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How to connect OpenAlex to Claude

Connect Claude Web, Desktop and Cowork to OpenAlex MCP. Find recent papers on causal inference, list top authors in linguistics field, and more using natural language, with authentication handled for you.

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OpenAlex is an open catalog of scholarly works, authors, institutions, sources, topics, and research metadata. Use it to discover research and enrich apps with structured academic metadata.

14 Tools

Introduction

Claude is Anthropic's AI assistant, available on the web, in the desktop app, and on mobile. Cowork is its agent for knowledge work, and it runs on all of those surfaces too. Connected to your apps, Claude can work with your files and services to accomplish complex tasks on your behalf.

This guide walks you through the easiest and most secure way to connect your OpenAlex account to Claude via Composio Connect, enabling it to find recent papers on causal inference, list top authors in linguistics field, get citation count for a DOI, and more such actions on your behalf without compromising your account security.

Setup is the same on Claude Web, Desktop, and Cowork, and you only need to do it once. The connector is tied to your account, so it's available in all three.

Also integrate OpenAlex with

ChatGPT WorkHermes

Connecting OpenAlex to Claude Web, Desktop, and Cowork

Two ways to add the Composio connector. Pick whichever you prefer.

1. Add with one click

Click the button. Claude opens with the Composio connector filled in. Click Add, then go to step 2.

Add to Claude

Add manually

In Claude Desktop, click Customize in the left sidebar, then select Connectors and click the + icon at the top.

Claude Desktop connectors screen with Add custom connector selected

Click Add custom connector and paste in the Composio MCP server URL:

bash
https://connect.composio.dev/mcp
Add custom connector dialog with Composio MCP server URL

2. Authorize in your browser

Click Connect. You'll be redirected to a browser window where you can authorize Composio to continue.

Composio authorization screen for Claude Web, Desktop, and Cowork

3. Connect your OpenAlex account

Back in Claude, ask it to connect to OpenAlex or give it any OpenAlex-related task.

For example, ask Claude to:

  • "Find recent papers on causal inference"
  • "List top authors in linguistics field"
  • "Get citation count for a DOI"

It will prompt you to authenticate and authorize access.

That's it. Composio's tools are now available in Claude, and your OpenAlex account is ready to use.

What is the OpenAlex Claude Connector, and what's possible with it?

The OpenAlex MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to your OpenAlex account. It provides structured and secure access so your agent can perform OpenAlex operations on your behalf.

Troubleshooting

1. Why does Claude not use the Composio connector for OpenAlex?

The connector can show as connected, but Claude must use it in each OpenAlex conversation.

  • Click + at the lower left of the chat, or type /.
  • Hover Connectors.
  • Turn on Composio.
  • Ask Claude to connect to OpenAlex again.

2. Why does Claude show an MCP server error before OpenAlex connects?

Claude can show Couldn't reach the MCP server or Authorization with the MCP server failed when you add the connector for OpenAlex.

  • Check that the connector URL is https://connect.composio.dev/mcp.
  • Connectors run from Anthropic's cloud, so your device network is usually not the problem.
  • Add the connector again from Customize > Connectors, then ask Claude to connect OpenAlex.
  • If it fails again, send the error and the ofid_ reference id to support@composio.dev.

3. Why does the OpenAlex authorization link not work?

The Composio connector is one server. Your OpenAlex account connects separately when Claude asks for it.

  • If the browser does not open, or the link expires, ask Claude to retry the OpenAlex connection.
  • Composio creates a fresh OpenAlex authorization link.
  • Open that link in your browser and finish the OpenAlex sign-in.

4. Why do OpenAlex actions fail after they worked before?

The OpenAlex connection can expire or lose permission.

  • Ask Claude to inspect the OpenAlex connection.
  • If the connection is unhealthy, disconnect it when Claude prompts you.
  • Reconnect the OpenAlex account and retry the action.
  • If Claude shows a permission prompt, approve it before Claude changes data in OpenAlex.
  • If the action still fails with a permission error, check that the connected account has that permission in OpenAlex itself.

