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AlterLab-Academic-Skills alterlab-bgpt-search

Part of the AlterLab Academic Skills suite. Search scientific papers and retrieve structured experimental data extracted from full-text studies via the BGPT MCP server. Returns 25+ fields per paper including methods, results, sample sizes, quality scores, and conclusions. Use for literature reviews, evidence synthesis, and finding experimental details not available in abstracts alone.

install
source · Clone the upstream repo
git clone https://github.com/AlterLab-IEU/AlterLab-Academic-Skills
Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/
T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/AlterLab-IEU/AlterLab-Academic-Skills "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/skills/research-tools/alterlab-bgpt-search" ~/.claude/skills/alterlab-ieu-alterlab-academic-skills-alterlab-bgpt-search && rm -rf "$T"
manifest: skills/research-tools/alterlab-bgpt-search/SKILL.md
source content

BGPT Paper Search

Overview

BGPT is a remote MCP server that searches a curated database of scientific papers built from raw experimental data extracted from full-text studies. Unlike traditional literature databases that return titles and abstracts, BGPT returns structured data from the actual paper content — methods, quantitative results, sample sizes, quality assessments, and 25+ metadata fields per paper.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

  • Searching for scientific papers with specific experimental details
  • Conducting systematic or scoping literature reviews
  • Finding quantitative results, sample sizes, or effect sizes across studies
  • Comparing methodologies used in different studies
  • Looking for papers with quality scores or evidence grading
  • Needing structured data from full-text papers (not just abstracts)
  • Building evidence tables for meta-analyses or clinical guidelines

Setup

BGPT is a remote MCP server — no local installation required.

Claude Desktop / Claude Code

Add to your MCP configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bgpt": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["mcp-remote", "https://bgpt.pro/mcp/sse"]
    }
  }
}

npm (alternative)

npx bgpt-mcp

Usage

Once configured, use the 

search_papers
tool provided by the BGPT MCP server:

Search for papers about: "CRISPR gene editing efficiency in human cells"

The server returns structured results including:

  • Title, authors, journal, year, DOI
  • Methods: Experimental techniques, models, protocols
  • Results: Key findings with quantitative data
  • Sample sizes: Number of subjects/samples
  • Quality scores: Study quality assessments
  • Conclusions: Author conclusions and implications

Pricing

  • Free tier: 50 searches per network, no API key required
  • Paid: $0.01 per result with an API key from bgpt.pro/mcp

Complementary Skills

Pairs well with:

  • literature-review
    — Use BGPT to gather structured data, then synthesize with literature-review workflows
  • pubmed-database
    — Use PubMed for broad searches, BGPT for deep experimental data
  • biorxiv-database
    — Combine preprint discovery with full-text data extraction
  • citation-management
    — Manage citations from BGPT search results