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

01 · Install Orcid MCP Server

before you install - you'll need

Set MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE, MCP_LOG_LEVEL before connecting.

Claude Code

claude mcp add cyanheads-orcid-mcp-server --transport http https://orcid.caseyjhand.com/mcp

Claude Desktop / Cursor / VS Code - add to config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cyanheads-orcid-mcp-server": {
      "url": "https://orcid.caseyjhand.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

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

https://orcid.caseyjhand.com/mcp

transport: streamable-http

endpoint alive - responded to MCP initialize · probed 2026-09-17

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 · remote - your agent's requests go to orcid.caseyjhand.com

endpoint auth accepted our unauthenticated MCP initialize - no credentials needed to connect

license Apache-2.0 - declared in the repository

npm package @cyanheads/orcid-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 Orcid 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 search the ORCID registry using structured field params (name, affiliation, keyword, ROR ID, DOI, PMID), fetch a researcher's public profile - name, biography, keywords, researcher URLs, external identifiers, retrieve works (publications, datasets, software, preprints) for a researcher, paginated, and fetch full detail records - abstracts, contributors, citations - for 1–100 works by put-code.

The 9 tools it gives your agent

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

orcid_search_researchers: - Search the ORCID registry using structured field params (name, affiliation, keyword, ROR ID, DOI, PMID)
orcid_get_profile: - Fetch a researcher's public profile - name, biography, keywords, researcher URLs, external identifiers
orcid_get_works: - Retrieve works (publications, datasets, software, preprints) for a researcher, paginated
orcid_get_work_detail: - Fetch full detail records - abstracts, contributors, citations - for 1–100 works by put-code
orcid_get_affiliations: - Fetch affiliation records: employment, education, memberships, and more
orcid_get_funding: - Fetch funding records: grants, contracts, awards, and salary awards
orcid_get_peer_reviews: - Fetch peer review activity: convening organizations, reviewer role, review type
orcid_get_research_resources: - List research resources - compute allocations, equipment access, lab facilities
orcid_resolve_researcher: - Disambiguate an ambiguous author name to a ranked list of verified ORCID iD candidates

Latest releases

v0.2.16 · 2026-09-16

mcp-ts-core 0.13.2 adoption, stateless session mode in source · createApp({ sessionMode: 'stateless' }) declares the HTTP session posture in source; the server card advertises the resolved mode…

v0.2.15 · 2026-08-25

Multi-arch Docker image restored · The build stage runs on the native build platform (--platform=$BUILDPLATFORM) instead of under emulation, where the linux/amd64 leg aborted and left 0.2.14 with no published image…

v0.2.14 · 2026-08-25

mcp-ts-core 0.12.3 - strict tool arguments and the 2026-07-28 protocol revision · Tool arguments are strict: an unrecognized key is rejected by name instead of silently stripped, and the advertised inputSchema carries…

04 · Who maintains Orcid MCP Server

orcid-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/orcid-mcp-server
category: other - ranked #206 of 945 actively-maintained other servers as of 2026-09-18.
release cadence: 10+ releases in the last 90 days (latest 2026-09-16)
registry: io.github.cyanheads/orcid-mcp-server (active, first published 2026-05-26 · 22 versions)
packages: npm:@cyanheads/orcid-mcp-server · npm:@cyanheads/orcid-mcp-server

06 · Orcid MCP Server FAQ

Is Orcid MCP Server still maintained?

Yes - as of 2026-09-18, its last commit was 2026-09-16 and it shipped 10+ releases in the last 90 days. We re-verify nightly.

What can Orcid MCP Server do?

With this server connected, an agent can search the ORCID registry using structured field params (name, affiliation, keyword, ROR ID, DOI, PMID), fetch a researcher's public profile - name, biography, keywords, researcher URLs, external identifiers, retrieve works (publications, datasets, software, preprints) for a researcher, paginated, and fetch full detail records - abstracts, contributors, citations - for 1–100 works by put-code.

How do I install Orcid MCP Server?

Run `npx -y @cyanheads/orcid-mcp-server`. The README documents 2 environment variables (MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE, MCP_LOG_LEVEL) to set first. Set MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE, MCP_LOG_LEVEL before connecting. You can also paste the ready-made client config above.

Does Orcid MCP Server require authentication?

No - the endpoint accepted our unauthenticated MCP initialize when probed on 2026-09-17; you can connect without credentials.

07 · Alternatives to Orcid MCP Server

Alternatives to Orcid MCP Server

Maintained other servers if Orcid MCP Server isn't the fit.

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