Scite MCP

Scite MCP is a hosted Model Context Protocol server that lets AI tools search scientific literature and retrieve citation data in conversation. It powers Scite’s first-party ChatGPT plugin and Claude connector, and it works with any other MCP-compatible client. The plugin, connector, and MCP API are not separate data products. They are three ways to reach the same Scite tools. Research Solutions also offers Article Galaxy for Copilot, a connector for Microsoft 365 Copilot that can retrieve available full text and Scite Smart Citation content.

Install a ready-made integration

Scite plugin for ChatGPT

Open the Scite listing in ChatGPT, select Install plugin, and sign in with your Scite account. Use @Scite in a prompt to activate it.

Scite connector for Claude

Open the Scite listing in Claude’s Connectors Directory, select Connect, and sign in with your Scite account when prompted.

Article Galaxy for Copilot

Add the connector from Microsoft Marketplace to find scientific articles and retrieve available full text and Smart Citation content in Microsoft 365 Copilot. A Research Solutions account is required.

The ChatGPT and Claude listings configure Scite MCP and use OAuth, so you do not need to copy an MCP URL or create an API key. The Microsoft 365 Copilot connector uses your Research Solutions account and is read-only. Availability may depend on your AI client plan and workspace settings.

Choose your setup

You want to…	Use	Setup
Use Scite in ChatGPT or Claude	The first-party plugin or connector above	Install, then sign in with Scite
Retrieve literature and Smart Citation content in Microsoft 365 Copilot	Article Galaxy for Copilot	Add the connector, then sign in with Research Solutions
Use Scite in another MCP-compatible AI tool	Scite’s hosted MCP server	Connect the client to `https://api.scite.ai/mcp` and authenticate with OAuth
Build your own script, server, or MCP client	The MCP API	Call `https://api.scite.ai/mcp` with an `mcp`-scoped API key

See scite.ai/mcp for setup instructions for Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Copilot Studio, and other clients.

Authentication

ChatGPT and Claude (OAuth)

Install Scite from the ChatGPT Plugin Directory or Claude Connectors Directory. The listing configures the connection; sign in with your Scite account when prompted. A Scite premium subscription is required.

Microsoft 365 Copilot

Install Article Galaxy for Copilot from Microsoft Marketplace and sign in with your Research Solutions account. The connector is read-only: it can retrieve content and check existing orders, but it does not place orders, complete purchases, or charge users.

Other MCP clients (OAuth)

Other interactive MCP clients use the standard OAuth 2.1 authorization-code flow with PKCE. Most discover Scite’s authorization and registration endpoints automatically after you provide https://api.scite.ai/mcp.

OAuth client requirements and troubleshooting

Every request to /mcp/oauth/authorize must include client_id, code_challenge, and code_challenge_method=S256. A client_id is obtained via Dynamic Client Registration (DCR); clients discover the registration endpoint from /.well-known/oauth-authorization-server.Some platforms, including Microsoft Copilot Studio, default to PKCE and DCR turned off. With those disabled, the authorize request omits required parameters and the server returns invalid_request. Enable PKCE and DCR-with-discovery, or supply a registered client_id.

MCP API (programmatic API key)

Need an API key? On Pro, create one in the API Console. Creating a key doesn’t grant every optional scope; see Authentication for feature access. For higher limits or managed credentials, contact sales. For scripts, servers, or your own MCP client: create an API key on Pro from the API Console, grant it the mcp scope, and send it as a bearer token to /mcp. No token exchange is needed. It shares your account’s MCP quota and billing. Enterprise customers can alternatively use issued client_id/client_secret credentials; see Authentication. If you access Scite through your organization’s SAML SSO, sign in to Scite through SSO before authorizing an interactive MCP client. See Use SSO accounts with MCP.

What’s available

Tool reference

25 tools across literature, evidence datasets, and collections.

Prompts

Four prebuilt research workflows, from literature review to fact-checking.

Endpoints

Method	Path	Description
GET	`/mcp/info`	Server info and capabilities
POST	`/mcp`	JSON-RPC 2.0 endpoint for tool calls
GET	`/mcp/health`	Health check

GET /mcp returns 405. The server doesn’t support server-initiated SSE streams, so all traffic goes over POST.

