# Consensus

An AI search engine over 400 million scholarly papers that answers research questions with cited summaries and a meter of how many studies say yes or no.

- Category: Research tools · by Consensus
- Website: https://consensus.app/
- Live data: no
- Checked on the official pages: 2026-10-23

## API

- Official API: yes, docs https://docs.consensus.app/api-get-started
- Key needed: yes
- Price: Paid; limits: Calls are $0.05 each beyond the credits included in a paid plan; REST quotas depend on the organization plan; 429 with Retry-After when exceeded
- Formats: json

## Data and license

- License: Consensus Terms of Service (https://consensus.app/home/terms-of-service/); covers Website content; no API-specific terms found
- Commercial use unclear
- Credit: not stated
- No embedding
- Quote (api_official): "The REST API is the canonical machine surface for organizations. It exposes search, paper detail, synthesis, and the Consensus Meter as stable, versioned JSON endpoints with bearer-token authentication." (https://consensus.app/llms-full.txt)
- Quote (api_key): "Sent as `Authorization: Bearer <key>` on every request" (https://consensus.app/llms-full.txt)
- Quote (api_price): "Calls are $0.05 each beyond the credits included in your plan" (https://consensus.app/home/api/)
- Quote (limits): "When a limit is exceeded the API returns HTTP 429 with a `Retry-After` header." (https://consensus.app/llms-full.txt)
- Quote (mcp): "Endpoint: https://mcp.consensus.app/mcp" (https://consensus.app/llms-full.txt)
- Quote (mcp_anonymous): "A limited unauthenticated surface is available for low-volume discovery and evaluation" (https://consensus.app/llms-full.txt)
- Quote (web_access): "10 Pro messages per month" (https://consensus.app/.well-known/pricing.md)
- Quote (embed): "You may download or copy Site content and materials for personal use only." (https://consensus.app/home/terms-of-service/)
- Quote (citations): "clients consuming search results should attribute findings to the specific papers returned." (https://consensus.app/llms.txt)

## Rules for an agent

- Official remote MCP server (OAuth 2.1; small anonymous tier, Free plan 30 searches/month) is the easiest route; REST API needs a Bearer key from consensus.app/subscription/api/ and is paid ($0.05/call beyond plan credits); no SDK; docs.consensus.app sits behind a Cloudflare check.
- Attribute findings to the specific papers returned
- Do not scrape the website; use the MCP server or the paid API
- Back off on HTTP 429 using the Retry-After header

## Agent access

- llms.txt: https://consensus.app/llms.txt
- MCP: https://mcp.consensus.app/mcp

Human page: https://agentgid.com/resources/consensus/
Source: AgentGid (agentgid.com). Facts are quoted from the site's own pages; check the license page before you ship.