Aria MCP Server

A standalone MCP server that gives any Claude agent real-time access to biomedical literature and clinical trials - no API keys required. Its README documents 3 tools, including search_pubmed, search_clinical_trials, search_isrctn. It runs locally over stdio via the published package.

People connecting science & health tools to Claude, Cursor, VS Code, or another MCP client. The project is written in Python.

VERIFIED ACTIVE

LAST COMMIT 2026-07-13 · ★ 2 · #49 OF 60 MAINTAINED SCIENCE & HEALTH · VERIFIED 2026-08-25

MIT · Python servers · how we verify → /methodology

01 · Install Aria MCP Server

before you install - you'll need

The README does not document required environment variables for a basic install.

Claude Code

claude mcp add pkotecha-eng-aria-mcp-server -- uvx aria-mcp-server

Claude Desktop / Cursor / VS Code - add to config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pkotecha-eng-aria-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "aria-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 MIT - declared in the repository

pypi package aria-mcp-server - check the name against the project README before installing (PyPI has no namespace ownership)

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

03 · What Aria 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 35M+ peer-reviewed papers via NCBI E-utilities, and search 400K+ trials via ClinicalTrials.gov v2 API.

The 3 tools it gives your agent

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

search_pubmed: - Search 35M+ peer-reviewed papers via NCBI E-utilities
search_clinical_trials: - Search 400K+ trials via ClinicalTrials.gov v2 API
search_isrctn: - Search UK/European trials via ISRCTN registry

Latest releases

v0.2.1 · 2026-07-13

consistency pass on eligibility criteria wording (fixes from 0.2.0 doc regeneration)

v0.2.0 · 2026-07-12

[0.2.0] - 2026-07-12 · Breaking · eligibility_criteria field split into inclusion_criteria (600 char cap) and exclusion_criteria (800 char cap) on search_clinical_trials and search_isrctn · Tool inputs now validated…

v0.1.9 · 2026-05-04

Fixed · Relaxed ISRCTN relevance filter from all() to any() on significant words (>3 chars) - improves recall for medical conditions with synonyms (e.g. "beta thalassemia" now matches "thalassemia major")

04 · Who maintains Aria MCP Server

aria-mcp-server is maintained by pkotecha-eng. It's the only MCP server we track from this author; the repo dates to Apr 2026.

05 · Facts

repository: github.com/pkotecha-eng/aria-mcp-server
category: science & health - ranked #49 of 60 actively-maintained science & health servers as of 2026-08-25.
release cadence: 2 releases in the last 90 days (latest 2026-07-13)
registry: io.github.pkotecha-eng/aria-mcp-server (active, first published 2026-04-23 · 10 versions)
packages: pypi:aria-mcp-server

06 · Aria MCP Server FAQ

Is Aria MCP Server still maintained?

Yes - as of 2026-08-25, its last commit was 2026-07-13 and it shipped 2 releases in the last 90 days. We re-verify nightly.

What can Aria MCP Server do?

With this server connected, an agent can search 35M+ peer-reviewed papers via NCBI E-utilities, and search 400K+ trials via ClinicalTrials.gov v2 API.

How do I install Aria MCP Server?

Run `uvx aria-mcp-server`. The README does not document required environment variables for a basic install. You can also paste the ready-made client config above.

Does Aria MCP Server run locally?

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

07 · Alternatives to Aria MCP Server

Alternatives to Aria MCP Server

Maintained science & health servers if Aria MCP Server isn't the fit.

More science & health MCP servers · Zotero Library MCP · Inbody API MCP · Atera MCP · Axcient MCP · Cove Data Protection MCP

More Python MCP servers · Plan Exe · Thread Keeper · PostHog MCP Server · Photographi MCP · reMarkable MCP Server (Read/Write) · see all