> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.consensus.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Get started
> The Consensus MCP server enables AI assistants like ChatGPT, Claude, and other MCP-compatible clients to search over 220 million peer-reviewed academic research papers directly from the conversation.
Consensus MCP lets AI assistants search 220+ million peer-reviewed research papers. Connect your preferred client below. You'll be searching in under 2 minutes.
**Server URL**
```
https://mcp.consensus.app/mcp
```
Add Consensus from the Claude connectors directory.
Add Consensus from the ChatGPT app directory.
## Connect Your Client
**One-click:** open [Consensus in the Claude directory](https://claude.ai/directory/65247229-f0c7-49df-9044-fcbb8b3894c6) and click **Connect**. Or connect manually:
Open [claude.ai](https://claude.ai) or the Claude desktop app and go to **Settings**.
Select **Connectors**, then **Browse connectors**.
Search for **Consensus** and click **Connect**.
Approve the sign-in with your Consensus account, or continue without one at reduced limits.
Ask a research question in any chat. Consensus appears in the tools menu.
```bash theme={null}
claude mcp add --transport http consensus https://mcp.consensus.app/mcp
```
OAuth will open in your browser automatically on first use. You can also trigger it manually with the `/mcp` command inside Claude Code.
**One-click:** open [Consensus in the ChatGPT app directory](https://chatgpt.com/plugins/plugin_asdk_app_6943e6f4a928819195962de16fb9ffe4) and click **Connect**. Or connect manually:
Open [chatgpt.com](https://chatgpt.com) and sign in.
Open **Apps** from the sidebar, search for **Consensus**, and click **Connect**.
Sign in with your Consensus account when prompted.
Ask a research question, or call it by name: "Use Consensus to find RCTs on…"
Search results display in an interactive widget showing top papers with citations and direct links.
Consensus also works with ChatGPT Deep Research. See [Using Consensus with ChatGPT Deep Research](#using-consensus-with-chatgpt-deep-research) below.
```bash theme={null}
codex mcp add consensus --url https://mcp.consensus.app/mcp
codex mcp login consensus
```
Or add to `~/.codex/config.toml`:
```toml theme={null}
[mcp_servers.consensus]
url = "https://mcp.consensus.app/mcp"
```
**One-click:** [Install in Cursor](https://cursor.com/en/install-mcp?name=consensus\&config=eyJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL21jcC5jb25zZW5zdXMuYXBwL21jcCJ9). Or add to `~/.cursor/mcp.json`:
```json theme={null}
{
"mcpServers": {
"consensus": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "mcp-remote@latest", "https://mcp.consensus.app/mcp"]
}
}
}
```
Add to your MCP configuration:
```json theme={null}
{
"servers": {
"consensus": {
"url": "https://mcp.consensus.app/mcp"
}
}
}
```
Add to your MCP configuration:
```json theme={null}
{
"mcpServers": {
"consensus": {
"serverUrl": "https://mcp.consensus.app/mcp"
}
}
}
```
Any client that supports remote MCP servers (Streamable HTTP) works. Point it at `https://mcp.consensus.app/mcp`. If your client supports OAuth, authentication is handled automatically.
## Using Consensus with ChatGPT Deep Research
Consensus also works with ChatGPT Deep Research. When Deep Research uses the Consensus app, it can search Consensus for relevant papers and retrieve full paper details for cited results.
Connect the Consensus app in ChatGPT using the steps above.
Start a Deep Research request in ChatGPT.
Ask ChatGPT to use Consensus for peer-reviewed research, for example:
> Use Consensus to research the evidence on exercise for depression. Prioritize systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and randomized controlled trials.
Deep Research may run multiple Consensus searches, refine filters, retrieve paper details, and return a cited synthesis with direct links to papers on Consensus.
## Verify Your Connection
Try one of these in your connected client. Each link opens the question pre-filled:
| Ask | Try it |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| "What does the research say about creatine and cognitive function?" | [Claude](https://claude.ai/new?q=What%20does%20the%20research%20say%20about%20creatine%20and%20cognitive%20function%3F) · [ChatGPT](https://chatgpt.com/?q=What%20does%20the%20research%20say%20about%20creatine%20and%20cognitive%20function%3F) |
| "Find meta-analyses on mindfulness for anxiety published since 2020" | [Claude](https://claude.ai/new?q=Find%20meta-analyses%20on%20mindfulness%20for%20anxiety%20published%20since%202020) · [ChatGPT](https://chatgpt.com/?q=Find%20meta-analyses%20on%20mindfulness%20for%20anxiety%20published%20since%202020) |
| "Are there RCTs on intermittent fasting with more than 500 participants?" | [Claude](https://claude.ai/new?q=Are%20there%20RCTs%20on%20intermittent%20fasting%20with%20more%20than%20500%20participants%3F) · [ChatGPT](https://chatgpt.com/?q=Are%20there%20RCTs%20on%20intermittent%20fasting%20with%20more%20than%20500%20participants%3F) |
| "What is the strongest evidence for and against remote work productivity?" | [Claude](https://claude.ai/new?q=What%20is%20the%20strongest%20evidence%20for%20and%20against%20remote%20work%20productivity%3F) · [ChatGPT](https://chatgpt.com/?q=What%20is%20the%20strongest%20evidence%20for%20and%20against%20remote%20work%20productivity%3F) |
You should see results citing specific papers with titles, journals, years, citation counts, and direct links.
## Plans and Access
Your results depend on your Consensus plan, not your AI subscription (Claude Pro, ChatGPT Plus, etc. have no effect on Consensus results).
