PubMed / MEDLINE Literature Search

Search biomedical literature, get article details, find related articles, and explore MeSH terms

CommunityDegradedNo sign-inGlobalFreeRead-only

What it can do

    What data it sees

    Do you need an account

    No: the server works without sign-in

    Search biomedical literature, get article details, find related articles, and explore MeSH terms

    How to connect

    How to connect PubMed / MEDLINE Literature Search to Claude

    The server address to paste into Claude settings:

    https://mcp.olyport.com/pubmed/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 PubMed / MEDLINE Literature Search to ChatGPT

    The server address to paste into ChatGPT settings:

    https://mcp.olyport.com/pubmed/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 PubMed / MEDLINE Literature Search to Cursor

    The server address to paste into Cursor settings:

    https://mcp.olyport.com/pubmed/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 (5)

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

    search_pubmedSearch PubMed for biomedical literature. Find research articles, reviews, and clinical studies matching your search terms. Supports PubMed query syntax including MeSH terms, field tags, and boolean operators. Args: query: Search terms (e.g. 'diabetes prevention exercise', 'breast cancer[MeSH] AND immunotherapy', 'COVID-19 vaccine efficacy'). limit: Maximum results (default 20, max 100). sort: Sort order - 'relevance', 'date', or 'author' (default 'relevance').
    get_article_detailGet full details of a PubMed article by its PMID. Returns title, all authors, complete abstract, MeSH terms, publication types, journal info, and DOI. Args: pmid: PubMed ID (e.g. '39142850').
    find_related_articlesFind articles related to a given PubMed article. Uses NCBI's computed similarity to find conceptually related papers. Useful for literature review expansion. Args: pmid: PubMed ID of the source article. limit: Maximum related articles to return (default 10, max 50).
    search_meshSearch the MeSH vocabulary for standardized medical terms. Find MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) descriptors to use in precise PubMed searches. Returns MeSH IDs, preferred terms, and scope notes. Args: term: Search term (e.g. 'diabetes', 'heart failure', 'opioid'). limit: Maximum results (default 10).
    get_cited_byFind articles that cite a given PubMed article. Useful for tracking the impact and follow-up research of a key publication. Args: pmid: PubMed ID of the article to find citations for. limit: Maximum citing articles to return (default 20, max 100).