`get_concept`

Pack: openalex · Endpoint: https://gateway.pipeworx.io/openalex/mcp

Look up research fields or topics by name. Returns concept description, publication count, related concepts, and parent concepts in the academic hierarchy.

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
`query`	string	yes	Concept name to look up (e.g., “deep learning”)

Example call

Arguments

{
  "query": "deep learning"
}

curl

curl -X POST https://gateway.pipeworx.io/openalex/mcp \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"get_concept","arguments":{"query":"deep learning"}}}'

TypeScript (@pipeworx/sdk)

import { Pipeworx } from '@pipeworx/sdk';
const pipeworx = new Pipeworx();

const result = await pipeworx.call('get_concept', {
  "query": "deep learning"
});

Response shape

Always returns: query, found

Field	Type	Description
`query`	string	The concept query searched
`found`	boolean	Whether a matching concept was found
`id`	string	OpenAlex concept ID
`display_name`	string	Concept display name
`level`	number	Concept hierarchy level
`description`	string \| null	Concept description
`works_count`	number	Number of works in this field
`cited_by_count`	number	Total citations in this field
`ancestors`	array	Parent concepts in hierarchy
`related_concepts`	array	Related concepts (up to 10)

Full JSON Schema

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "query": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "The concept query searched"
    },
    "found": {
      "type": "boolean",
      "description": "Whether a matching concept was found"
    },
    "id": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "OpenAlex concept ID"
    },
    "display_name": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Concept display name"
    },
    "level": {
      "type": "number",
      "description": "Concept hierarchy level"
    },
    "description": {
      "type": [
        "string",
        "null"
      ],
      "description": "Concept description"
    },
    "works_count": {
      "type": "number",
      "description": "Number of works in this field"
    },
    "cited_by_count": {
      "type": "number",
      "description": "Total citations in this field"
    },
    "ancestors": {
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "type": "object",
        "properties": {
          "name": {
            "type": "string",
            "description": "Ancestor concept name"
          },
          "level": {
            "type": "number",
            "description": "Ancestor hierarchy level"
          }
        },
        "required": [
          "name",
          "level"
        ]
      },
      "description": "Parent concepts in hierarchy"
    },
    "related_concepts": {
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "type": "object",
        "properties": {
          "name": {
            "type": "string",
            "description": "Related concept name"
          },
          "level": {
            "type": "number",
            "description": "Related concept hierarchy level"
          },
          "score": {
            "type": "number",
            "description": "Relatedness score"
          }
        },
        "required": [
          "name",
          "level",
          "score"
        ]
      },
      "description": "Related concepts (up to 10)"
    }
  },
  "required": [
    "query",
    "found"
  ],
  "dependentRequired": {
    "found": [
      "id",
      "display_name",
      "level",
      "description",
      "works_count",
      "cited_by_count",
      "ancestors",
      "related_concepts"
    ]
  }
}

Connect

Add this to your MCP client config, or use one-click install buttons:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openalex": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/openalex/mcp"
    }
  }
}

See Getting Started for client-specific install steps.

get_concept