/bgpt-paper-search

name: bgpt-paper-search
description: Searches BGPT scientific papers by topic or DOI and retrieves claim-level evidence extracted from full text, including experiments, reported statistics, scope, limitations, and provenance. Use for literature reviews, evidence synthesis, and finding experimental details beyond abstracts.
license: MIT
compatibility: Requires a configured remote BGPT MCP connection and internet access to bgpt.pro. A stdio bridge additionally needs Node.js/npm. Paid access requires a BGPT API key configured as an Authorization header.
metadata:
  version: "1.3"
  skill-author: BGPT
  website: https://bgpt.pro/mcp/
  last-reviewed: "2026-09-30"

BGPT Paper Search

When to use

Use BGPT to find full-text-derived evidence for a research question or a known DOI. It returns extracted claims and their supporting experiments, rather than only bibliographic metadata. Use these records to build a traceable evidence table; they are not a complete systematic-review search or a validated risk-of-bias assessment.

Connect

Configure BGPT in the host before use; installing this skill does not register an MCP server. The provider supports both transports:

| Transport | Endpoint | | --- | --- | | Streamable HTTP | `https://bgpt.pro/mcp/stream` | | SSE | `https://bgpt.pro/mcp/sse` |

Use the host's native remote-MCP configuration when supported. For a host that uses `mcpServers` JSON and requires a local stdio bridge, this configuration uses `mcp-remote` (adapt it to the host's actual settings format):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bgpt": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://bgpt.pro/mcp/stream", "--transport", "http-only"]
    }
  }
}

The published `bgpt-mcp` 1.1.0 npm package is a thin SSE wrapper around `mcp-remote`, not a local paper database. Its bundled README predates the current tool contract and pricing. Prefer the native connection or configurable bridge above. The linked BGPT GitHub repository was unavailable at review time; use [the current provider documentation](https://bgpt.pro/mcp/) and live tool schema.

Free access needs no key. For paid usage, configure `Authorization: Bearer <key>` in the host's remote-server headers, using its credential storage. For the bridge, [`mcp-remote` supports `--header-file`](https://github.com/punkpeye/mcp-remote#custom-headers) with a local credential file. Do not put `api_key` in an MCP tool call: neither current tool declares that argument. Authenticate through the connection.

Search and DOI lookup

Discover the connected server's tools before calling them. The live BGPT 2.14.7 schema reviewed on 2026-09-30 exposes:

| Tool / argument | Contract | | --- | --- | | `search_papers.query` | Required string. Use short English search terms. | | `num_results` | Integer, 1–100; default 16. Set it explicitly to control result use. | | `days_back` | Optional integer; papers published within the last N days. Omit for all dates. | | `min_citations` | Optional integer; minimum number of **references cited by the paper**, not citations received. | | `study_type` | Optional string: `primary study`, `systematic review`, `meta-analysis`, `narrative review`, `protocol`, `dataset`, `commentary`, or `other`. | | `output_format` | `evidence` (default), `full`, or `legacy`. | | `lookup_paper.doi` | Required DOI string; also accepts `output_format`. A found paper counts as one result. |

Use the filter arguments instead of putting years or filters into the query. No Boolean-query grammar, offset, page, or cursor is documented by this schema. A result limit is not pagination: do not invent continuation arguments or claim the search enumerates every matching paper. For broader coverage, run explicit question variants and deduplicate by DOI while retaining the query history.

Search example verified with one public result (invoke through the connected tool interface):

{"query": "CRISPR human cells", "num_results": 1, "output_format": "full"}

Illustrative filtered search (filters were schema-checked, not executed):

{"query": "CRISPR delivery neurons", "num_results": 5, "days_back": 90, "study_type": "primary study", "output_format": "evidence"}

For a paper already identified, call `lookup_paper` with its bare DOI rather than hoping a title search returns that exact paper:

{"doi": "10.1016/j.ymeth.2015.10.014", "output_format": "evidence"}

Do not interpret a connection, quota, or tool error as an empty evidence set. The provider publishes a result allowance, but no numeric request-rate limit on the reviewed page; avoid assuming unlimited request throughput.

Read the result contract

Search returns an envelope with a `results` list and `count`; record the returned `query` too, since the service may rewrite search terms. DOI lookup returns `found` and a single `result`; handle not-found before reading it. Inspect the MCP result for tool errors before interpreting the envelope.

• `evidence` gives compact evidence records; empty optional fields may be absent.
• `full` adds legacy paper metadata to the evidence record.
• `legacy` requests the older paper metadata representation. Do not assume every

paper has all previously advertised fields or a quality score.

The provider says evidence/full formats omit papers without extracted evidence. However, the live smoke test returned a record with `schema_version: "legacy"`, `extraction_status: "legacy"`, and an empty `evidence_units` list in both formats. A returned record therefore does not guarantee claim-level provenance. An empty search or unfound DOI also does not establish that the paper does not exist. Retain `doi`, `title`, `publication_date`, and `publication_name` when available, then inspect `central_claim` and `evidence.evidence_units`. Each unit links its claim to an experiment, reported statistics, demonstrated scope, and provenance. Keep the schema version: older records can have a different shape. Leg