5. How do I switch to a different OpenAlex account?

Claude can manage the OpenAlex connection for you.

  • Ask Claude to disconnect or delete the current OpenAlex account.
  • Ask Claude to connect OpenAlex again.
  • Open the new Composio authorization link for OpenAlex.
  • Sign in with the other OpenAlex account in the browser.
  • After the account connects, ask Claude to retry the OpenAlex task.

6. Why is my OpenAlex connection missing in Claude Desktop or on a Team plan?

The connector belongs to your Claude account, so your OpenAlex connection works in Claude Web, Desktop, and Cowork.

  • In Claude Desktop, open Customize > Connectors.
  • Next to Composio, click ⋮ and click Clear cache.
  • If OpenAlex tools still do not appear, click ⋮, disconnect, remove the connector, and add it again.
  • On Team or Enterprise, an Owner or Primary Owner must enable the connector before you can connect OpenAlex.
TOOLS

Supported Tools

Every OpenAlex action and event your agent gets out of the box.

Add Collection Entities

Bulk-add one or more matching OpenAlex entity IDs to an owned collection without duplicating existing memberships.

Autocomplete Entities

Resolve a partial name or title to likely OpenAlex entity IDs before filtering or retrieving metadata.

Create Collection

Create a private, single-entity-type OpenAlex collection, optionally with an initial bounded set of entity IDs.

Delete Collection

Permanently delete exactly one owned private OpenAlex collection and all of its collection memberships.

Download Work Content

Download an OpenAlex-cached PDF or gzipped GROBID TEI file for a work.

Get Collection

Get metadata for one private OpenAlex collection owned by the connected user.

Get Metadata Entity

Retrieve one OpenAlex work, author, source, institution, topic, keyword, publisher, funder, award, taxonomy item, country, continent, or language by its supported identifier.

Get Rate Limit Status

Validate the connected OpenAlex API key and inspect daily budget, prepaid balance, reset timing, and current endpoint costs before expensive queries or downloads.

List Collection Entities

List one page of entity IDs in an owned private collection together with collection metadata and page totals.

List My Collections

List private OpenAlex collections owned by the connected API-key user, optionally finding collections that contain an entity.

Query Metadata Entities

Search, filter, sort, sample, select, or group one OpenAlex metadata resource other than works, including authors, venues, organizations, taxonomy, geography, awards, and enumerations.

Query Works

Search, filter, sort, sample, select, or group scholarly works.

Remove Collection Entities

Bulk-remove one or more entity memberships from an owned private OpenAlex collection without deleting the underlying OpenAlex entities.

Update Collection

Update a private collection's name or description, or change its entity type while the collection is empty.

FRAMEWORKS

How to build OpenAlex MCP Agent with another framework

ChatGPT Work logo

ChatGPT Work

Use OpenAlex MCP with ChatGPT Work

Hermes logo

Hermes

Use OpenAlex MCP with Hermes

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

With a standalone OpenAlex MCP server, the agents and LLMs can only access a fixed set of OpenAlex tools tied to that server. However, with the Composio Tool Router, agents can dynamically load tools from OpenAlex and many other apps based on the task at hand, all through a single MCP endpoint.

Yes, you can. Claude Cowork fully supports MCP integration. You get structured tool calling, message history handling, and model orchestration while Tool Router takes care of discovering and serving the right OpenAlex tools.

Yes, absolutely. You can configure which OpenAlex scopes and actions are allowed when connecting your account to Composio. You can also bring your own OAuth credentials or API configuration so you keep full control over what the agent can do.

All sensitive data such as tokens, keys, and configuration is fully encrypted at rest and in transit. Composio is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant and follows strict security practices so your OpenAlex data and credentials are handled as safely as possible.

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