jabref-mcp

A Model Context Protocol server that lets OpenCode (and other MCP clients) work with your JabRef 5.x bibliography:

• Search your library (title / author / year / keywords / DOI / full text)
• Read full records (BibTeX + abstract) and resolve attached PDF paths, so the assistant can read and summarize papers itself
• Add new entries — only through JabRef's official import API, never by editing your .bib files

Why this shape (JabRef 5.x)

JabRef 5.x has no HTTP read API (that arrives in 6.x). So:

Requirements

• Python ≥ 3.10 and uv
• JabRef installed, with jabref on PATH (or JABREF_MCP_JABREF_BIN set)
• For adding entries: JabRef running with Listen to remote operation on port enabled (Preferences → Network — the same requirement as the official browser extension)

Configuration (environment variables)

Run / install

From a checkout (development):

uv sync
uv run jabref-mcp

From PyPI (published releases):

uvx jabref-mcp

Before a release is published, uvx can build straight from the GitHub repo:

uvx --from git+https://github.com/ast0815/jabref-mcp jabref-mcp

Register with OpenCode

A project-level registration is already provided in opencode.jsonc (it runs uvx jabref-mcp). To use it, start OpenCode from this directory. Alternatively register globally:

opencode mcp add jabref -- uvx jabref-mcp

(Add --global to make it available in every project; then set JABREF_MCP_BIB_FILES to your real libraries.) Check the connection with opencode mcp list — it should report connected. Tools appear under tools.jabref.*.

Tools

• list_libraries — configured libraries and entry counts
• list_entries — overview of every entry
• search — keyword search with field / author / year / tag filters
• get_entry — full BibTeX + resolved attached files for a citation key
• get_pdf — absolute paths of the PDFs attached to an entry (feed to the assistant's PDF reader for summarizing)
• add_entry — import BibTeX via the official JabRef CLI (the only write path)

Notes

• The server reads the .bib files; it never writes to them. Additions go through JabRef. Petty duplicate detection, group assignment, etc. are handled by JabRef itself.
• If your library changes in JabRef, re-run search/get_entry — the files are re-read per call.
• JabRef 6.x will (eventually) ship its own REST API; this server is a drop-in for 5.x and can later be re-pointed at localhost:23119.