`get_concept`

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

No MCP client? Call it directly: GET https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/get_concept for the schema, then POST the same URL with its arguments for the data.

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”)
`_apiKey`	string	no	OpenAlex API key. Optional — Pipeworx supplies one; pass your own to bill your account instead.

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