Crossref MCP integration for AI agents.
Connect AI agents to Crossref through 11 structured actions, including export work citation, match reference, and get resource. Review authentication, inputs…
- ACTION CONTRACTS
- 11
- AUTHENTICATION
- No account authorization + API key
- SOURCE STATUS
- Provider-backed
CATALOG SOURCE REVIEWED AUGUST 23, 2026 / ACTION NAMES AND SCHEMAS DERIVED FROM WORKING MACHINES PROVIDER SOURCE
CAPABILITY PROFILE
What the Crossref integration exposes
The Crossref Agent App exposes 11 provider-backed actions for data work. Its current contract lets an authorized agent export one doi as bibtex, ris, csl json, a formatted citation, rdf, turtle, or unixref xml, find the most relevant crossref work candidates for a formatted bibliographic reference, and get one crossref journal, member, funder, doi prefix, or work type record. These operations are called through Working Machines as typed capabilities rather than through browser navigation or copied UI steps.
A connection uses No account authorization and API key. Before execution, the agent can inspect the selected action, its required fields, declared scopes, and expected output contract. Provider credentials remain inside the Working Machines runtime; the calling agent receives the capability and its structured result, not the underlying secret.
For reliable operation, start with the narrowest action that satisfies the task, resolve stable provider identifiers before changing state, and validate the returned object or status after execution. Availability still depends on the connected Crossref account, granted provider permissions, workspace policy, region, plan, and upstream API behavior.
VERIFIED ACTION SAMPLE
Real Crossref capabilities.
Showing 11 of 11 actions. Risk labels are conservative signals based on operation names, not substitutes for provider documentation or runtime policy.
export_work_citationREADExport one DOI as BibTeX, RIS, CSL JSON, a formatted citation, RDF, Turtle, or UNIXREF XML.
INPUTS: doi / format / style / locale / mailto
match_referenceREVIEWFind the most relevant Crossref work candidates for a formatted bibliographic reference.
INPUTS: reference / rows / mailto
get_resourceREADGet one Crossref journal, member, funder, DOI prefix, or work type record.
INPUTS: resourceType / id / mailto
get_workREADGet the current Crossref metadata record for one DOI.
INPUTS: doi / mailto
get_work_agencyREADGet the DOI registration agency reported by Crossref for one work.
INPUTS: doi / mailto
list_changed_worksREADPage through Crossref works created, updated by members, or re-indexed since a point in time.
INPUTS: changeSource / fromDate / untilDate / workType / rows
list_citation_localesREADList the locale identifiers accepted for formatted Crossref citations.
INPUTS: mailto
list_citation_stylesREADList the CSL style identifiers accepted for formatted Crossref citations.
INPUTS: mailto
list_resourcesREADList or search Crossref journals, members, funders, work types, or licenses.
list_scoped_worksREADList works associated with one Crossref journal, member, funder, DOI prefix, or work type.
list_worksREADSearch, filter, sort, sample, facet, or page through works registered with Crossref.
INPUT CONTRACTS
Know what the action needs before it runs.
export_work_citation
doiREQUIRED- The DOI of the work, such as 10.1038/nphys1170. A doi.org URL is also accepted.
formatOPTIONAL- The citation or metadata format to export.
styleOPTIONAL- A Crossref CSL style identifier used only with formatted output, such as apa.
localeOPTIONAL- A Crossref locale identifier used only with formatted output, such as en-US.
mailtoOPTIONAL- An email address that identifies the caller to Crossref and enables the polite API pool.
match_reference
referenceREQUIRED- A complete bibliographic reference containing details such as title, author, year, and venue.
rowsOPTIONAL- The maximum number of ranked candidate works to return.
mailtoOPTIONAL- An email address that identifies the caller to Crossref and enables the polite API pool.
get_resource
resourceTypeREQUIRED- The Crossref resource type to retrieve.
idREQUIRED- The resource identifier, such as an ISSN, member ID, funder ID, DOI prefix, or type ID.
mailtoOPTIONAL- An email address that identifies the caller to Crossref and enables the polite API pool.
get_work
doiREQUIRED- The DOI of the work, such as 10.1038/nphys1170. A doi.org URL is also accepted.
mailtoOPTIONAL- An email address that identifies the caller to Crossref and enables the polite API pool.
PROVIDER-SPECIFIC WORKFLOWS
Jobs this Agent App can support
Inspect Export Work Citation
Export one DOI as BibTeX, RIS, CSL JSON, a formatted citation, RDF, Turtle, or UNIXREF XML. Use this as a bounded discovery step, retain the returned identifier, and avoid expanding the read beyond the task's stated scope.
export_work_citationVerify with Get Resource
Get one Crossref journal, member, funder, DOI prefix, or work type record. Compare the returned provider state with the intended outcome and preserve stable IDs or canonical links in the run record.
get_resourceSAFETY BOUNDARY
Operate Crossref with explicit limits
- Authorize Crossref with No account authorization and API key and grant only the provider access required by the selected actions.
- The current action names appear read-oriented, but returned Crossref data may still be sensitive and should be minimized before it enters model context.
- Do not infer permission from catalog visibility. Workspace policy, connection identity, and upstream authorization still govern execution.
- No provider scope string is declared on the sampled actions. Verify the connected account's actual permissions in Crossref rather than assuming unrestricted access.
- After a call, inspect the structured result and execution record before reporting that the Crossref task completed successfully.
CONNECTION MODEL
No account authorization + API key
Optional Metadata Plus API key from https://manage.crossref.org/keys
Working Machines stores provider credentials behind the execution boundary. An agent can use an authorized connection identity, but catalog discovery alone does not reveal OAuth tokens, API keys, or provider secrets.
- READ SIGNALS
- 10
- WRITE SIGNALS
- 0
- HIGH IMPACT
- 0
- REVIEW SIGNALS
- 1
EVIDENCE AND AVAILABILITY
Provider reference
Action names, input fields, authentication types, and counts on this page are generated from the Working Machines provider catalog. Provider behavior, quotas, object semantics, account eligibility, and regional availability remain governed by Crossref.