| name | download-references |
| description | Download, search, batch-resolve, cite, and organize academic papers using scansci-pdf with an authorized-access-first workflow. Use when the user asks to download DOI/arXiv PDFs, batch-download references from DOI lists or BibTeX, search literature then fetch PDFs, export BibTeX/RIS/EndNote, push downloaded papers to Zotero, troubleshoot paper download failures, or use Central South University resources, CARSI, WebVPN, EZProxy, publisher institutional login, document delivery, or literature-help accounts for non-OA articles. |
Download References
Core Rule
Use authorized access first. Prefer open access, Central South University subscriptions, CARSI/WebVPN/EZProxy, publisher institutional login, library document delivery, and the user's literature-help account. Do not default to Sci-Hub/LibGen; if upstream tools expose those paths, keep them disabled unless the user explicitly asks and the compliance risk has been explained.
Backend
Use scansci-pdf MCP tools when available. If they are not available, tell the user to install the bundled upstream implementation from vendor/scansci-pdf or from PyPI:
pip install "scansci-pdf[cloakbrowser,instsci]"
scansci-pdf check
For detailed tool names and call examples, read references/scansci-pdf-tools.md.
Workflow
- Identify input type: DOI/arXiv, DOI list, BibTeX/RIS/EndNote, paper titles, keyword search, or failed-download report.
- For broad keyword search, call search first and ask the user to confirm selected papers before downloading.
- For known DOI/arXiv IDs, download directly with
scihub_enabled=false and bibtex=true when citation export is useful.
- If a paywall or access failure occurs, run institution login: first
scansci_pdf_login(identifier=DOI), then CARSI/WebVPN/EZProxy only when needed.
- If institution access fails, produce a document-delivery or literature-help request list with title, DOI, journal, year, publisher, URL, and failure reason.
- Report successes, failures, saved paths, citation exports, and the recommended next action for each failed item.
Central South University Defaults
When the user mentions 中南大学, CSU, school database, CARSI, WebVPN, non-OA journals, or literature-help accounts:
- Prefer
Central South University / 中南大学 in publisher institution search.
- Use CARSI or publisher
Access through your institution before WebVPN-specific automation.
- Never ask for or store the user's password. Let login happen in the browser.
- Keep batch concurrency moderate, for example
batch_workers=5.
- For unresolved non-OA papers, prepare a clean request list for CSU document delivery or the user's literature-help website.
Common Calls
Single DOI:
scansci_pdf_download(identifier="10.xxxx/xxxxx", output_dir="D:/papers", scihub_enabled=false, bibtex=true)
Paywalled DOI with institution login:
scansci_pdf_login(identifier="10.xxxx/xxxxx")
scansci_pdf_download(identifier="10.xxxx/xxxxx", output_dir="D:/papers", scihub_enabled=false, bibtex=true)
Batch DOI list:
scansci_pdf_batch_download(identifiers=[...], output_dir="D:/papers", scihub_enabled=false, resume=true)
BibTeX or mixed reference list:
scansci_pdf_resolve_and_download(file_path="references.bib", output_dir="D:/papers", scihub_enabled=false, resolve_titles=true)
Output Format
End with:
- downloaded count and failed count
- output directory
- citation export status
- failed DOI/title list with reason and next channel
- any login, API key, or manual step the user must perform
