paper-fetcher

name	paper-fetcher
description	Fetch academic papers from Sci-Hub given a DOI. Automatically downloads PDFs and saves them to research/papers/ with clean filenames. Use when the user provides a DOI or requests a paper from PubMed.

Paper Fetcher

Automated academic paper retrieval from Sci-Hub.

Usage

Simple fetch:

Get paper: 10.1038/nature12345

Multiple papers:

Fetch these papers:
- 10.1016/j.cell.2023.01.001
- 10.1038/s41586-2023-06789-0
- 10.1126/science.abc1234

With context:

Get the epitalon paper: 10.1007/s12603-011-0032-7

What It Does

1. Takes DOI as input
2. Navigates to https://www.sci-hub.su/DOI
3. Downloads the PDF
4. Saves to research/papers/ with clean filename
5. Returns confirmation with file path

Output Location

workspace/
└── research/
    └── papers/
        ├── paper_10.1038_nature12345.pdf
        ├── paper_10.1016_j.cell.2023.01.001.pdf
        └── ...

Filename Format

paper_[DOI with slashes replaced].pdf

Examples:

• DOI: 10.1038/nature12345 → paper_10.1038_nature12345.pdf
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.01.001 → paper_10.1016_j.cell.2023.01.001.pdf

Workflow

When user provides a DOI:

1. Extract DOI - Parse from message (with or without https://doi.org/ prefix)
2. Navigate Sci-Hub - Use browser to load https://www.sci-hub.su/DOI
3. Wait for PDF - Let page load and find download link
4. Download - Save PDF to research/papers/
5. Confirm - Report success with file path

Error Handling

If paper not found on Sci-Hub:

• Report that Sci-Hub couldn't find it
• Suggest checking the DOI format
• User can try manual search

If download fails:

• Report the error
• Provide Sci-Hub URL for manual download

Integration

With Obsidian Sync:

• Papers saved in research/papers/
• Can create notes linking to PDFs
• Sync metadata to Obsidian vault

With Research Automation:

• Fetch papers discovered in research runs
• Build reference library automatically
• Cross-reference with protocol notes

Tips

Finding DOIs:

• PubMed: Listed in article details
• Paper itself: Usually on first page
• Google Scholar: In citation info

Format flexibility:

• With prefix: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12345 ✅
• Without prefix: 10.1038/nature12345 ✅
• Either format works

Batch fetching:

• Send multiple DOIs at once
• Processed sequentially
• All saved to research/papers/

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Status: Active
Sci-Hub Domain: https://www.sci-hub.su
Save Location: research/papers/