Labsco
drAbreu logo

OpenAlex Author Disambiguation

β˜… 48

from drAbreu

Disambiguate authors and resolve institutions using the OpenAlex.org API.

πŸ”₯πŸ”₯πŸ”₯βœ“ VerifiedFreeAdvanced setup
<div align="center"> <img src="img/oam_logo_rectangular.png" alt="OpenAlex MCP Server" width="600"/>

OpenAlex Author Disambiguation MCP Server

MCP Python OpenAlex License Optimized

</div>

A streamlined Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for author disambiguation and academic research using the OpenAlex.org API. Specifically designed for AI agents with optimized data structures and enhanced functionality.


🎯 Key Features

πŸ” Core Capabilities

  • Advanced Author Disambiguation: Handles complex career transitions and name variations
  • Institution Resolution: Current and past affiliations with transition tracking
  • Academic Work Retrieval: Journal articles, letters, and research papers
  • Citation Analysis: H-index, citation counts, and impact metrics
  • ORCID Integration: Highest accuracy matching with ORCID identifiers

πŸš€ AI Agent Optimized

  • Streamlined Data: Focused on essential information for disambiguation
  • Fast Processing: Optimized data structures for rapid analysis
  • Smart Filtering: Enhanced filtering options for targeted queries
  • Clean Output: Structured responses optimized for AI reasoning

πŸ€– Agent Integration

  • Multiple Candidates: Ranked results for automated decision-making
  • Structured Responses: Clean, parseable output optimized for LLMs
  • Error Handling: Graceful degradation with informative messages
  • Enhanced Filtering: Journal-only, citation thresholds, and temporal filters

πŸ›οΈ Professional Grade

  • MCP Best Practices: Built with FastMCP following official guidelines
  • Tool Annotations: Proper MCP tool annotations for optimal client integration
  • Resource Management: Efficient HTTP client management and cleanup
  • Rate Limiting: Respectful API usage with proper delays

πŸ€– Using with AI Agents

OpenAI Agents Integration

You can load this MCP server in your OpenAI agent workflow using the agents.mcp.MCPServerStdio interface:

from agents.mcp import MCPServerStdio

async with MCPServerStdio(
    name="OpenAlex MCP For Author disambiguation and works",
    cache_tools_list=True,
    params={
        "command": "uvx",
        "args": [
            "--from", "git+https://github.com/drAbreu/alex-mcp.git@4.1.0",
            "alex-mcp"
        ],
        "env": {
            "OPENALEX_MAILTO": "your-email@domain.com"
        }
    },
    client_session_timeout_seconds=10
) as alex_mcp:
    await alex_mcp.connect()
    tools = await alex_mcp.list_tools()
    print(f"Available tools: {[tool.name for tool in tools]}")

Academic Research Agent Integration

This MCP server is specifically optimized for academic research workflows:

# Optimized for academic research workflows
from alex_agent import run_author_research

# Enhanced functionality with streamlined data
result = await run_author_research(
    "Find J. Abreu at EMBO with recent publications"
)

# Clean, structured output for AI processing
print(f"Success: {result['workflow_metadata']['success']}")
print(f"Quality: {result['research_result']['metadata']['result_analysis']['quality_score']}/100")

Direct Launch with uvx

# Standard launch
uvx --from git+https://github.com/drAbreu/alex-mcp.git@4.1.0 alex-mcp

# With environment variables
OPENALEX_MAILTO=your-email@domain.com uvx --from git+https://github.com/drAbreu/alex-mcp.git@4.1.0 alex-mcp

πŸ› οΈ Available Tools

1. autocomplete_authors ⭐ NEW

Get multiple author candidates using OpenAlex autocomplete API for intelligent disambiguation.

