Searches academic literature via arXiv, Semantic Scholar, and open-access PDFs. Use when building literature reviews or finding formal research on a topic.
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---
name: papers
description: Searches academic literature via arXiv, Semantic Scholar, and open-access PDFs. Use when building literature reviews or finding formal research on a topic.
alwaysApply: false
category: research
tags:
- arxiv
- semantic-scholar
- academic
- papers
- pdf
dependencies:
- leyline:document-conversion
estimated_tokens: 350
model_hint: standard
---
# Academic Papers Search
## When To Use
- Finding academic papers, citations, or formal research
- Building literature reviews or citation chains
## When NOT To Use
- Community opinions (use `/tome:discourse`)
- Code implementations (use `/tome:code-search`)
Search arXiv, Semantic Scholar, and open-access sources.
## Sources (Priority Order)
1. arXiv API (free, unlimited metadata)
2. Semantic Scholar API (100 req/5min, citation graphs)
3. Unpaywall (legal free version discovery)
4. CORE.ac.uk (open-access aggregator)
5. PubMed Central (biomedical)
6. Author preprint pages (WebSearch fallback)
## PDF Processing
After acquiring a paper URL or local file path, convert
the PDF to markdown for better extraction quality.
### Conversion (prefer markitdown)
Apply the `leyline:document-conversion` protocol:
1. **Try markitdown first**: call the MCP `convert_to_markdown`
tool with the PDF URL or `file://` path. This produces
structured markdown preserving tables, equations, figures,
and section hierarchy.
2. **Fall back to Read tool** if markitdown is unavailable:
- Read with `pages: "1-20"` for the first chunk
- Continue with `pages: "21-40"` for longer papers
- Continue in 20-page increments as needed
- Note: tables and figures will not extract as cleanly
### Extraction Targets
From the converted markdown, extract:
- Abstract and key findings
- Methodology and experimental setup
- Results tables and figures
- Citation information (authors, year, venue)
- Key equations or formal definitions
## Fallback Guidance
When a paper is paywalled and no open version exists:
- Public library JSTOR/ProQuest access via library card
- DeepDyve article rental
- Inter-library loan request
- Direct author email template
