Consensus MCP Server
Remote Consensus MCP server: Claude Code, Codex and Cursor search 220M peer-reviewed papers and answer with links to the studies
- 31 ★ on the repository
- Last commit
- MIT
Extended access
Why this level
- The text of your questions goes to the Consensus server and is tied to your account
- A remote server whose address and code Consensus controls, not you
Install
- Works in
In your terminal, with SkillFoxx CLI
npx skillfoxx add mcp/consensus-mcp-serverDetects the agents on your machine, shows the access level and pins the version.
Other ways to install
Access and checks
How we reviewExtended accessThe tool runs code or makes network calls and only reads external data.
- The text of your questions goes to the Consensus server and is tied to your account
- A remote server whose address and code Consensus controls, not you
This is third-party code. Review the repository files before installing.
What it does
Consensus MCP connects an AI assistant to the Consensus academic search engine. The server runs at Consensus at `https://mcp.consensus.app/mcp`, so there is nothing to install from source. The `search` tool looks through 220M peer-reviewed papers and returns the title, authors, journal, year, DOI, citation count, study type, a key takeaway and a link to the paper. Filters narrow the results: publication year and month, study design (randomized trial, meta-analysis, systematic review), human studies, controlled studies, minimum sample size, journal quartile by SJR, minimum citations, open access, clinical guidelines, academic field and country. Search is built on Scholar Agent: the Consensus agent plans queries, applies quality filters and weighs the evidence. Some answers draw on licensed full texts from publishers.
Who it is for. Researchers, students and analysts who put questions to scientific literature from Claude Code, Codex or Cursor and want answers that link to specific papers.
Good fit when
- A question about an effect, such as what research says about creatine and cognitive function, with cited papers in the answer
- Meta-analyses on a topic published after 2020: design and year filters narrow the results
- Randomized trials with more than 500 participants to test a claim
- Arguments for and against a thesis, such as remote work productivity, backed by different studies
Not a fit when
- You are building your own service on top of search: Consensus has a separate REST API in the consensus-api repository
- The search covers private company documents: the server searches the Consensus database only
- You need a clinical conclusion for a specific patient: the server returns studies and the decision stays with a specialist
Example request
Find meta-analyses on intermittent fasting published since 2020 and list the conclusions briefly with linksMCP
- Transport
- http
- Authentication
- OAuth
Limitations
- The server is hosted at Consensus: it is unavailable offline and your queries go to the service.
- The number of papers in results and the monthly search limit depend on the plan. Claude and ChatGPT work without an account, but at reduced limits.
- Most clients sign in through OAuth with a Consensus account. Enterprise customers pass an API key in the `Authorization: Bearer` header.
- In Cursor the server connects through `mcp-remote`, so Node.js is required.
How to disable. The `claude mcp remove consensus` command removes the server from Claude Code. In Codex and other clients delete the `consensus` entry from the MCP configuration file.
FAQ
How do I connect Consensus to Claude Code?
Run `claude mcp add --transport http consensus https://mcp.consensus.app/mcp`. No key is needed: on first use the server asks you to sign in to Consensus through OAuth.
Do I need a Consensus account?
Not for Claude and ChatGPT, though limits are lower then. Other clients sign in through OAuth. Paper counts and monthly searches depend on the plan; prices are at consensus.app/pricing.
What does the `search` tool return?
The title, authors, journal, year, DOI, citation count, study type, a key takeaway and a link to the paper on Consensus. Filters on design, sample size, journal quartile and other traits go into the request.
How does the MCP server differ from the Consensus REST API?
MCP connects chat clients such as Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor, while the REST API at `api.consensus.app/v1/search` is for your own applications. The search is the same in both cases.
How do I connect the server to Cursor or Windsurf?
In Cursor add the `npx -y mcp-remote@latest https://mcp.consensus.app/mcp` launch to `~/.cursor/mcp.json`. In Windsurf the `serverUrl` field with the same address is enough.
Discussion
No questions or reviews yet.
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Comparison with similar tools
Cards that share the main search query, and how they differ.
| Tool | Official | Authentication | Repository stars | Main difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consensus MCP Server (this card) | yes | OAuth | 31 | |
| Scholar Search MCP | no | not required | 245 | finds a paper with its sources and citations for a literature review, without study-design and journal-quartile filters |
| Google Scholar Skills | no | 545 | Google Scholar search skills with a Zotero export rather than a server over a peer-reviewed base with quality filters |
README in short
The page explains why Consensus suits research questions and gives connection recipes for Claude, ChatGPT, Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code and Windsurf. It then covers the `search` tool and its filters, example questions, sign-in options and a section for enterprise customers.