After the v3.2.1 update, the NoteExpress Web MCP is installed together with the software — no extra tools to download — so your AI client can directly read and write your local library: browse and search references, read notes and attachments, manage references, import/export, and more. The interface is provided automatically when NoteExpress Web starts; no separate command-line tool installation is needed.

There is also a neweb-harness Skill package that removes the need for manual configuration: it auto-connects to MCP, lets the assistant answer NoteExpress Web usage questions, and generates CSL files. See NoteExpress Web Harness.

1. How to Connect

Prerequisite: NoteExpress Web is running and logged in.

Configure in the AI Client

1. Open the client’s MCP settings and create a new MCP Server.

2. Choose type HTTP / Streamable HTTP, and enter the URL:

   http://127.0.0.1:49528/mcp

3. After saving, confirm it is connected; you should see the tools provided by NoteExpress Web in the conversation.

   If the client uses a config file (commonly mcp.json), add:

   {
   "mcpServers": {
     "qt-mcp": {
       "url": "http://127.0.0.1:49528/mcp"
     }
   }
   }

If the client requires an explicit transport, choose streamableHttp or an equivalent HTTP option per its documentation; the URL stays the same.

Connection Check

After saving the configuration, besides observing the tool display, you can verify the connection by sending the following instruction:

“Check the current connection and login status of NoteExpress Web”

If the AI can return the connection and login status, the connection is successful.

If there is no response or an error: confirm NoteExpress Web is running and logged in, then re-save the MCP configuration once.

Example Instructions

Just use natural language in the chat box; the AI will automatically call the relevant NoteExpress Web tools:

• “Search my library for transformer survey papers”
• “Note the key points from page 3 of this PDF to reference N”
• “Create a ‘To read’ folder and add the 10 most recent papers”
• “Add the xxx.pdf I just downloaded to my library”

2. Differences from the Old External Bridge

On the agent side, only configure and call qt_*.

3. Tool List (25 in total)

Status & Browsing / UI

References / Notes / Attachments / PDF

Type Schema

Writing & Organizing

Historical Version Archive

Project Address

https://github.com/aegean-org/qt-mcp

Project Introduction

NoteExpress Web MCP aims to connect the NoteExpress Web local database with different AI assistants via the Model Context Protocol (MCP), supporting natural-language-driven professional academic queries.

Note: If multiple accounts have been logged in, it will call the data of the currently logged-in account or the last logged-in account.

Features

• Paper search: Search academic papers by title or author, with pagination support
• PDF text extraction: Extract text content from PDF files
• Folder management: Retrieve papers from specific folders
• Note saving: Markdown-format note management system

System Requirements

• NoteExpress Web must be installed, recommended v2.5.0 or above
• For Linux, macOS, Windows

Quick Start Guide

Download

Go to the project’s Releases page to download the latest binary package:

• Windows: Download qt-mcp-windows.zip
• macOS: Download qt-mcp-darwin.zip
• Linux: Download qt-mcp-linux.zip

Extract & Install

Extract the downloaded archive to a directory of your choice, for example:

• Windows: C:\Program Files\
• macOS: ~/Downloads/
• Linux: /usr/local/bin/ or ~/bin/

MCP Client Configuration

Add the following configuration in the MCP of a supported AI client:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "noteexpress-web-mcp": {
      "name": "NoteExpress Web",
      "type": "stdio",
      "description": "Academic paper management and research assistant tool",
      "command": "/path/to/qt-mcp.exe",
      "args": []
    }
  }
}

For example:

Step	Screenshot
Find MCP settings in the AI client
Choose JSON import when adding
View in server list after adding
Select NoteExpress Web MCP when asking

Usage Examples

• “Help me find all literature about ‘artificial intelligence’ in my NoteExpress Web”
• “Get the literature in the ‘Computer’ directory of NoteExpress Web”

Feature	Screenshot
Feature description
Literature search
Metadata view
Full-text read
Further questions based on full-text info
Create note
Create literature

Available Tools

NoteExpress Web MCP provides the following 5 core tools:

1. noteExpressWeb_search_articles

• Function: Search literature by title or author
• Parameters:
  • query: Search keyword
  • page: Page number (optional)
  • pageSize: Items per page (optional)

2. noteExpressWeb_get_article_pdf_content

• Function: Get body content by literature id/title
• Parameters:
  • article_id: Literature id

3. noteExpressWeb_search_articles_by_folder

• Function: Get papers in a specified folder
• Parameters:
  • folder: Folder name

4. noteExpressWeb_save_articles

• Function: Save the corresponding literature info to NoteExpress Web
• Parameters:
  • data: Saved content in JSON format

5. noteExpressWeb_save_note

• Function: Save a Markdown-format research note to the corresponding literature
• Parameters:
  • content: Note content
  • article id: Literature id
  • note_id: Note id (optional)

Supported AI Clients

Uses the Stdio protocol, supports real-time communication with AI clients

• Claude Desktop: Stdio MCP support
• Cherry Studio: Stdio MCP support
• Cursor IDE: Stdio MCP support

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Program won’t start: Ensure you downloaded the correct platform version
2. File download failed: Check network connection and data directory permissions
3. Config file not found: Confirm the data directory path is set correctly

Getting Help

If you have questions or suggestions, contact us via the project’s GitHub Issues page.