NCBI PubMed MCP by usefulapi

NCBI PubMed MCP by usefulapi

Use your NCBI PubMed account from Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client. Search PubMed, read article summaries and abstracts, find similar articles, and read the database's search fields, all read-only. Hosted, no local install: connect with your own credentials.

Live endpoint: https://pubmed-ncbi-e-utilities.usefulapi.io/mcp · Homepage: https://usefulapi.io

Connect

• Claude (claude.ai, Desktop): open Customize → Connectors, click + Add → Add custom connector, and paste https://pubmed-ncbi-e-utilities.usefulapi.io/mcp.
• Claude Code: claude mcp add --transport http pubmed-ncbi-e-utilities https://pubmed-ncbi-e-utilities.usefulapi.io/mcp, then run /mcp to log in.
• VS Code: Add to VS Code.
• Cursor and other clients: add the URL as a remote MCP server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pubmed-ncbi-e-utilities": {
      "url": "https://pubmed-ncbi-e-utilities.usefulapi.io/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Add only the URL. Do not add an Authorization header or an API key to the client config: the server signs you in with OAuth, and the login page asks for your NCBI PubMed credentials.

Step-by-step setup, where to find your credentials, and FAQ: https://usefulapi.io/pubmed-ncbi-e-utilities/

On first connect you provide your NCBI API key, created in your NCBI account under Settings → API Key Management. The server validates it and stores it per user. No keys go in config files.

Tools

Tool	Type	What it does
pubmed_search	read	Search PubMed
pubmed_summary	read	Get article summaries
pubmed_fetch_abstracts	read	Get abstracts
pubmed_related	read	Find related articles
pubmed_database_info	read	PubMed database info
pubmed_usage_status	meta	Usage status (free-tier meter)
pubmed_request_feature	meta	Request a missing feature
pubmed_upgrade	meta	Upgrade to Pro (unlimited*)
pubmed_cancel_subscription	meta	Cancel the Pro subscription

read tools are read-only; write tools mutate data (clients should confirm them); meta tools report usage, manage your subscription or send a feature request.

Pricing

Plan	Price	Limit
Free	$0	50 tool calls / month
Pro (per user)	$9/mo or $90/yr (2 months free)	Unlimited*

*Pro has a fair use limit of 10,000 tool calls a month on this server. For more, write to [email protected].

Pro covers this server only. Subscribe with pubmed_upgrade (it returns a Stripe Checkout link). Cancel any time with pubmed_cancel_subscription: Pro continues to the end of the paid period, with no refund for the current period, and running pubmed_upgrade before then undoes the cancel. Or write to [email protected].

License

MIT — see LICENSE. Documentation only; the server is hosted.