You can connect your Consensus account to Claude using MCP (Model Context Protocol), allowing Claude to search over 220 million peer-reviewed research papers directly inside your chat.
This lets you run powerful research workflows like literature reviews, reading list generation, and grant discovery.
How to connect Consensus to Claude
You can add the Consensus connector directly from Claude settings.
Open Claude
Navigate to Customize > Connectors
Search for “Consensus”
Add the Consensus connector
When prompted, log in to your Consensus account via OAuth
Note: You can use Consensus without logging in, but signing in increases your usage limits.
Feel free to read our docs here: https://docs.consensus.app/consensus-mcp
What you can do with Consensus in Claude
Once connected, you can use Consensus in Claude to complete research workflows like:
Curriculum development: upload a course outline or syllabus and generate a recommended reading list of peer-reviewed papers
Literature reviews: build a search strategy, identify seminal papers, and surface key themes across the research
Grant research: explore novelty gaps in your research idea and find relevant funding opportunities like NIH grants
Evidence search: ask research questions in plain language and get relevant papers with citations
Research filtering: narrow results by criteria like year, human studies, and sample size
Example prompts
“Find randomized controlled trials on intermittent fasting and weight loss”
“Summarize recent research on ADHD treatments in adults”
“Create a reading list for a course on climate change economics”
“Find NIH grants related to Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers”
What results include
Paper titles and authors
Publication year
Citation counts
Links to the paper in Consensus
Summaries based on full-text analysis (when available)
Usage limits
Usage of Consensus in Claude depends on your Consensus plan:
Consensus Plan | Results per search | Monthly MCP calls | Maximum calls with additional usage ($0.10/call) |
No account | 3 | Limited | n/a |
Free | 10 | 30 | n/a |
Pro | 20 | 250 | 1,000 |
Team & Enterprise | 20 | 250 | 1,000 |
Deep | 20 | 1,000 | 10,000 |
Your API and MCP usage count toward the same monthly usage limit. This includes Consensus usage through Claude and ChatGPT, as well as calls made directly through the Consensus API.
For example, if your plan includes 250 calls and you use 100 through Claude, you have 150 included calls remaining across the API and MCP.
Paid users can enable additional usage for $0.10 per call, up to their plan's maximum monthly call limit. Additional usage is turned off by default.
Your usage resets on the 1st of each month.
How to enable additional usage
If you reach the number of calls included in your plan, paid users can enable additional usage to continue using Consensus in Claude.
Additional usage costs $0.10 per call and is turned off by default.
To enable additional usage:
Click your profile icon in the bottom-left corner of Consensus
Select API & MCP Dashboard
Select the settings control in the upper-right corner
Under API & MCP settings, turn on Enable additional usage
Save your changes
Once enabled, any calls above the amount included in your plan are billed at $0.10 per call, up to your plan's maximum monthly call limit.
Additional usage applies across both API and MCP usage, including Consensus searches made through Claude and ChatGPT.
You can see the amount due for additional usage from the API & MCP Dashboard.
You can turn additional usage off at any time. If you've already used more than the calls included in your plan, turning it off will prevent you from making additional API or MCP calls until your usage resets. You'll still be billed for any additional calls you made while additional usage was enabled.
Free users cannot enable additional usage. To access additional usage, upgrade to a paid plan.
How to view and manage your API and MCP usage
You can view your usage and manage your Consensus connections from the API & MCP Dashboard.
To access it:
Click your profile icon in the bottom-left corner of Consensus
Select API & MCP Dashboard
From the dashboard, you can:
See your current API and MCP usage
See how your usage is split between API and MCP
View your plan, monthly limit, and reset date
Enable or disable additional usage
Manage your API keys
See and manage your connected MCP clients, including ChatGPT and Claude
View your billing history
You can view usage for the last 7 days, last 30 days, or your current billing period.
Learn more
Consensus MCP page: https://consensus.app/home/mcp/
Full documentation: https://docs.consensus.app/consensus-mcp
Video tutorial course: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5at_-ZVRXUFrKoDwbWe_JUfqT4RGyT8r
FAQs
Do I need a paid Claude account to use the Consensus MCP connector?
No, you do not need a paid Claude account. The connector can be used on available Claude plans that support Connectors.
Does the MCP connector search My Library and uploaded PDFs?
Not currently. The MCP connector searches across the Consensus research index, not your uploaded papers or Library.
Can I control when Claude uses Consensus?
Claude automatically uses the connector when it detects a research-related question. You can also manually enable or disable the Consensus connector by clicking the Connector toggle within Claude.
Are there pre-built workflows or prompts I can use?
Yes, we’ve created pre-built “skills” for common workflows like literature reviews, reading list generation, and grant research.
You can explore and download them here: https://consensus.app/home/mcp/
Is my Consensus usage shared across Claude, ChatGPT, and the API?
Yes. Your monthly usage limit is shared across the Consensus API and MCP clients, including Claude and ChatGPT.
What if Claude is showing the wrong Consensus plan or usage limits?
Try disconnecting and reconnecting the Consensus connector in Claude. This will reauthenticate your Consensus account and refresh your current plan and usage limits.