alternatives [2026]

01 · Install Crossref MCP Server

before you install - you'll need

Set MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE, MCP_LOG_LEVEL before connecting. CROSSREF_MAILTO is optional or environment-specific per the README.

Claude Code

claude mcp add cyanheads-crossref-mcp-server -- npx -y @cyanheads/crossref-mcp-server

Claude Desktop / Cursor / VS Code - add to config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cyanheads-crossref-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@cyanheads/crossref-mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Same JSON for Cursor. For VS Code, rename the top-level key from `mcpServers` to `servers`.

Using another client? Same JSON, different key

Claude Desktop · mcpServers

Cursor · mcpServers

VS Code · servers

Windsurf · mcpServers

Zed · context_servers

Cline · mcpServers

Roo Code · mcpServers

Continue · mcpServers

LibreChat · mcpServers

Gemini CLI · mcpServers

Codex CLI · mcp_servers

Full setup guides: every client.

02 · Evidence

Security posture

What to check before giving this server access to your agent - from the registry, GitHub, and our own probes. We don't score safety; we show what's verifiable.

runs as local process (stdio) - runs on your machine with your user's permissions

license no standard license detected - usage rights unclear; check the repo before commercial use

npm package @cyanheads/crossref-mcp-server - published under the repo owner's npm scope (@cyanheads)

registry namespace io.github.cyanheads is GitHub-verified and matches the repo owner

03 · What Crossref MCP Server can do

Prose above is summarized from the project's README and registry record - no invented capabilities.

What you can build

With this server connected, an agent can read the outgoing reference list for a DOI - the works cited by this paper, with citation strings and resolved DOIs where available, find funders in the Crossref Funder Registry by name, registry ID, or funder DOI, resolve a Crossref member ID to its publisher record - name, owned DOI prefixes, DOI counts, and per-category metadata deposit coverage, and resolve a DOI prefix (e.g. 10.1038) to its owning publisher, chaining into crossref_get_member.

The 7 tools it gives your agent

Extracted from the project's README - what crossref-mcp-server lets an agent do.

crossref_get_work: - Resolve a DOI to its full Crossref metadata record: title, authors, affiliations, abstract, journal, publication date, license, full-text links, and funder ackn
crossref_search_works: - Search the Crossref works index by free text and/or structured filters, with field-scoped query parameters, sort, field selection, and offset or cursor-based pa
crossref_get_references: - Return the outgoing reference list for a DOI - the works cited by this paper, with citation strings and resolved DOIs where available
crossref_search_journals: - Find Crossref journal records by ISSN or title query; optionally retrieve a page of the journal's most recent works
crossref_search_funders: - Find funders in the Crossref Funder Registry by name, registry ID, or funder DOI; optionally retrieve a page of funded works
crossref_get_member: - Resolve a Crossref member ID to its publisher record - name, owned DOI prefixes, DOI counts, and per-category metadata deposit coverage
crossref_get_prefix: - Resolve a DOI prefix (e.g. 10.1038) to its owning publisher, chaining into crossref_get_member

Latest releases

v0.3.12 · 2026-09-13

Framework adoption and cancellation classification · A cancelled request raises RequestCancelled (-32011) instead of the raw abort error · An argument rejection returns InvalidParams (-32602) in the structured error…

v0.3.11 · 2026-08-25

GHCR image packaging fix · Docker build stage now runs natively via $BUILDPLATFORM, unblocking the GHCR image build on arm64 hosts (Bun 1.4.0 aborts under QEMU emulation) · No runtime or client-visible behavior change…

v0.3.10 · 2026-08-25

mcp-ts-core 0.12.3 adoption - MCP SDK v2 · Every HTTP endpoint now serves protocol revision 2026-07-28 alongside the 2025-era revisions · Tool arguments are strict - an undeclared argument key is refused by name…

04 · Who maintains Crossref MCP Server

crossref-mcp-server is maintained by cyanheads. We track 125 MCP servers from cyanheads - 119 actively maintained, 1,816 combined GitHub stars, oldest repo from Dec 2024. Full record: all servers from cyanheads.

05 · Facts

repository: github.com/cyanheads/crossref-mcp-server
category: API integration - ranked #40 of 278 actively-maintained API integration servers as of 2026-09-18.
release cadence: 10+ releases in the last 90 days (latest 2026-09-13)
registry: io.github.cyanheads/crossref-mcp-server (active, first published 2026-05-23 · 28 versions)
packages: npm:@cyanheads/crossref-mcp-server · npm:@cyanheads/crossref-mcp-server

06 · Crossref MCP Server FAQ

Is Crossref MCP Server still maintained?

Yes - as of 2026-09-18, its last commit was 2026-09-13 and it shipped 10+ releases in the last 90 days. We re-verify nightly.

What can Crossref MCP Server do?

With this server connected, an agent can read the outgoing reference list for a DOI - the works cited by this paper, with citation strings and resolved DOIs where available, find funders in the Crossref Funder Registry by name, registry ID, or funder DOI, resolve a Crossref member ID to its publisher record - name, owned DOI prefixes, DOI counts, and per-category metadata deposit coverage, and resolve a DOI prefix (e.g. 10.1038) to its owning publisher, chaining into crossref_get_member.

How do I install Crossref MCP Server?

Run `npx -y @cyanheads/crossref-mcp-server`. The README documents 3 environment variables (MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE, MCP_LOG_LEVEL, CROSSREF_MAILTO) to set first. Set MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE, MCP_LOG_LEVEL before connecting. CROSSREF_MAILTO is optional or environment-specific per the README. You can also paste the ready-made client config above.

Does Crossref MCP Server run locally?

Yes - it's a stdio server: it runs on your machine (via npx) with your user's permissions. Your data stays local unless the server itself calls external APIs.

07 · Alternatives to Crossref MCP Server

Alternatives to Crossref MCP Server

Maintained API integration servers if Crossref MCP Server isn't the fit.

More API integration MCP servers · Eia Energy MCP Server · Socrata MCP Server · Justicelibre · AiPayGen - 65+ AI Tools as an MCP Server · Hibp

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