MCPInstall

gs-search

Search Google Scholar for academic papers by keywords. Returns results with title, authors, journal, year, citation count, and full-text links. Use when the user wants to search Google Scholar.

Installs
443
Last 24h
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Security
Not audited

Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://github.com/cookjohn/gs-skills --skill gs-search
  1. 01

    Install

    Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.

  2. 02

    Describe the task

    Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads gs-search automatically when relevant.

  3. 03

    Review the result

    The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.

SKILL.md

The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.

Google Scholar Basic Search

Search Google Scholar for papers using keyword(s). Returns structured result list via DOM scraping.

Arguments

$ARGUMENTS contains the search keyword(s).

Steps

1. Navigate

Use mcp__chrome-devtools__navigate_page:

  • url: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q={URL_ENCODED_KEYWORDS}&hl=en&num=10

2. Extract results (evaluate_script)

Wait for results to load, check for CAPTCHA, then scrape the DOM:

async () => {
  // Wait for results or CAPTCHA
  for (let i = 0; i < 20; i++) {
    if (document.querySelector('#gs_res_ccl') || document.querySelector('#gs_captcha_ccl')) break;
    await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 500));
  }

  // CAPTCHA check
  if (document.querySelector('#gs_captcha_ccl') || document.body.innerText.includes('unusual traffic')) {
    return { error: 'captcha', message: 'Google Scholar requires CAPTCHA verification. Please complete it in your browser, then tell me to continue.' };
  }

  const items = document.querySelectorAll('#gs_res_ccl .gs_r.gs_or.gs_scl');
  const results = Array.from(items).map((item, i) => {
    const titleEl = item.querySelector('.gs_rt a');
    const meta = item.querySelector('.gs_a')?.textContent || '';
    // Parse "Author1, Author2 - Journal, Year - publisher"
    const parts = meta.split(' - ');
    const authors = parts[0]?.trim() || '';
    const journalYear = parts[1]?.trim() || '';
    const citedByEl = item.querySelector('.gs_fl a[href*="cites"]');
    const relatedEl = item.querySelector('.gs_fl a[href*="related"]');
    const versionsEl = item.querySelector('.gs_fl a[href*="cluster"]');

    return {
      n: i + 1,
      title: titleEl?.textContent?.trim() || item.querySelector('.gs_rt')?.textContent?.trim() || '',
      href: titleEl?.href || '',
      authors,
      journalYear,
      citedBy: citedByEl?.textContent?.match(/\d+/)?.[0] || '0',
      citedByUrl: citedByEl?.href || '',
      dataCid: item.getAttribute('data-cid') || '',
      fullTextUrl: (item.querySelector('.gs_ggs a') || item.querySelector('.gs_or_ggsm a'))?.href || '',
      snippet: item.querySelector('.gs_rs')?.textContent?.trim()?.substring(0, 200) || '',
      relatedUrl: relatedEl?.href || '',
      versionsUrl: versionsEl?.href || '',
      versions: versionsEl?.textContent?.match(/\d+/)?.[0] || ''
    };
  });

  const totalText = document.querySelector('#gs_ab_md')?.textContent?.trim() || '';
  const currentUrl = window.location.href;
  return { total: totalText, resultCount: results.length, currentUrl, results };
}

3. Report

Present results as a numbered list:

Searched Google Scholar for "$ARGUMENTS": {total}

1. {title}
   Authors: {authors} | {journalYear}
   Cited by: {citedBy} | [Full text]({fullTextUrl})
   Data-CID: {dataCid}

2. ...

Always show the dataCid — it's the unique identifier used for citation export and "cited by" tracking.

If fullTextUrl is available, highlight it (means open-access PDF/HTML).

4. Follow-up

When the user wants to:

  • See more results: use gs-navigate-pages to go to next page
  • See who cited a paper: use gs-cited-by with the data-cid
  • Export to Zotero: use gs-export with the data-cid(s)

CAPTCHA Handling

If the result contains {error: 'captcha'}:

  1. Tell the user: "Google Scholar is requesting CAPTCHA verification. Please complete it in your browser."
  2. Wait for user confirmation
  3. Retry the evaluate_script extraction

Notes

  • This skill uses 2 tool calls: navigate_page + evaluate_script
  • Google Scholar has NO public API — all data extraction is via DOM scraping
  • data-cid is the primary identifier (cluster ID) — used across all GS skills
  • Keep request frequency low to avoid triggering CAPTCHA
  • Default num=10 results per page (max 20)

FAQ

What does the gs-search skill do?

Search Google Scholar for academic papers by keywords. Returns results with title, authors, journal, year, citation count, and full-text links. Use when the user wants to search Google Scholar.

How do I install gs-search?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/cookjohn/gs-skills --skill gs-search in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/gs-search/ (personal) or .claude/skills/gs-search/ (project).

Which AI agents can use gs-search?

Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.

Is gs-search safe to install?

No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.

Who maintains gs-search?

It is published by cookjohn in cookjohn/gs-skills. It has 443 recorded installs.

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