PaperSearch (arXiv) MCP server

This MCP (Model Context Protocol) server provides a straightforward way to set up and run AI assistants with access to document search capabilities. It enables Claude and other compatible AI systems to search and retrieve information from your document collection when responding to queries.

Installation

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v16 or later)
• A collection of documents you want to make searchable

Basic Installation

1. Install the MCP server package:

npm install -g @anthropic/mcp-server

2. Set up your document directory structure where your searchable content will be stored.

Configuration

Server Configuration

Create a configuration file (e.g., claude_desktop_config.json) with the following structure:

{
  "mcpServers": {
        "papersearch": {
            "command": "/path/to/uv", 
            "args": [
                "--directory",
                "/path/to/papersearch",
                "run",
                "papersearch"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Replace /path/to/uv with the actual path to your UV executable, and /path/to/papersearch with the directory containing your documents.

Document Preparation

1. Organize your documents in the specified directory
2. Ensure the documents are in a format that the search system can process (typically PDF, TXT, or markdown files)

Running the Server

Start the MCP server by running:

mcp-server --config /path/to/claude_desktop_config.json

The server will start and make your document collection available for searching.

Usage

Connecting Claude to Your MCP Server

When using Claude Desktop or other compatible Claude interfaces, you can configure it to use your MCP server by:

1. Opening Claude settings
2. Navigating to the integrations or MCP section
3. Adding your server using the details from your configuration file

Example Queries

Once connected, you can ask Claude questions that require searching your documents:

• "Find information about [specific topic] in my documents"
• "Summarize what my documents say about [topic]"
• "Are there any mentions of [term] in my document collection?"

Monitoring Server Activity

While the server is running, you can monitor the console output to see:

• Search queries being processed
• Documents being retrieved
• Any errors or issues that occur

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

• Connection Problems: Ensure the server is running before attempting to connect Claude
• Search Not Working: Verify your document path is correct in the configuration
• Permission Errors: Check that the MCP server has read access to your document directory

How to install this MCP server

For Claude Code

To add this MCP server to Claude Code, run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add-json "papersearch" '{"command":"/path/to/uv","args":["--directory","/path/to/papersearch","run","papersearch"]}'

See the official Claude Code MCP documentation for more details.

For Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > Tools & Integrations and click "New MCP Server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "papersearch": {
            "command": "/path/to/uv",
            "args": [
                "--directory",
                "/path/to/papersearch",
                "run",
                "papersearch"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explicitly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.

For Claude Desktop

To add this MCP server to Claude Desktop:

1. Find your configuration file:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
• Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add this to your configuration file:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "papersearch": {
            "command": "/path/to/uv",
            "args": [
                "--directory",
                "/path/to/papersearch",
                "run",
                "papersearch"
            ]
        }
    }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect