Claude Connection for Biomedical Research: How to Connect Claude
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Claude Plugins and Connectors for Biomedical Research: How to Connect Claude with BioSkepsis
Claude plugins and connectors both extend what Claude can do, but BioSkepsis is available as a connector, not a plugin. Once connected, a biomedical evidence question typed into Claude returns a PubMed-cited brief with a Trust Index instead of an unverified summary, in Claude.ai, Claude Desktop and Cowork. Each run reads the peer-reviewed literature, screens out retracted papers, and checks every cited claim against its source before the brief is returned.
Claude Plugins vs Connectors for Biomedical Research: Where BioSkepsis Fits
Claude can be extended in two ways. A connector links Claude to an external service through the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and hands it that service's tools. A plugin is a package for Cowork and Claude Code that can bundle connectors with skills, subagents and hooks. BioSkepsis is available as a connector; it is not packaged as a Claude plugin yet. The table below covers where the connector works and who each setup suits.
| Setup | Where it runs | Setup path | Claude plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Directory connector | Claude.ai web, Claude Desktop | Customize → Connectors → Browse → BioSkepsis → Connect | Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise (Free plans may vary) | Individual researchers asking evidence questions in chat |
| Organisation connector | Claude.ai web, Claude Desktop, Cowork | Organization settings → Connectors → add BioSkepsis for the organisation | Team, Enterprise | Lab groups, pharma R&D and clinical research teams |
| Connector in Cowork | Cowork | Connect BioSkepsis once under Customize → Connectors, then use it in Cowork tasks | Plans with Cowork access | Multi-step literature reviews, grant and thesis drafting |
Every route authenticates against the same BioSkepsis account, so briefs started from Claude also appear in the BioSkepsis app and count against the same monthly allowance.
How to Connect Claude.ai and Claude Desktop to the BioSkepsis Biomedical Research Connector
Claude.ai in the browser and Claude Desktop share the same connector settings. Add BioSkepsis once and it is available on both.
Add BioSkepsis from the Claude connector directory
- Open Customize in the left sidebar, then select Connectors.
- Click + and choose Browse connectors.
- Search for BioSkepsis and click Connect.
- Sign in through the BioSkepsis sign-in page. Your password stays with BioSkepsis; Claude receives an access token, not your credentials.
Turn BioSkepsis on in a conversation
In a new chat, click + in the lower left, open Connectors, and make sure the BioSkepsis toggle is on. Then ask a full research question, for example: "Use BioSkepsis to review whether GLP-1 receptor agonists reduce major adverse cardiovascular events in adults with obesity but without type 2 diabetes." Claude starts the run, reports progress, and posts the brief when it is ready.
Team and Enterprise: deploy the BioSkepsis connector once for the whole lab
An Owner opens Organization settings → Connectors and adds BioSkepsis for the organisation. Members then go to Customize → Connectors, find BioSkepsis, and click Connect to sign in with their own BioSkepsis account, so each researcher's briefs and quota stay separate.
Installing the BioSkepsis Claude Plugin in Cowork for Life-Science Literature Workflows
Cowork is Claude's agentic workspace for longer, file-based tasks. A plugin installs a connector plus the skills and subagents that tell Claude how to use it, in one step. The BioSkepsis plugin is listed in Claude's plugin directory.
- Open the Cowork tab, then Customize in the sidebar, and select Plugins.
- Click Browse plugins and search for BioSkepsis.
- Click Install. Because the plugin includes the BioSkepsis connector, Cowork prompts you to sign in to BioSkepsis.
- Open the installed plugin to review its skills and connector, and enable or disable individual components.
- Type
/or click + in a Cowork task to see the skills the plugin added.
Plugins run in Cowork and Claude Code; skills from an installed plugin also surface in chat, while hooks and subagents stay Cowork-only. On Team and Enterprise plans, admins can distribute the plugin through an organisation marketplace or a GitHub repository added as a marketplace, and can mark it as required so it installs for every member.
Connector or plugin: which one a biomedical researcher needs
A clinician checking whether semaglutide reduces cardiovascular events needs only the connector: one question, one brief. A postdoc drafting a thesis chapter on incretin biology in Cowork benefits from the plugin, because Cowork can run several briefs, read local drafts, and assemble cited sections across one task.
The Six BioSkepsis MCP Tools Claude Uses to Search PubMed Literature
Once connected, Claude sees six tools. Runs are asynchronous: Claude starts a run, polls it, and retrieves the brief when it finishes.
| Tool | What it does | When Claude calls it |
|---|---|---|
start_research_run |
Launches a full literature review; optional format: answer, review, interpretation, summary or extraction | You ask a substantive biomedical question |
get_research_status |
Returns phase (e.g. "reading full text") and papers found so far | While the run is in progress |
get_research_brief |
Returns the brief: headline, markdown, ranked and tiered sources, sub-question coverage, Trust Index | When status is done |
list_recent_briefs |
Lists your most recent briefs | You ask "what did I research last week?" |
get_brief |
Re-opens a saved brief by id | You want to reuse an earlier brief without a new run |
create_research_feed |
Follows a finished run's papers and emails new related papers daily, weekly or monthly | You ask to stay updated on a topic |
The research feed is the same feature described in How the BioSkepsis Research Feed Solves Information Overload, now triggered from a Claude conversation.
