refcheck MCP Server

by umn-choi-labio.github.benchoi93/refcheckv0.1.0

Verify academic citations against real databases. Catches hallucinated references, exports BibTeX.

Pythonstdioofficial registry

context tax

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security

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cold start

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freshness

Stale8mo ago

Install refcheck MCP server

claude mcp add refcheck -e S2_API_KEY='<s2-api-key>' -e ELSEVIER_KEY='<elsevier-key>' -e ELSEVIER_INSTTOKEN='<elsevier-insttoken>' -e IEEE_API_KEY='<ieee-api-key>' -- uvx refcheck-mcp

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "refcheck": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "refcheck-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "S2_API_KEY": "<s2-api-key>",
        "ELSEVIER_KEY": "<elsevier-key>",
        "ELSEVIER_INSTTOKEN": "<elsevier-insttoken>",
        "IEEE_API_KEY": "<ieee-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "refcheck": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "refcheck-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "S2_API_KEY": "<s2-api-key>",
        "ELSEVIER_KEY": "<elsevier-key>",
        "ELSEVIER_INSTTOKEN": "<elsevier-insttoken>",
        "IEEE_API_KEY": "<ieee-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

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

{
  "servers": {
    "refcheck": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "refcheck-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "S2_API_KEY": "<s2-api-key>",
        "ELSEVIER_KEY": "<elsevier-key>",
        "ELSEVIER_INSTTOKEN": "<elsevier-insttoken>",
        "IEEE_API_KEY": "<ieee-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "refcheck": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "refcheck-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "S2_API_KEY": "<s2-api-key>",
        "ELSEVIER_KEY": "<elsevier-key>",
        "ELSEVIER_INSTTOKEN": "<elsevier-insttoken>",
        "IEEE_API_KEY": "<ieee-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

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

Configuration

Variable	Required	Secret	Description
CROSSREF_EMAIL	—	—	Your email for Crossref polite pool (faster rate limits)
S2_API_KEY	—	yes	Semantic Scholar API key (free, from semanticscholar.org/product/api)
ELSEVIER_KEY	—	yes	Elsevier/Scopus API key (from dev.elsevier.com)
ELSEVIER_INSTTOKEN	—	yes	Elsevier institutional token for higher rate limits
IEEE_API_KEY	—	yes	IEEE Xplore API key (from developer.ieee.org)

Freshness

Stale — last maintenance signal 8mo ago. The newest of the signals below sets the band.

Last commit (default branch)
no data · GitHub
Latest release
no data · GitHub
Package published
no data · npm/PyPI
Registry entry updated
2026-02-25 · 8mo ago · official registry · v0.1.0

FAQ

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

Run: claude mcp add refcheck -e S2_API_KEY='<s2-api-key>' -e ELSEVIER_KEY='<elsevier-key>' -e ELSEVIER_INSTTOKEN='<elsevier-insttoken>' -e IEEE_API_KEY='<ieee-api-key>' -- uvx refcheck-mcp. For Cursor, VS Code, Claude Desktop and Windsurf, use the install tabs above.

›Does refcheck require an API key?

Yes. It expects S2_API_KEY, ELSEVIER_KEY, ELSEVIER_INSTTOKEN, IEEE_API_KEY, of which 4 are secrets.

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

No hosted endpoint is published; it runs locally over stdio.

›Is refcheck in the official MCP registry?

Yes, as io.github.benchoi93/refcheck.