No account is needed to get started. Connect directly and try it out.
| Plan | Papers per Search | Monthly Searches | Extra Features |
| ---------- | ----------------- | ---------------- | ------------------------- |
| No Account | 3 | Unlimited | None |
| Free | 10 | 30 | Full abstracts |
| Pro | 20 | 250 | Study type, key takeaways |
| Deep | 20 | 1,000 | Study type, key takeaways |
| Teams | 20 | 1,000 | Study type, key takeaways |
Create a free account at [consensus.app/sign-up](https://consensus.app/sign-up) or upgrade at [consensus.app/pricing](https://consensus.app/pricing).
## Enterprise and API Key Access
For enterprise access with unlimited rate limits, include your API key as a Bearer token:
```http theme={null}
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY
```
Contact Consensus for enterprise API access at [consensus.app/home/api](https://consensus.app/home/api).
## Search Tool
The search tool searches Consensus for peer-reviewed research papers. ChatGPT Deep Research may call this tool multiple times with different queries and filters while building a research report.
### Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
| ------------------ | ------------ | -------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| query | string | Yes | The research question or topic to search for. Use specific academic terminology for best results. |
| year\_min | integer | No | Exclude papers published before this year. |
| year\_max | integer | No | Exclude papers published after this year. |
| study\_types | string array | No | Filter by study design. Values: rct, meta-analysis, systematic review, literature review, case report, non-rct experimental, non-rct observational study, non-rct in vitro, animal. |
| sjr\_max | integer | No | Filter by journal quality (SCImago Journal Rank quartile). 1 is Q1 (highest), 2 is Q2, 3 is Q3, 4 is Q4. |
| human | boolean | No | Set to true to include only studies involving human subjects. |
| sample\_size\_min | integer | No | Exclude studies with sample sizes smaller than this number. |
| medical\_mode | boolean | No | Set to true for clinical, medical, or evidence-based medicine questions. Prioritizes top medical journals and clinical guidelines. |
| exclude\_preprints | boolean | No | Set to true to exclude preprints and return peer-reviewed papers only. |
| duration\_min | integer | No | Minimum study duration in days. Useful for longitudinal or long-term studies. |
| duration\_max | integer | No | Maximum study duration in days. |
### Response
Each search returns:
Array of paper objects with `title`, `authors`, `abstract`, `journal`, `year`, `citation_count`, and `url` (direct link to the paper on Consensus).
Total number of papers found.
The original search query.
Pro plans and above also include `study_type` and `takeaway` for each paper. Enterprise includes `doi`.
### Example Prompts
* "What does the research say about the effectiveness of remote work on productivity?"
* "Find RCTs and meta-analyses since 2020 on cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety"
* "Search for high quality human studies on gut microbiome and mental health with at least 100 participants"
* "Recent research on large language model hallucination from top tier journals"
* "Use Consensus Deep Research to compare evidence for different treatments for insomnia"
## Troubleshooting
You added the server with `-- --transport http` instead of `--url`. Remove and re-add:
```bash theme={null}
codex mcp remove consensus
codex mcp add consensus --url https://mcp.consensus.app/mcp
codex mcp login consensus
```
Fully quit and restart Claude Code. Do not just use the reconnect option. Your credentials are saved and will work after restart.
Your OAuth token has expired. Re-authenticate:
* **Claude Code:** Type `/mcp`, select Consensus, choose Clear authentication, re-authenticate, then restart Claude Code
* **Codex:** Run `codex mcp logout consensus` then `codex mcp login consensus`
* **Cursor:** Disconnect and reconnect the server in Settings then Tools and MCP
* **Claude Desktop:** Disconnect and reconnect the connector in Settings then Connectors
* **ChatGPT:** Disconnect and reconnect the Consensus app from ChatGPT Apps
* Verify the URL includes `/mcp` at the end
* Remove and re-add the server using the commands above
* Restart your client completely
This is normal. Claude loads tool definitions on demand when many tools are present. Retry the query and it will work on the second attempt.
Confirm the Consensus app is connected in ChatGPT Apps, then ask Deep Research to use Consensus explicitly. For example:
> Use Consensus to find peer-reviewed papers on this question and cite the strongest evidence.
Deep Research decides when to call connected tools, so it may not call Consensus for questions that are not research-focused.
Try broadening your search query or removing filters. Use specific academic terminology rather than casual language.
Wait a few moments before searching again. If using automated workflows, implement backoff logic between requests.
## Security
* **Endpoint:** Only connect to the official URL: `https://mcp.consensus.app/mcp`
* **API keys:** Store securely using environment variables. Never share keys in prompts or public conversations. Rotate if compromised.
* **Data handling:** Search queries are sent to the Consensus API over HTTPS/TLS. Results contain publicly available academic paper metadata. No personal data is stored from MCP requests.
## Supported Platforms
| Platform | Auth | Status |
| ------------------------ | ------------ | --------- |
| Claude Desktop | OAuth | Supported |
| ChatGPT | OAuth | Supported |
| ChatGPT Deep Research | OAuth | Supported |
| Claude Code | OAuth | Supported |
| Codex | OAuth | Supported |
| Cursor | OAuth | Supported |
| VS Code (GitHub Copilot) | Config | Supported |
| Windsurf | Config | Supported |
| Other MCP Clients | Bearer token | Supported |
## Additional Resources
Explore the Consensus research platform.
Full reference for the Consensus search API.
Learn more about the Model Context Protocol.