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 --transport http https://crossref.caseyjhand.com/mcp

Claude Desktop / Cursor / VS Code - add to config

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

transport: streamable-http

endpoint alive - responded to MCP initialize · probed 2026-09-30

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 crossref.caseyjhand.com

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

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, editors, affiliations, abstract, journal with volume/issue/pages, ISSNs and ISBNs, publicati
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

v0.4.1 · 2026-09-24

MathML formulas, citation fields, and publication updates · MathML formulas in every title, abstract, and reference field read as the deposited TeX annotation, else a linear form of the presentation tree (x_i, A^{−1}…

v0.4.0 · 2026-09-24

Typed Crossref rejections and search input fixes · Crossref rejections of caller input are typed ValidationErrors: unknown_filter, sort_cursor_conflict, invalid_cursor, invalid_parameter, each with data.rejected and a…

v0.3.13 · 2026-09-19

Resolver-wrapped DOI support and an upstream-URL leak fix · crossref_get_work and crossref_get_references accept a resolver-wrapped DOI ( doi:…), unwrapped before the lookup · CrossrefService no longer puts the…

04 · Who maintains Crossref MCP Server

crossref-mcp-server is maintained by cyanheads. We track 137 MCP servers from cyanheads - 131 actively maintained, 1,856 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 #43 of 292 actively-maintained API integration servers as of 2026-09-30.
release cadence: 10+ releases in the last 90 days (latest 2026-09-24)
registry: io.github.cyanheads/crossref-mcp-server (active, first published 2026-05-23 · 31 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 2026-09-30, its last commit was 2026-09-24 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 require authentication?

No - the endpoint accepted our unauthenticated MCP initialize when probed on 2026-09-30; you can connect without credentials.

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 · National Parks MCP Server · Socrata MCP Server · Dabra MCP · Justicelibre

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