clinicaltrialsgov-mcp-server

Search ClinicalTrials.gov — find studies, retrieve results, match patients to eligible trials.

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What it can do

    What data it sees

    Do you need an account

    No: the server works without sign-in

    Search ClinicalTrials.gov — find studies, retrieve results, match patients to eligible trials.

    How to connect

    How to connect clinicaltrialsgov-mcp-server to Claude

    The server address to paste into Claude settings:

    https://clinicaltrials.caseyjhand.com/mcp

    1. Open Claude (claude.ai or the desktop app).
    2. Go to Settings → Connectors.
    3. Click Add custom connector.
    4. Paste the server address copied below into Remote MCP server URL and click Add.
    5. In a chat, click + → Connectors and switch the new connector on.

    Custom connectors are available on Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans (Free is limited to one). On Team and Enterprise an organization Owner adds the connector first under Organization settings → Connectors.

    Authorization

    After you click Add, a sign-in window for the service opens. Sign in with your own account and approve access. Claude never sees your password.

    How to connect clinicaltrialsgov-mcp-server to ChatGPT

    The server address to paste into ChatGPT settings:

    https://clinicaltrials.caseyjhand.com/mcp

    1. Open ChatGPT in a browser (chatgpt.com). A Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise or Edu plan is required.
    2. Turn on developer mode once: Settings → Apps → Advanced settings → Developer mode.
    3. Open Settings → Connectors and click Create.
    4. Fill in the form: Name (anything), Description (one line about what the service does), MCP server URL (copy it below).
    5. Under Authentication choose OAuth if the service requires sign-in, otherwise None. Click Create.
    6. In a new chat open + → Apps/Connectors and enable the connector.

    OpenAI has renamed this section before (Connectors → Apps/Plugins). If the label differs, search settings for "developer mode". On Business/Enterprise workspaces an admin must allow custom connectors first.

    Authorization

    On first use ChatGPT opens the service's sign-in window. Sign in and approve access.

    How to connect clinicaltrialsgov-mcp-server to Cursor

    The server address to paste into Cursor settings:

    https://clinicaltrials.caseyjhand.com/mcp

    Fastest: click Open in Cursor below and confirm the prompt.

    Manually:

    1. In Cursor open Settings → Cursor Settings → MCP and click Add new global MCP server.
    2. Paste the JSON copied below into ~/.cursor/mcp.json (per project: .cursor/mcp.json in the repo root).
    3. Save the file. The server appears in the MCP list; authorize it there if asked.

    Authorization

    If the service needs sign-in, an authorize button appears next to the server in the MCP list.

    Server tool list (7)

    Raw names from tools/list. Only developers need these.

    clinicaltrials_search_studiesSearch for clinical trial studies from ClinicalTrials.gov. Supports full-text and field-specific queries, status/phase/geographic filters, pagination, sorting, and field selection. Returns a compact per-study index by default; pass the fields parameter to get specific leaves at full fidelity — full study records are ~70KB each.
    clinicaltrials_get_study_recordFetch a single clinical trial study by NCT ID from ClinicalTrials.gov. Returns the full study record including protocol details, eligibility criteria, outcomes, arms, interventions, contacts, and locations. Optional locationLimit / outcomeLimit / referenceLimit / nearLocation parameters trim locations, outcomes, and references — original totals are preserved in `filtersApplied` only when a cap actually trims the set.
    clinicaltrials_get_study_countGet total clinical trial study count from ClinicalTrials.gov matching a query, without fetching study data. Fast and lightweight. Use for quick statistics or to build breakdowns by calling multiple times with different filters (e.g., count by phase, count by status, count recruiting vs completed for a condition).
    clinicaltrials_get_field_valuesDiscover valid values for ClinicalTrials.gov fields with study counts per value. Use to explore available filter options before building a search — e.g., valid OverallStatus, Phase, InterventionType, StudyType, or LeadSponsorClass values.
    clinicaltrials_get_field_definitionsResolve valid field names from the ClinicalTrials.gov data model — the canonical PascalCase identifiers (OverallStatus, EnrollmentCount, LeadSponsorName) accepted by the `fields`, `advancedFilter`, and `sort` parameters of other tools, and as input to clinicaltrials_get_field_values. Select a mode: `"search"` — keyword search returning ranked matches (pass `query`, e.g. "enrollment", "sponsor", "adverse events"); `"drill"` — drill into a specific section by dot-notation path (pass `path`, e.g. "protocolSection.designModule"); `"overview"` — top-level summary of all sections (no additional args).
    clinicaltrials_get_study_resultsFetch clinical trial results data from ClinicalTrials.gov for completed studies — outcome measures with statistics, adverse events, participant flow, baseline characteristics, and results metadata (limitations & caveats, certain-agreement disclosure restrictions, results point of contact). Only available for studies where hasResults is true. Use clinicaltrials_search_studies first to find studies with results. A results-rich record can exceed 500KB per study in full mode — bound it with summary=true, narrower sections, or the outcomeLimit / adverseEventLimit caps. A bounded list is resumable: outcomeOffset / seriousEventOffset / otherEventOffset start the next window, and each study's filtersApplied reports what was trimmed and the next offset for every list left short. A previous (alias) NCT ID resolves to its canonical study, named in canonicalNctId.
    clinicaltrials_find_eligibleMatch patient demographics and conditions to eligible recruiting clinical trials. Provide age, sex, conditions, and location to find studies with matching eligibility criteria, contact information, and recruiting locations. Results are re-ranked so studies whose own condition matches a requested condition surface above tangential matches from ClinicalTrials.gov's fuzzy condition search. Each candidate returns only the sites matching the requested location (capped by locationLimit), not the study's full registered site list — a large trial can register hundreds of sites worldwide. When none of a candidate's matched sites is recruiting, its nearest recruiting site is added, so an enrollable site is never hidden behind a closer closed one. Fetch a study's complete record with clinicaltrials_get_study_record.