Crossref REST API
Public REST API for searching and retrieving scholarly metadata, DOI records, books, chapters, articles, reports, datasets, citations and related identifiers.
Connect this API to an AI agent Browse all specs
What you can do with Crossref REST API via MCP
Every endpoint below becomes a governed tool your AI agent (Claude, ChatGPT, or a customer-facing VX agent) can call — with scoped permissions, sandbox testing, and audit logs.
| Method | Path | Operation | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| GET | /works |
SearchWorks | Search scholarly metadata Method: GET Path: /works IMPORTANT: This function has 0 REQUIRED parameter(s) and 7 OPTIONAL parameter(s) REQUIRED parameters MUST be provided OPTIONAL parameters can be omitted if not needed Parameters: Query Parameters: OPTIONAL: - query: Free-text query across bibliographic metadata. - query.bibliographic: Bibliographic search query. - filter: Comma-separated Crossref filters such as from-pub-date, type or has-full-text. - rows: Number of records to return. - offset: Offset for paging when cursor is not used. - cursor: Cursor returned by a previous response for deep paging. - mailto: Contact email for the polite pool. |
| GET | /works/{doi} |
GetWorkByDoi | Get metadata by DOI Method: GET Path: /works/{doi} IMPORTANT: This function has 1 REQUIRED parameter(s) and 1 OPTIONAL parameter(s) REQUIRED parameters MUST be provided OPTIONAL parameters can be omitted if not needed Parameters: Path Parameters: REQUIRED: - doi: DOI without or with the https://doi.org prefix. Query Parameters: OPTIONAL: - mailto: Contact email for the polite pool. |
| GET | /journals/{issn}/works |
ListJournalWorks | List works in a journal Method: GET Path: /journals/{issn}/works IMPORTANT: This function has 1 REQUIRED parameter(s) and 5 OPTIONAL parameter(s) REQUIRED parameters MUST be provided OPTIONAL parameters can be omitted if not needed Parameters: Path Parameters: REQUIRED: - issn: Journal ISSN. Query Parameters: OPTIONAL: - query: Free-text query within the journal. - filter: Comma-separated Crossref filters. - rows: Number of records to return. - cursor: Cursor returned by a previous response. - mailto: Contact email for the polite pool. |
Usage guide
## Authentication The Crossref REST API is publicly available and does not require an API key or bearer token. Identify your application with the optional `mailto` query parameter to use the polite pool. ```bash curl "https://api.crossref.org/works?query.bibliographic=climate%20change&rows=10&[email protected]" ``` Use the DOI path for a single record: `GET /works/{doi}`. Follow Crossref rate guidance and avoid assuming that every record contains an abstract or full text. The [official REST API documentation](https://www.crossref.org/documentation/retrieve-metadata/rest-api/) is the source of truth.
How to use this spec
- Create a free VX Agents account (sandbox tools included).
- Open the marketplace and connect “Crossref REST API” to an agent.
- Expose it as an MCP server for Claude/ChatGPT, or chat with it directly.