DataCite

You can query rich DataCite metadata through an MCP server that sits between you and the DataCite GraphQL API. This server lets you retrieve works, datasets, software, and their connections, and it supports hosting on Cloudflare Workers or running locally for development and testing.

How to use

Connect an MCP client to the DataCite MCP Server to start querying metadata. Use the remote DataCite MCP URL for a hosted endpoint, or run the server locally to access it at a local address. Once connected, you can perform GraphQL-like queries to discover works, datasets, and their relationships, and you can explore author, funder, and organization connections as needed.

How to install

Prerequisites you need on your system: Node.js and npm. Install Node.js from the official site if you do not have it, which will also install npm.

Install dependencies and start the development server locally to explore or customize the MCP server.

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run the development server
npm run dev

# Your MCP server will be running at http://localhost:8787/mcp

Additional setup and usage notes

Configure your MCP client to connect to either the remote hosted server or your local development server. The remote endpoint URL is available in the usage example, and the local server runs on port 8787 with the /mcp path.

If you use Claude Desktop, add the DAC DataCite MCP server to your MCP configuration as shown in the example. This enables you to query the DataCite GraphQL API directly from your conversations.

You can also connect to the server from the Cloudflare AI Playground by entering the MCP URL in the dedicated field. This provides an immediate way to run GraphQL-like queries against the DataCite metadata graph.

Note on origins: the Streamable HTTP endpoint enforces origin checks. You can authorize additional origins by setting MCP_ALLOWED_ORIGINS to a comma-separated list, including null for sandboxed clients.

Configuration and deployment

Remote access via HTTP is supported through a hosted MCP URL. Run the local server for development using the local commands below.

# Deploy to Cloudflare Workers
npx wrangler deploy

Available tools

datacite_graphql

Query the DataCite GraphQL API to fetch metadata about works, datasets, software, and publications, and to explore connections among researchers, funders, and organizations.