MCP server · Research
paper-preflight MCP server
by amos689
Check every reference in your paper against real scholarly records before you submit.
paper-preflight is a tool that reads the reference list of a paper and checks each citation against real scholarly databases. It tells you if a cited work exists, if the details match, and if it has been retracted. It is handy for researchers, students and anyone writing a paper with a bibliography.
What is an MCP server? The 30-second version
On its own, your AI can only chat with you. An MCP server is a small helper program that gives your AI a new skill or a connection to another service. This one connects your AI to paper-preflight, which in turn talks to scholarly databases like Crossref, dblp, arXiv, PubMed and OpenAlex. So when you ask your AI to check your references, it can actually look them up and come back with real answers.
What this MCP server does
You give your AI a paper file, like a LaTeX .tex file with a .bib bibliography, or a Word document, or even a plain text list of references. Your AI passes it to paper-preflight. The tool then asks several scholarly databases about each cited work. It checks whether the work exists, whether the authors, title, year and venue match what you wrote, and whether the work has been retracted or updated. Then it gives you back a list of findings, with clear notes on what is wrong and what looks fine.
What you can do with it
- Check a LaTeX paper and its .bib file for reference errors
- Find out if a cited DOI or arXiv ID points to a different paper
- See if a cited work has been retracted or has a correction
- Spot a preprint that has since been published in a journal or conference
- Catch duplicate or unused citation keys in your bibliography
- Check references from a Word, Markdown, Quarto or Typst document
- Verify a plain text reference list in common styles like APA or IEEE
Try asking your AI
- “Check the references in my paper folder at ~/papers/my-paper”
- “Does my bibliography file refs.bib have any retracted works?”
- “Look at this reference list and tell me which entries have wrong years or authors”
- “Check the arXiv paper 2607.0692 for reference problems”
What it gives back to you
You get back a list of findings, each with a rule code, a file and line number, and a short message. For example, it might say that a DOI resolves to a different work, or that a cited preprint has been published. It also gives a summary count of how many references were verified, how many had problems, and how many could not be determined. Everything appears right in your chat, so you can read it and decide what to fix.
Before you start
What you need
- A paper file or a reference list to check
- The paper-preflight tool installed or run through uvx (the README shows how)
- An internet connection so it can reach the scholarly databases
Good to know
It only reads your files and reports findings; it does not change your paper, but it does send your reference data to public scholarly databases to check them.
Install it with your AI
Add paper-preflight MCP server to your AI, no technical skills needed
You don't install anything by hand. You copy one prompt, paste it into an AI that can work on your computer, and it checks, installs and connects the server for you, asking you when it needs something.
Sign in to get the install prompt
Members get a ready-made prompt that lets the Claude desktop app check paper-preflight MCP server, install it and connect it for them, step by step. You don't need any technical skills: you copy, paste and answer a few questions. Your connected AI can also find and install any of the 4,609 MCP servers here for you.
Who it's for
Researchers, graduate students and anyone writing a paper with citations who wants to avoid reference mistakes before submitting.
