Pubmed MCP Server

by cyanheadsio.github.cyanheads/pubmed-mcp-serverv2.10.20

Search PubMed/Europe PMC, fetch articles and full text (PMC/EPMC/Unpaywall), citations, MeSH terms.

156Node.jsstdioremoteofficial registry

context tax

queued

security

queued

cold start

queued

freshness

Active6d ago

Install Pubmed MCP server

claude mcp add pubmed-cyanheads -- npx -y @cyanheads/pubmed-mcp-server

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

Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global) or .cursor/mcp.json (project).

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

Settings → Developer → Edit Config (claude_desktop_config.json), then restart.

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

Add to .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace.

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

Add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json.

Configuration

Variable	Required	Secret	Description
MCP_LOG_LEVEL	—	—	Sets the minimum log level for output (e.g., 'debug', 'info', 'warn').
NCBI_API_KEY	—	—	NCBI API key for higher rate limits (10 req/s vs 3 req/s).
NCBI_ADMIN_EMAIL	—	—	Contact email sent with NCBI requests (recommended by NCBI).
UNPAYWALL_EMAIL	—	—	Contact email for Unpaywall. When set, pubmed_fetch_fulltext falls back to Unpaywall open-access copies for DOIs not in PMC.
MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE	—	—	Selects the HTTP transport.
MCP_HTTP_HOST	—	—	The hostname for the HTTP server.
MCP_HTTP_PORT	—	—	The port to run the HTTP server on.
MCP_HTTP_ENDPOINT_PATH	—	—	The endpoint path for the MCP server.
MCP_PUBLIC_URL	—	—	Public origin override for deployments behind a TLS-terminating reverse proxy (e.g. https://mcp.example.com).
MCP_AUTH_MODE	—	—	Authentication mode to use: 'none', 'jwt', or 'oauth'.

Remote endpoints

streamable-httphttps://pubmed.caseyjhand.com/mcp

Freshness

Active — last maintenance signal 6d ago. The newest of the signals below sets the band.

Last commit (default branch)
2026-10-04 · 6d ago · GitHub
Latest release
2026-10-04 · 6d ago · GitHub · v2.10.20
Package published
no data · npm/PyPI
Registry entry updated
2026-10-04 · 6d ago · official registry · v2.10.20

FAQ

›How do I install the Pubmed MCP server in Claude Code?

Run: claude mcp add pubmed-cyanheads -- npx -y @cyanheads/pubmed-mcp-server. For Cursor, VS Code, Claude Desktop and Windsurf, use the install tabs above.

›Does Pubmed require an API key?

No required environment variables are declared in its published metadata.

›Can I use Pubmed as a remote (hosted) MCP server?

Yes — it offers both a hosted endpoint and a local stdio package.

›Is Pubmed in the official MCP registry?

Yes, as io.github.cyanheads/pubmed-mcp-server.