Codex¶

This page shows the currently supported way to connect NBER-CLI to Codex.

Prerequisites¶

Install uv and make sure both commands are available:

uvx --version
codex --version

You do not need to clone this repository or install NBER-CLI globally. uvx downloads and runs the published package in an isolated environment.

Add the MCP Server¶

Register NBER-CLI as a local stdio MCP server:

codex mcp add nber-cli-mcp -- uvx nber-cli mcp-server

This configuration starts uvx nber-cli mcp-server when Codex needs the server. It does not start the optional HTTP API, so the server extra is not required.

Verify the Setup¶

Confirm that the server is registered:

codex mcp list
codex mcp get nber-cli-mcp

Check the underlying CLI separately:

uvx nber-cli --help
uvx nber-cli info w25000 --format json
uvx nber-cli search "labor economics" --format json

Then ask Codex:

Use NBER-CLI to show the abstract for NBER paper w25000.

If startup fails, run uvx nber-cli mcp-server directly and report its exact error. If uvx is not found, install uv or fix PATH.

Optional Skill Instructions¶

The repository also contains reusable instructions at:

plugins/nber-cli/skills/NBER-CLI/SKILL.md

Without a local checkout, read the tracked file on GitHub:

https://github.com/sepinetam/nber-cli/blob/master/plugins/nber-cli/skills/NBER-CLI/SKILL.md

The MCP server works without copying this skill file; the skill only gives Codex additional workflow guidance.

Plugin Availability¶

The repository tracks a Codex plugin manifest at:

plugins/nber-cli/.codex-plugin/plugin.json

However, the current release does not track the .agents/plugins/marketplace.json catalog required to use the repository as a Codex marketplace. Therefore, do not use these commands with the current release:

codex plugin marketplace add sepinetam/nber-cli
codex plugin add nber-cli@nber-cli

Use the MCP setup above until a marketplace catalog is included in a future release.

Remove the Integration¶

codex mcp remove nber-cli-mcp

Access Policy¶

NBER-CLI does not bypass NBER access controls. If NBER returns 403, 404, an access-denied page, or a download-limit response, report that result to the user. Do not rotate proxies, share credentials, bypass CAPTCHA, or disguise traffic.