ookcite-mcp 0.3.0

MCP server for OokCite citation validation and formatting
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OokCite MCP Server

MIT License Crates.io npm

Give any LLM the ability to validate DOIs, format citations, manage bibliography collections, and catch hallucinated references. Returns citation metadata only -- not PDFs or full-text articles. Works with any MCP client: Claude, Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, OpenCode, Qwen agents, and more.

Quick Start

One command to install and configure:

npx @turtletech/ookcite-mcp setup

This auto-detects your MCP clients (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, Codex) and writes the config for you. Add an API key for higher rate limits:

npx @turtletech/ookcite-mcp setup --key YOUR_API_KEY

No API key required for basic usage (10 lookups/day). Sign up for more.

Install (Alternative Methods)

npm (recommended):

npm install -g @turtletech/ookcite-mcp

cargo-binstall (fastest, no Node.js):

cargo binstall ookcite-mcp

cargo install (from source):

cargo install ookcite-mcp

Pre-built binaries: Download from GitHub Releases for Linux (x86_64, aarch64), macOS (x86_64, aarch64), and Windows.

Configure

If you used setup, you're done. Otherwise, add to your MCP client config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ookcite": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@turtletech/ookcite-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

With an API key:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ookcite": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@turtletech/ookcite-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "OOKCITE_API_KEY": "your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

If you installed globally (npm install -g or cargo install), you can use "command": "ookcite-mcp" directly instead of npx.

Common config file locations:

Client Config file
Claude Desktop (Linux) ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Claude Desktop (macOS) ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Claude Code .mcp.json (project) or ~/.claude/settings.json (global)
Cursor Settings > MCP Servers
Codex ~/.codex/config.json

Tools

Lookup & Validation

Tool Purpose
validate_doi Check if a DOI exists (anti-hallucination)
lookup_isbn Look up a book by ISBN
reverse_lookup Find a paper from messy citation text
health_check Check API availability and health

Formatting

Tool Purpose
format_citation Format a DOI in any of 2900+ CSL styles
verify_references Batch-check a list of DOIs
batch_format Format multiple citations at once
search_styles Find CSL style IDs by name
group_cite Generate grouped in-text markers (e.g. [1-3])

Collections (requires sign-in)

Collections are a signed-in feature. Set OOKCITE_API_KEY to use these tools.

Tool Purpose
list_collections List saved citation collections
add_to_collection Add a citation (by DOI or free-text)
batch_add_to_collection Add multiple citations at once
import_bibliography Import BibTeX/RIS files into a collection
export_collection Export collection as BibTeX
search_collection Search within a collection
check_duplicates Check for duplicate entries
delete_collection Delete a collection
update_collection Update name, description, or style
remove_from_collection Remove a specific entry
update_tags Set tags on a collection
reorder_collection Reorder entries

Sharing & Bulk Operations (requires sign-in)

Tool Purpose
share_collection Create a shareable link
unshare_collection Revoke sharing
view_shared View a shared collection by token
merge_collections Merge multiple collections
batch_move_entries Move entries between collections

Anti-Hallucination

Add this to your system prompt:

Before citing any paper, use validate_doi to confirm the reference exists. If validation fails, do not include the citation.

How It Works

The MCP server connects to the public OokCite API to look up and format citations. It's a thin MCP wrapper around the OokCite REST API with no local database, and no heavy dependencies.

Rate limits apply: 10 lookups/day anonymous, 30/day with a free account. Sign up for more, or upgrade (starting at $4/month) for more.

Documentation

License

MIT. see LICENSE.