CLI Reference

CrossRef Local provides a comprehensive command-line interface.

Global Options

crossref-local [OPTIONS] COMMAND [ARGS]...

Options:

--http: Use HTTP API instead of direct database
--api-url URL: API URL for http mode (default: auto-detect)
--version: Show version
-h, --help: Show help
--help-recursive: Show help for all commands

Commands

search

Search for works by title, abstract, or authors.

crossref-local search [OPTIONS] QUERY

Options:

-n, --number INTEGER: Number of results (default: 10)
-o, --offset INTEGER: Skip first N results
-a, --abstracts: Show abstracts
-A, --authors: Show authors
-if, --impact-factor: Show journal impact factor
--json: Output as JSON

Examples:

crossref-local search "machine learning"
crossref-local search "CRISPR" -n 20 -a
crossref-local search "neural networks" --impact-factor
crossref-local search "deep learning" --json

search-by-doi

Search for a work by DOI.

crossref-local search-by-doi DOI [OPTIONS]

Options:

--json: Output as JSON
--citation: Output as citation

Examples:

crossref-local search-by-doi 10.1038/nature12373
crossref-local search-by-doi 10.1038/nature12373 --citation

status

Show status and configuration.

crossref-local status

relay

Run HTTP relay server for remote database access.

crossref-local relay [OPTIONS]

Options:

--host TEXT: Host to bind (default: 0.0.0.0)
--port INTEGER: Port to listen on (default: 31291)

Examples:

crossref-local relay
crossref-local relay --port 8080

MCP Commands

mcp start

Start the MCP server.

crossref-local mcp start [OPTIONS]

Options:

-t, --transport [stdio|sse|http]: Transport type (default: stdio)
--host TEXT: Host for SSE/HTTP transport
--port INTEGER: Port for SSE/HTTP transport

mcp tools

List available MCP tools.

crossref-local mcp tools

list-apis

List Python APIs (requires scitex).

crossref-local list-apis [OPTIONS]

Options:

-v, --verbose: Verbosity level (-v sig, -vv +doc, -vvv full)
-d, --max-depth INTEGER: Max recursion depth
--json: Output as JSON