modbender Paper Fetcher
Automated academic paper retrieval from Sci-Hub.
Usage
Simple fetch:
Get paper: 10.1038/nature12345
Multiple papers:
Fetch these papers:
- 10.1016/j.cell.2023.01.001
- 10.1038/s41586-2023-06789-0
- 10.1126/science.abc1234
With context:
Get the epitalon paper: 10.1007/s12603-011-0032-7
What It Does
- Takes DOI as input
- Navigates to https://www.sci-hub.su/DOI
- Downloads the PDF
- Saves to
research/papers/with clean filename - Returns confirmation with file path
Output Location
workspace/
└── research/
└── papers/
├── paper_10.1038_nature12345.pdf
├── paper_10.1016_j.cell.2023.01.001.pdf
└── ...
Filename Format
paper_[DOI with slashes replaced].pdf
Examples:
- DOI:
10.1038/nature12345→paper_10.1038_nature12345.pdf - DOI:
10.1016/j.cell.2023.01.001→paper_10.1016_j.cell.2023.01.001.pdf
Workflow
When user provides a DOI:
- Extract DOI - Parse from message (with or without https://doi.org/ prefix)
- Navigate Sci-Hub - Use browser to load https://www.sci-hub.su/DOI
- Wait for PDF - Let page load and find download link
- Download - Save PDF to research/papers/
- Confirm - Report success with file path
Error Handling
If paper not found on Sci-Hub:
- Report that Sci-Hub couldn't find it
- Suggest checking the DOI format
- User can try manual search
If download fails:
- Report the error
- Provide Sci-Hub URL for manual download
Integration
With Obsidian Sync:
- Papers saved in research/papers/
- Can create notes linking to PDFs
- Sync metadata to Obsidian vault
With Research Automation:
- Fetch papers discovered in research runs
- Build reference library automatically
- Cross-reference with protocol notes
Tips
Finding DOIs:
- PubMed: Listed in article details
- Paper itself: Usually on first page
- Google Scholar: In citation info
Format flexibility:
- With prefix:
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12345✅ - Without prefix:
10.1038/nature12345✅ - Either format works
Batch fetching:
- Send multiple DOIs at once
- Processed sequentially
- All saved to research/papers/
Status: Active
Sci-Hub Domain: https://www.sci-hub.su
Save Location: research/papers/