Methods

Method	Description
`initialize`	Negotiates the protocol version and returns server capabilities
`tools/list`	Lists available tools and their input schemas
`tools/call`	Executes a tool (e.g. `search_literature`)
`prompts/list`	Lists the prebuilt prompts and their arguments
`prompts/get`	Renders one prompt with your arguments substituted
`resources/list`	Returns an empty list — the server exposes no resources
`logging/setLevel`	Sets the log level for the session
`ping`	Heartbeat check
`notifications/*`	Acknowledged and discarded

A POST body may be a single JSON-RPC message or an array of them for batching.

Protocol version

The server supports 2024-11-05, 2025-03-26, 2025-06-18, and 2025-11-25. It echoes back whichever version you request in initialize if it’s supported, and otherwise negotiates down to 2025-06-18.

Sessions

Every response carries an Mcp-Session-Id header. The server generates one if your initialize request doesn’t supply it. Send it back on subsequent requests so tool-call analytics and client capability detection stay tied to your session. Sessions are optional — the endpoint is stateless and works without the header — but passing it through gives better behavior in clients that support elicitation.

Example: search literature

curl -X POST 'https://api.scite.ai/mcp' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_KEY>' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "id": "1",
    "method": "tools/call",
    "params": {
      "name": "search_literature",
      "arguments": {
        "term": "\"machine learning\" AND healthcare",
        "limit": 5,
        "sort": "date",
        "sort_order": "desc"
      }
    }
  }'

search_literature supports Boolean operators, phrase search, and the same 25+ filters as the Search API. See Literature tools for the full parameter reference, or call tools/list for the live input schema.

Errors

Transport-level failures use HTTP status codes; everything inside a successful JSON-RPC exchange uses an error object.

Code	Meaning	What to do
`-32700`	Parse error — the body isn’t valid JSON	Fix the request body
`-32600`	Invalid request — malformed or empty batch	Send a JSON object, or a non-empty array of them
`-32601`	Method not found	Use one of the methods listed above
`-32602`	Invalid params — including a missing required prompt argument	Check the tool’s input schema or the prompt’s arguments
`-32001`	Usage limit reached	Sign in, or wait for the monthly reset
`-32003`	Plan, scope, or entitlement required	See access requirements
`-32042`	Upgrade required, returned as a URL elicitation	Open the URL in the payload to upgrade

Usage limits

MCP tool calls draw on a monthly allowance tied to your plan. Organization licenses can be configured per seat, as a shared pool, or without a cap. A self-serve API key shares its owner’s allowance rather than getting its own. Exceeding the allowance returns -32001. The counter resets at the start of each calendar month.

Troubleshooting

401 Unauthorized: the API key is missing, invalid, or revoked.
403 User not authorized: the key or account doesn’t have the mcp scope.
invalid_request during browser authorization: confirm that the client enables PKCE and Dynamic Client Registration.
A tool is missing from tools/list: your credential lacks the mcp scope. Access to individual tools is enforced on tools/call, not by hiding them from the list.
A tool call returns -32003 right after you upgraded: entitlements can take up to 15 minutes to propagate. Disconnect and reconnect the server to apply them immediately.

See Errors and rate limits for retry guidance.

Get Started

Concepts

Guides

MCP

Reference

Install a ready-made integration

Scite plugin for ChatGPT

Scite connector for Claude

Article Galaxy for Copilot

Choose your setup

Authentication

ChatGPT and Claude (OAuth)

Microsoft 365 Copilot

Other MCP clients (OAuth)

MCP API (programmatic API key)

What’s available

Tool reference

Prompts

Endpoints

Methods

Protocol version

Sessions

Example: search literature

Errors

Usage limits

Troubleshooting

​Install a ready-made integration

Scite plugin for ChatGPT

Scite connector for Claude

Article Galaxy for Copilot

​Choose your setup

​Authentication

​ChatGPT and Claude (OAuth)

​Microsoft 365 Copilot

​Other MCP clients (OAuth)

​MCP API (programmatic API key)

​What’s available

Tool reference

Prompts

​Endpoints

​Methods

​Protocol version

​Sessions

​Example: search literature

​Errors

​Usage limits

​Troubleshooting

Install a ready-made integration

Choose your setup

Authentication

ChatGPT and Claude (OAuth)

Microsoft 365 Copilot

Other MCP clients (OAuth)

MCP API (programmatic API key)

What’s available

Endpoints

Methods

Protocol version

Sessions

Example: search literature

Errors

Usage limits

Troubleshooting