Rivul

Free, read-only remote MCP server for semantic search over 300M+ scholarly paper records, with full paper details by OpenAlex ID. OAuth sign-in.

View on rivul.ai

Hosted MCP Server

npx add-mcp 'https://rivul.ai/mcp'

Installs into Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and more

Documentation

Connect Rivul MCP to the Client You Already Use

Each card opens the client's official MCP documentation. The setup guide under MCP setup in Rivul MCP gives the matching steps.

These links document each client's MCP support. They do not imply a partnership, endorsement, or certification of every client-specific flow.

Choose the Interface That Fits the Work

REST is for software. MCP is for AI clients. Both use the same validated search capability and return the same normalized scholarly metadata.

For applications and automations

Rivul MCP REST API

Add research-paper search and paper metadata to a backend service without running a search index or translating provider records yourself.

**POST** /api/atlas/v1/search Search scholarly metadata

**GET** /api/atlas/v1/usage Read API usage

**GET** /api/atlas/openapi.json OpenAPI 3.1 contract

Dedicated Rivul MCP API key

For compatible AI clients

Rivul MCP server

Give an AI agent a small, discoverable set of read-only research tools instead of pasting paper results into each conversation.

search_papers Search scholarly works and return structured metadata.

get_paper_details Return the full record for one work by its OpenAlex ID.

usage_status Read today's usage against fair-use daily limits.

What is MCP for AI research?

Browser sign-in or a dedicated MCP key

Metadata, not hosted full text. Rivul MCP returns scholarly metadata and source locations. The original publication remains the authority for the paper and its findings.

Connect With Browser Sign-In or a Key

Personal clients can use browser authorization. Scripts and managed environments can use a dedicated, revocable service key.

Personal connection

Browser sign-in

Add the Rivul MCP URL. The client opens Rivul so you can sign in, choose a workspace, review access, and approve the connection.

  • No key to paste into the client
  • Workspace-scoped access
  • Visible and revocable in Rivul MCP

Managed connection

API and MCP keys

Create a named key for an application, script, or managed environment. API and MCP keys are separate and cannot be used interchangeably.

  • Complete key shown once
  • Separate usage boundaries
  • Immediate revocation
  1. 01 Open Rivul MCP Use a confirmed Rivul AI account.
  2. 02 Choose REST or MCP Create the matching key, or use browser sign-in for MCP.
  3. 03 Test a search Inspect the structured result and usage in the Rivul MCP console.

What Is Available Now, and What Comes Next

Rivul MCP begins with read-only scholarly search. New capabilities join the API and MCP only after the shared implementation is stable and measurable.

Available now

  • Paper search with bounded filters and sorting
  • Titles, authors, year, DOI, venue, and source links
  • Full record by OpenAlex ID over MCP (get_paper_details)
  • Separate API and MCP usage, measured per UTC day
  • Workspace-scoped keys, activity, and revocation

Coming soon