ToolkitNot tested

ToolUniverse

Scientific tools, databases, models, and reusable research workflows

ToolUniverse is a scientific toolkit combining an MCP server, Python SDK, command-line tools, more than one thousand scientific resources, and hundreds of Skill files for literature, biomedical analysis, data wrangling, modelling, and research workflows.

For: Research Postgraduate Students, Doctoral Researchers, Academic Researchers, Research Software Developers

GitHub stars
1,564
Licence
Apache-2.0
Source updated
11 Jul 2026
Access
Publicly available

What this resource does

Core uses

This toolkit combines scientific tools, research Skills, and several access methods

ToolUniverse exposes scientific tools through an MCP server, a command-line interface, a Python SDK, and Agent Skills. This page shows representative research Skills and setup components rather than the complete tool registry.

The official documentation describes 68 pre-built research workflows and 1000+ scientific tools; the cards below are representative.

01

Scientific literature and knowledge tools

Provides unified access to literature search and scientific knowledge sources including PubMed, Semantic Scholar, arXiv, bioRxiv, and Europe PMC.

Typical inputs
Research query, identifier, or entity; Selected search tools and source scope
Output
Literature records, source metadata, or structured scientific knowledge results.

Best for: Finding scientific evidence across multiple documented sources.

Components for this task

tooluniverse-literature-deep-research

Runs literature review workflows across PubMed, Europe PMC, bioRxiv, and citation networks with evidence grading.

Suggested requests (1)

What does the literature say about CRISPR in cancer?

From plugin/skills/setup-tooluniverse/SKILL.md, demo query table.

tooluniverse-dataset-discovery

Finds and evaluates research datasets by mapping a question to suitable study designs and repositories.

Suggested requests (2)

Find research data about [topic].

Where can I get a dataset for [research question or topic]?

Adapted into complete requests from official trigger wording in plugin/skills/tooluniverse-dataset-discovery/SKILL.md frontmatter.

02

Biomedical and scientific analysis

Includes Skills and tools for omics, genetics, drug discovery, protein structure, epidemiology, statistics, data wrangling, and modelling.

Typical inputs
Domain dataset, identifiers, and analysis question; Selected Skill or ToolUniverse tool
Output
Component-dependent analysis results, tables, model outputs, or structured reports.

Best for: Running a documented scientific tool or domain workflow through one interface.

Components for this task

tooluniverse-data-integration-analysis

Adds gene, pathway, disease, and target context to statistical results such as DEGs, GWAS hits, or associations.

tooluniverse-statistical-modeling

Supports documented regression, group-comparison, survival, effect-size, and clinical adverse-event analyses.

03

Tool discovery and composition

Lets agents discover, inspect, call, cache, and compose scientific tools through MCP, CLI, Python, or Agent Skills.

Typical inputs
Research task and tool-selection constraints; Host agent or SDK configuration
Output
Tool calls, cached results, and composed workflow artifacts.

Best for: Building or extending an AI scientist system with traceable scientific tools.

Components for this task

setup-tooluniverse

Guides setup for ToolUniverse chat, CLI, and Python SDK access across documented AI clients.

Suggested requests (11)

Research the drug [name].

Research [disease].

What are the known targets of [drug]?

Find protein structures for [protein].

Is [variant] pathogenic?

What drugs could be repurposed for [disease]?

What are the adverse events for [drug]?

Find clinical trials for [disease/drug].

What are the protein interactions for [gene]?

What are the clinical guidelines for [condition]?

Check drug interactions between [drug1] and [drug2].

From plugin/skills/setup-tooluniverse/SKILL.md, Prompt cheat sheet.

tooluniverse-sdk

Provides Python SDK patterns for tool loading, batch execution, search, custom composition, and benchmarking pipelines.

tooluniverse-claude-code-plugin

Installs the Claude Code plugin with the ToolUniverse MCP server, research Skills, commands, hooks, and research agent.

Use boundaries

Limits and checks

Tool and source variability

Availability, evidence quality, licences, and outputs vary by tool.

Inspect the selected tool, source, parameters, and provenance before use.

External data flow and cost

Research inputs may leave the local environment and fees or limits may apply.

Check credentials, provider terms, budgets, and data policy for each tool.

Scientific interpretation

Automated workflows may produce unsupported conclusions.

Validate methods, assumptions, outputs, and source records with domain expertise.

More boundaries
  • ToolUniverse does not make every available tool suitable for every scientific domain or study design.
  • A tool cannot access restricted datasets, unavailable services, or credentials the user has not legitimately configured.
  • Tool results, biomedical interpretations, statistical conclusions, and literature claims require independent expert validation.
Technical details
Resource type
Toolkit
Author or maintainer
Shanghua Gao and the ToolUniverse contributors
Version
v1.3.1
Latest release
v1.3.1
Source last updated
11 Jul 2026
Last verified
13 Jul 2026
Documented applications
General Agent Skills, OpenAI API, Anthropic API, MCP-compatible agents, ToolUniverse Python SDK
Documented AI models
Claude, GPT, Gemini, Qwen, DeepSeek, Open models
Licence
Apache-2.0
Access
Publicly available
Additional costs
Platform terms or usage limits may apply. API usage fees may apply for selected components. External services, software, compute, or data access may have separate costs.
Skill instruction language
English
Documentation language
English
Repository languages
Python, Markdown
Dependencies
uv or Python for the MCP server and SDK; Node.js and npx for Agent Skills installation; Tool-specific APIs, packages, datasets, and credentials
Review status
Not tested

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