Get started with Consensus MCP

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

Claude

Add Consensus from the Claude connectors directory.

ChatGPT

Add Consensus from the ChatGPT app directory.

Connect Your Client

Claude Desktop

One-click: open Consensus in the Claude directory and click Connect. Or connect manually:

Open Settings

Open claude.ai or the Claude desktop app and go to Settings.

Browse connectors

Select Connectors, then Browse connectors.

Find Consensus

Search for Consensus and click Connect.

Approve the sign-in with your Consensus account, or continue without one at reduced limits.

Start searching

Ask a research question in any chat. Consensus appears in the tools menu.

Claude Code

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.

ChatGPT

One-click: open Consensus in the ChatGPT app directory and click Connect. Or connect manually:

Open ChatGPT

Open chatgpt.com and sign in.

Find Consensus

Open Apps from the sidebar, search for Consensus, and click Connect.

Start searching

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 below.

Codex

codex mcp add consensus --url https://mcp.consensus.app/mcp
codex mcp login consensus

Or add to ~/.codex/config.toml:

[mcp_servers.consensus]
url = "https://mcp.consensus.app/mcp"

Cursor

One-click: Install in Cursor. Or add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "consensus": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote@latest", "https://mcp.consensus.app/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

VS Code (GitHub Copilot)

Add to your MCP configuration:

{
  "servers": {
    "consensus": {
      "url": "https://mcp.consensus.app/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

Add to your MCP configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "consensus": {
      "serverUrl": "https://mcp.consensus.app/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Gemini Spark

Add Consensus as a custom app for Gemini Spark:

Open Connected Apps

Go to gemini.google.com and sign in with a personal Google Account, then click Settings & help → Connected Apps.

Add a custom app

Under Custom apps for Spark, click Add a custom app and paste the server URL:

https://mcp.consensus.app/mcp

Approve the connection

Click Next and follow the prompts to finish OAuth. If your client doesn’t support Dynamic Client Registration, expand Advanced features and enter your credentials.

Start searching

Ask Gemini Spark a research question and it can call Consensus tools.

Requires access to Gemini Spark, a personal Google Account, Keep Activity turned on, and is currently available in the US. Workspace and school accounts are not supported yet.

Other MCP clients

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.

Watch: connect Consensus and run your first search

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

Connect the Consensus app in ChatGPT using the steps above.

Start a Deep Research request

Start a Deep Research request in ChatGPT.

Ask ChatGPT to use Consensus

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 · ChatGPT
”Find meta-analyses on mindfulness for anxiety published since 2020”	Claude · ChatGPT
”Are there RCTs on intermittent fasting with more than 500 participants?”	Claude · ChatGPT
”What is the strongest evidence for and against remote work productivity?”	Claude · ChatGPT

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	Max Page Size	Included Monthly Searches	Extra Features
No Account	3	Unlimited	None
Free	10	30	Full abstracts
Pro	300	250	Study type, key takeaways
Deep	750	1,000	Study type, key takeaways
Teams	300	250	Study type, key takeaways

Max Page Size is the per-request ceiling. Requests that omit page_size still return the default of 20 papers.

Paid plans can search beyond the included monthly limit when the account has an active metered API subscription and additional usage is enabled; those extra searches are billed to the subscription. Free plans are capped at the included limit.

Create a free account at consensus.app/sign-up or upgrade at consensus.app/pricing.

Enterprise and API Key Access

For enterprise access with unlimited rate limits, include your API key as a Bearer token:

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY

Contact Consensus for enterprise API access at 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.
sjr_min	integer	No	Minimum journal ranking quartile. 1 is Q1 (highest), 4 is Q4. Excludes better (lower-number) quartiles; for example, set to 2 to keep Q2–Q4.
human	boolean	No	Set to true to include only studies involving human subjects.
controlled	boolean	No	Set to true to include only controlled studies.
sample_size_min	integer	No	Exclude studies with sample sizes smaller than this number.
citation_min	integer	No	Exclude papers with fewer citations 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.
open_access	boolean	No	Set to true to include only open-access papers.
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.
country	string	No	Comma-separated ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes (for example `us`, `gb`) to limit to those countries of study. Unknown codes are ignored.