Parameters:

  • name (required): Author name to search (e.g., "James Briscoe", "M. Ralser")
  • context (optional): Context for disambiguation (e.g., "Francis Crick Institute developmental biology")
  • limit (optional): Maximum candidates (1-10, default: 5)

Key Features:

  • ⚑ Fast: ~200ms response time
  • 🎯 Smart: Multiple candidates with institutional hints
  • 🧠 AI-Ready: Perfect for context-based selection
  • πŸ“Š Rich: Works count, citations, institution info

Streamlined Output:

{
  "query": "James Briscoe",
  "context": "Francis Crick Institute",
  "total_candidates": 3,
  "candidates": [
    {
      "openalex_id": "https://openalex.org/A5019391436",
      "display_name": "James Briscoe",
      "institution_hint": "The Francis Crick Institute, UK",
      "works_count": 415,
      "cited_by_count": 24623,
      "external_id": "https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1020-5240"
    }
  ]
}

Usage Pattern:

# Get multiple candidates for disambiguation
candidates = await autocomplete_authors(
    "James Briscoe", 
    context="Francis Crick Institute developmental biology"
)

# AI selects best match based on institutional context
# Much more accurate than single search result!

2. search_authors

Search for authors with streamlined output for AI agents.

Parameters:

  • name (required): Author name to search
  • institution (optional): Institution name filter
  • topic (optional): Research topic filter
  • country_code (optional): Country code filter (e.g., "US", "DE")
  • limit (optional): Maximum results (1-25, default: 20)

Streamlined Output:

{
  "query": "J. Abreu",
  "total_count": 3,
  "results": [
    {
      "id": "https://openalex.org/A123456789",
      "display_name": "Jorge Abreu-Vicente",
      "orcid": "https://orcid.org/0000-0000-0000-0000",
      "display_name_alternatives": ["J. Abreu-Vicente", "Jorge Abreu Vicente"],
      "affiliations": [
        {
          "institution": {
            "display_name": "European Molecular Biology Organization",
            "country_code": "DE"
          },
          "years": [2023, 2024, 2025]
        }
      ],
      "cited_by_count": 316,
      "works_count": 25,
      "summary_stats": {
        "h_index": 9,
        "i10_index": 5
      },
      "x_concepts": [
        {
          "display_name": "Astrophysics",
          "score": 0.8
        },
        {
          "display_name": "Machine Learning", 
          "score": 0.6
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Features: Clean structure optimized for AI reasoning and disambiguation


2. retrieve_author_works

Retrieve works for a given author with enhanced filtering capabilities.

Parameters:

  • author_id (required): OpenAlex author ID
  • limit (optional): Maximum results (1-50, default: 20)
  • order_by (optional): "date" or "citations" (default: "date")
  • publication_year (optional): Filter by specific year
  • type (optional): Work type filter (e.g., "journal-article")
  • authorships_institutions_id (optional): Filter by institution
  • is_retracted (optional): Filter retracted works
  • open_access_is_oa (optional): Filter by open access status

Enhanced Output:

{
  "author_id": "https://openalex.org/A123456789",
  "total_count": 25,
  "results": [
    {
      "id": "https://openalex.org/W123456789",
      "title": "A platform for the biomedical application of large language models",
      "doi": "10.1038/s41587-024-02534-3",
      "publication_year": 2025,
      "type": "journal-article",
      "cited_by_count": 42,
      "authorships": [
        {
          "author": {
            "display_name": "Jorge Abreu-Vicente"
          },
          "institutions": [
            {
              "display_name": "European Molecular Biology Organization"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "locations": [
        {
          "source": {
            "display_name": "Nature Biotechnology",
            "type": "journal"
          }
        }
      ],
      "open_access": {
        "is_oa": true
      },
      "primary_topic": {
        "display_name": "Biomedical Engineering"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Features: Comprehensive work data with flexible filtering for targeted queries


πŸ“Š Data Optimization

Focused Information Architecture

This MCP server provides focused, structured data specifically designed for AI agent consumption:

Author Data Features

  • Identity Resolution: Names, ORCID, alternatives for disambiguation
  • Affiliation Tracking: Current and historical institutional connections
  • Impact Metrics: Citation counts, h-index, and scholarly impact
  • Research Context: Fields, concepts, and domain expertise
  • Career Analysis: Temporal affiliation changes and transitions

