Scholar RAG MCP Server: Install & Setup

Install Scholar RAG in Claude Code

Claude Code

claude mcp add scholar-rag -e SCHOLAR_RAG_CHAT_BASE_URL=... -e SCHOLAR_RAG_EMBED_BASE_URL=... -e SCHOLAR_RAG_RERANK_BASE_URL=... -- uvx scholar-rag-mcp

mcp.json (Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "scholar-rag": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "scholar-rag-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SCHOLAR_RAG_CHAT_BASE_URL": "...",
        "SCHOLAR_RAG_EMBED_BASE_URL": "...",
        "SCHOLAR_RAG_RERANK_BASE_URL": "..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace each ... with your own value.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Scholar RAG MCP server do?

Academic paper knowledge base over local PDFs: MinerU parsing, metadata normalization, Qdrant vector search with reranking and paginated full-text reading.

Is the Scholar RAG MCP server free?

Yes, most likely. Open source and no paid account or API key is mentioned in the listing. Check the provider for current pricing.

Does Scholar RAG run locally or remotely?

Local. Runs on your machine (stdio). You install it with npx, uvx, Docker or from source.

How do I add Scholar RAG to Claude Code?

Run: claude mcp add scholar-rag -e SCHOLAR_RAG_CHAT_BASE_URL=... -e SCHOLAR_RAG_EMBED_BASE_URL=... -e SCHOLAR_RAG_RERANK_BASE_URL=... -- uvx scholar-rag-mcp

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