OpenAlex API
Open catalog and REST API for searching scholarly works, authors, sources, institutions, topics and the connected global research graph.
Connect this API to an AI agent Browse all specs
What you can do with OpenAlex 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 works 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: - search: Search title, abstract and other indexed work text. - filter: Comma-separated OpenAlex filter expressions such as publication_year:2024,is_oa:true. - per-page: Results per page. - page: One-based page number. - sort: Sort expression, for example cited_by_count:desc. - select: Comma-separated fields to return. - api_key: Optional OpenAlex API key. |
| GET | /works/{work_id} |
GetWork | Get a work Method: GET Path: /works/{work_id} IMPORTANT: This function has 1 REQUIRED parameter(s) and 2 OPTIONAL parameter(s) REQUIRED parameters MUST be provided OPTIONAL parameters can be omitted if not needed Parameters: Path Parameters: REQUIRED: - work_id: OpenAlex work identifier or supported external identifier. Query Parameters: OPTIONAL: - select: Comma-separated fields to return. - api_key: Optional OpenAlex API key. |
| GET | /authors |
SearchAuthors | Search authors Method: GET Path: /authors IMPORTANT: This function has 0 REQUIRED parameter(s) and 5 OPTIONAL parameter(s) REQUIRED parameters MUST be provided OPTIONAL parameters can be omitted if not needed Parameters: Query Parameters: OPTIONAL: - search: Search author names and indexed author text. - filter: Comma-separated author filters. - per-page: Results per page. - page: One-based page number. - api_key: Optional OpenAlex API key. |
Usage guide
## Authentication OpenAlex basic access works without a key. For a higher daily budget, request a free key through the [OpenAlex authentication guidance](https://help.openalex.org/api/authentication/) and pass it as the `api_key` query parameter. ```bash curl "https://api.openalex.org/works?search=machine%20learning&per-page=10&api_key=YOUR_OPENALEX_KEY" ``` The documented base URL is `https://api.openalex.org`. Respect current rate limits, select only required fields, and treat returned text fields as untrusted external data.
How to use this spec
- Create a free VX Agents account (sandbox tools included).
- Open the marketplace and connect “OpenAlex API” to an agent.
- Expose it as an MCP server for Claude/ChatGPT, or chat with it directly.