Response

Each search returns:

array

Array of paper objects with title, authors, abstract, journal, year, citation_count, and url (direct link to the paper on Consensus).

integer

Total number of papers found.

string

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”

Research thread tools

The Consensus MCP server exposes research-thread tools for multi-turn, agentic research. Use create_thread to start a new thread and add_to_thread to continue an existing thread with a new follow-up.

`create_thread`

Creates a new research thread and dispatches the Consensus research agent. Use this for detailed, synthesis, comparison, or multi-step research questions. For a simple list of papers, prefer the search tool.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
input_message	string	Yes	Your complete research brief. Include the full question, scope, constraints, and any ordered sub-tasks.
mode	string	No	Research depth. `pro` (default, fast) or `deep` (multi-step literature review, requires a signed-in paid caller).
filters	object	No	Optional structured filters. Supports the same keys as the Search Tool.
attachments	object	No	Optional attachments. `{"paper_attachments": [{"paper_id": "...", "es_hash_paper_id": "..."}], "collection_ids": [123]}`.

`add_to_thread`

Adds a new interaction to an existing research thread. Use this only for a genuinely new follow-up after seeing the previous interaction’s results. Do not use it to decompose a single request across multiple calls — put the whole request in the create_thread brief instead.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
thread_id	string	Yes	The `thread_id` returned by `create_thread`.
input_message	string	Yes	A new follow-up question. The agent uses thread context and can reference papers from earlier turns.
mode	string	No	Research depth. `pro` (default) or `deep` (requires a signed-in paid caller).
title	string	No	The thread title from the `create_thread` response. Used only for the deep-link label; if omitted, the URL uses an `untitled` slug.
filters	object	No	Optional structured filters. Supports the same keys as `create_thread`.
attachments	object	No	Optional attachments. Same shape as `create_thread`.

Dispatch response

Both tools return an immediate dispatch confirmation while the agent runs asynchronously.

string

The thread identifier.

string

The new interaction identifier.

string

The thread title used in the deep-link label.

string

running while the agent is working.

string

pro or deep.

string

Direct link to view the thread in Consensus.

string

Human-readable confirmation with the Consensus link.

boolean

Whether the result should be displayed first.

integer

Minimum seconds to wait before polling for completion (30).

integer

Maximum recommended wait time: 180 seconds for pro, 600 seconds for deep.

string

Polling instructions for the model.

deep mode requires a signed-in paid Consensus account. Free accounts that request deep will receive a paid-account error.

Troubleshooting

Authentication successful but server reconnection failed (Claude Code)

Fully quit and restart Claude Code. Do not just use the reconnect option. Your credentials are saved and will work after restart.

Tools stop working after a few hours (401 errors)

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

Server shows failed or no tools appear

Verify the URL includes /mcp at the end
Remove and re-add the server using the commands above
Restart your client completely

Consensus search has not been loaded yet (Claude Code)

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.

ChatGPT Deep Research is not using Consensus

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.

No results found

Try broadening your search query or removing filters. Use specific academic terminology rather than casual language.

Monthly search limit reached

Paid plans can continue searching past the included monthly limit when the account has an active metered API subscription and additional usage is enabled; those extra searches are billed to the subscription. Free plans must wait for the next monthly reset or upgrade.

Rate limit exceeded (429 error)

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
Gemini Spark	OAuth	Supported
Other MCP Clients	Bearer token	Supported

Additional Resources

Consensus Website

Explore the Consensus research platform.

API Documentation

Full reference for the Consensus search API.

MCP Specification

Learn more about the Model Context Protocol.

MCP server on GitHub

View the source, report issues, and star the Consensus MCP server.

Claude

ChatGPT

​Connect Your Client

​Using Consensus with ChatGPT Deep Research

​Verify Your Connection

​Plans and Access

​Enterprise and API Key Access

​Search Tool

​Parameters

​Response

​Example Prompts

​Research thread tools

​create_thread

​Parameters

​add_to_thread

​Parameters

​Dispatch response

​Troubleshooting

​Security

​Supported Platforms

​Additional Resources

Consensus Website

API Documentation

MCP Specification

MCP server on GitHub

Connect Your Client

Using Consensus with ChatGPT Deep Research

Verify Your Connection

Plans and Access

Enterprise and API Key Access

Search Tool

Parameters

Response

Example Prompts

Research thread tools

`create_thread`

Parameters

`add_to_thread`

Parameters

Dispatch response

Troubleshooting

Security

Supported Platforms

Additional Resources