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MCP Simple PubMed

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MCP server for searching and querying PubMed medical papers/research database

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Overview

MCP Simple PubMed is an MCP server that provides access to PubMed articles through the Entrez API, allowing users to search and query medical papers and research data.

To use MCP Simple PubMed, install it via Smithery or manually using pip, configure the required environment variables, and integrate it with your AI assistant for querying PubMed articles.

  • Search PubMed database using keywords - Access article abstracts - Download full text when available (for open access articles) - XML-ized version of full text for AI processing
  1. Researchers looking for specific medical papers
  2. Students needing access to medical literature
  3. AI applications that require PubMed data for analysis

Add to your AI client

Use these steps to connect MCP Simple PubMed in Cursor, Claude, VS Code, and other MCP-compatible apps. The same JSON appears in the Use with menu above for one-click copy.

Cursor

Add this to your .cursor/mcp.json file in your project root, then restart Cursor.

.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-simple-pubmed-andybrandt": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-mcp-simple-pubmed-andybrandt"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop

Add this server entry to the mcpServers object in your Claude Desktop config, then restart the app.

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-simple-pubmed-andybrandt": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-mcp-simple-pubmed-andybrandt"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Claude Code

Add this to your project's .mcp.json file. Claude Code will detect it automatically.

.mcp.json (project root)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-simple-pubmed-andybrandt": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-mcp-simple-pubmed-andybrandt"
      ]
    }
  }
}

VS Code (Copilot)

Add this to your .vscode/mcp.json file. Requires the GitHub Copilot extension with MCP support enabled.

.vscode/mcp.json

{
  "servers": {
    "mcp-simple-pubmed-andybrandt": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-mcp-simple-pubmed-andybrandt"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

Add this to your Windsurf MCP config file, then restart Windsurf.

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-simple-pubmed-andybrandt": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-mcp-simple-pubmed-andybrandt"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Cline

Open Cline settings, navigate to MCP Servers, and add this server configuration.

Cline MCP Settings (via UI)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-simple-pubmed-andybrandt": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-mcp-simple-pubmed-andybrandt"
      ]
    }
  }
}

FAQ

Can I access all PubMed articles using this tool?

No, access to paywalled articles is not available, but open access articles can be downloaded.

How do I install MCP Simple PubMed?

You can install it via Smithery or manually using pip.

What are the rate limits for using the API?

The standard rate limit is 3 requests per second, but you can register for an API key for higher limits.

Research and data