Work Data Features

  • Publication Metadata: Title, DOI, venue, and publication details
  • Impact Assessment: Citation counts and scholarly influence
  • Access Information: Open access status and availability
  • Authorship Details: Complete author lists and institutional affiliations
  • Research Classification: Topics, concepts, and domain categorization

Enhanced Filtering

# Target high-impact journal articles
works = await retrieve_author_works(
    author_id="https://openalex.org/A123456789",
    type="journal-article",      # Focus on journal publications
    open_access_is_oa=True,      # Open access only
    order_by="citations",        # Most cited first
    limit=15
)

# Career transition analysis
authors = await search_authors(
    name="J. Abreu",
    institution="EMBO",          # Current institution
    topic="Machine Learning",    # Research focus
    limit=10
)

πŸ§‘β€πŸ’» Development & Testing

Project Structure

alex-mcp/
β”œβ”€β”€ src/alex_mcp/
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ server.py              # Main MCP server
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ data_objects.py        # Data models and structures
β”‚   └── utils.py               # Utility functions
β”œβ”€β”€ examples/
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ basic_usage.py         # Simple examples
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ advanced_queries.py    # Complex query examples
β”‚   └── integration_demo.py    # AI agent integration
β”œβ”€β”€ tests/
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ test_server.py         # Server functionality tests
β”‚   └── test_integration.py    # Integration tests
└── docs/
    └── api_reference.md       # Detailed API documentation

Running Tests

# Install test dependencies
pip install -e ".[test]"

# Run functionality tests
pytest tests/test_server.py -v

# Test with real queries
python examples/basic_usage.py

# Test AI agent integration
python examples/integration_demo.py

Development Examples

# Test author disambiguation
python examples/basic_usage.py --query "J. Abreu" --institution "EMBO"

# Test work retrieval
python examples/advanced_queries.py --author-id "A123456789" --type "journal-article"

# Test integration patterns
python examples/integration_demo.py --workflow "career-analysis"

πŸ“ˆ Integration Examples

Academic Research Workflows

Perfect integration with AI-powered research analysis:

# Enhanced academic research agent
from alex_agent import AcademicResearchAgent

agent = AcademicResearchAgent(
    mcp_servers=[alex_mcp],  # Streamlined data processing
    model="gpt-4.1-2025-04-14"
)

# Complex research queries with structured data
result = await agent.research_author(
    "Find J. Abreu at EMBO with machine learning publications"
)

# Rich, structured output for AI reasoning
print(f"Quality Score: {result.quality_score}/100")
print(f"Author disambiguation: {result.confidence}")
print(f"Research fields: {result.research_domains}")

Multi-Agent Systems

# Collaborative research analysis
async def research_collaboration_network(seed_author):
    # Find primary author
    authors = await alex_mcp.search_authors(seed_author)
    primary = authors['results'][0]
    
    # Get their works
    works = await alex_mcp.retrieve_author_works(
        primary['id'], 
        type="journal-article"
    )
    
    # Analyze co-authors and build network
    collaborators = set()
    for work in works['results']:
        for authorship in work.get('authorships', []):
            collaborators.add(authorship['author']['display_name'])
    
    return {
        'primary_author': primary,
        'publication_count': len(works['results']),
        'collaborator_network': list(collaborators),
        'research_impact': sum(w['cited_by_count'] for w in works['results'])
    }

🀝 Contributing

We welcome contributions to improve functionality and add new features:

  1. Fork the repository
  2. Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature/enhanced-filtering
  3. Add tests: Ensure your changes maintain data quality and structure
  4. Submit a pull request: Include examples and documentation

Development Priorities

  • Enhanced filtering capabilities
  • Additional data enrichment
  • Performance optimizations
  • Integration examples
  • Documentation improvements

πŸ“„ License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for details.


🌐 Links