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Paper Lantern MCP Server

by paperlantern Your server? Claim it
answering

Paper Lantern is answering right now. Last checked 10 min ago. Last commit 21 Apr 2026.

Research intelligence for AI coding agents. 2M+ CS papers with evidence and tradeoffs.

Uptime history 47 days of history · worst day 99%
47 days agonow
100.0%
Uptime 24h
91 of 91 checks
Tools
hidden behind auth
519 ms
Response time
average over 24h
0
Stars
last commit 21 Apr 2026

What the code does

We read the source, 18 h ago · rules 3dff92dd89df

Capabilities

What this server is able to do. For an MCP server this is often the job itself — a terminal server runs commands because that is what it is for. Listed so you know what you are plugging in, not as an accusation.

Runs an external command src/auth.ts:17
    if (platform === "darwin") execSync(`open "${url}"`);

Is this your server and something here is wrong? Tell us — corrections are free and do not require a plan.

This code can reach further than it looks

We found places where it runs commands, builds paths or queries from values it is given. None of that is a flaw by itself — it becomes one when the code changes, and code changes quietly between releases. We re-read it on every one.

Three servers free · no card

Connect this server

Endpoint below is the one we actually reach during checks — not the one copied from a README. Last verified 10 min ago.

run in your terminal
claude mcp add code --transport http https://mcp.paperlantern.ai/chat/mcp
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "code": {
      "url": "https://mcp.paperlantern.ai/chat/mcp"
    }
  }
}
~/.codex/config.toml
[mcp_servers.code]
url = "https://mcp.paperlantern.ai/chat/mcp"
.cursor/mcp.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "code": {
      "url": "https://mcp.paperlantern.ai/chat/mcp"
    }
  }
}
.vscode/mcp.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "code": {
      "url": "https://mcp.paperlantern.ai/chat/mcp"
    }
  }
}

This endpoint answered with an authorization challenge. The server is running, but it did not say what kind of credentials it expects.

Endpoints

URLTransportStateLatencyChecked
https://mcp.paperlantern.ai/chat/mcp streamable-http needs auth 542 ms 10 min ago

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Paper Lantern — questions

Answers built from our own checks of this server.

Why is there no tool list for Paper Lantern?
The server answered our handshake with an authorization challenge, so it is running — but it will not describe its tools to an anonymous client. To see them you need to connect with your own credentials. We record it as alive, not as broken: 100.0% of checks in the last 24 hours got a reply.
Is Paper Lantern working right now?
We send a real MCP handshake every 15 minutes. Over the last 24 hours 91 of 91 checks got a reply (100.0%), average response time 519 ms. The bar chart above shows every period we have measured.
How do I connect Paper Lantern?
Copy the ready config from this page — we generate it for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex, Cursor and VS Code, each with the file path that client actually reads. It is a remote server, so there is nothing to install — the client connects to the address. You will need your own credentials: it refuses anonymous clients.
Does Paper Lantern need an API key?
Yes. Every time we knock, Paper Lantern answers with an authorization challenge instead of its tool list — that is how we know it is running and gated rather than broken. Bring your own credentials and it will talk.
How fast is Paper Lantern?
It answers our handshake in 519 ms on average, which is faster than 28% of all working MCP servers we measure. The comparison comes from our own checks across the whole registry, every 15 minutes.
Is Paper Lantern open source?
Yes — it is published under the MIT licence, written in TypeScript and 0 stars on GitHub. The source link is on this page, so you can read exactly what it does with your data before you connect it.