Claude with BioSkepsis vs Claude Alone for Clinical and Biomedical Evidence Questions
Claude without a literature connector answers from its training data or from general web search. Adding BioSkepsis changes where the citations come from and what happens to them before you see them.
| Dimension | Claude + BioSkepsis connector | Claude without a literature connector |
|---|---|---|
| Source base | Peer-reviewed biomedical papers, read in full text where available | Training data or general web results |
| Retracted and questioned papers | Screened out; provenance facet reports retractions, corrections and venue issues | Not systematically checked |
| Claim-level citation checks | Each cited claim verified against its source; failures struck and listed | No per-claim verification step |
| Evidence rating | Trust Index with grounding, provenance, evidence strength, reproducibility and durability facets | None |
| Sub-question coverage | Reports which sub-questions were covered and by how many studies | Implicit |
| Response time | 3 to 8 minutes per run | Seconds |
| Cost | One BioSkepsis monthly brief per run | Included in the Claude plan |
The trade-off is time for verifiability. For quick definitions, Claude alone is faster; for a claim that will enter a grant, a manuscript or a tumour-board note, the verified brief is the safer input. BioSkepsis's own repeat-run testing is described in Reproducibility in Biomedical AI: A Three-Run Test of BioSkepsis.
ConnectorClinicians and medical writers checking a drug or trial claim
Add BioSkepsis from the directory, ask one question in chat, and paste the PMIDs from the brief into your document.
CoworkPhD students and postdocs drafting literature reviews
Use the BioSkepsis connector in a Cowork task so Claude can run several briefs, work with your local drafts, and keep citations tied to verified sources across a multi-step task.
Org connectorPharma R&D and translational research teams
Have an Owner add BioSkepsis under Organization settings so every member can connect with their own account, and use research feeds to track new papers on each target or indication.
Troubleshooting the BioSkepsis Connector: Authentication, Brief Limits and Declined Biomedical Questions
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Connection fails when adding the connector | Interrupted sign-in or stale session | Remove BioSkepsis under Customize → Connectors and connect it again from the directory |
| "Connection expired" | Access token lapsed | Customize → Connectors → Reconnect, then sign in again |
| Usage limit reached | Monthly research briefs used up | Upgrade your BioSkepsis plan or wait for the monthly reset |
| Run seems slow | Full-text reading and citation verification | Expected; runs usually take 3 to 8 minutes |
| Question declined | Outside life-science or biomedical scope | Rephrase as a full biomedical research question |
| Tools missing in a chat | Connector toggled off for that conversation | Click + → Connectors and switch BioSkepsis on |
The full reference, including plan allowances, is in the BioSkepsis Claude connector documentation. For account issues, contact BioSkepsis support.
Frequently Asked Questions for Claude Plugins
Is the BioSkepsis connector free to use in Claude?
Connecting BioSkepsis from Claude's connector directory costs nothing extra on the Claude side. On the BioSkepsis side, every research run started from Claude uses one of your account's monthly research briefs (Basic includes 1, Plus includes 4, higher tiers include more). Re-opening saved briefs with list_recent_briefs or get_brief does not start a new run.
Is BioSkepsis a Claude plugin or a Claude connector?
BioSkepsis is a Claude connector. A connector links Claude to an external service and gives it that service's tools; the BioSkepsis connector adds six research tools in Claude.ai, Claude Desktop and Cowork. A plugin is a package for Cowork and Claude Code that can bundle connectors with skills, subagents and hooks. BioSkepsis is not available as a Claude plugin yet, and you do not need one to use it.
Does the BioSkepsis connector work in Claude Desktop and on mobile?
Yes for Claude Desktop, which uses the same Customize, then Connectors settings as claude.ai. Anthropic lists remote MCP access for the Claude mobile apps, and the BioSkepsis setup guide lists the mobile apps as supported surfaces, so a connector you authenticate once is available across them.
Why does a BioSkepsis research run take several minutes inside Claude?
A run searches the biomedical literature, reads full text where it is available, screens out retracted and questioned papers, and verifies each cited claim against its source before writing the brief. A typical run takes 3 to 8 minutes, sometimes longer. Claude polls get_research_status and fetches the brief when the status changes to done.
Can Claude keep me updated on new PubMed papers after a BioSkepsis brief?
Yes. Ask Claude to create a research feed from a finished run; it calls create_research_feed with the run id and a daily, weekly or monthly frequency, and BioSkepsis emails newly published related papers on that schedule.
Why did BioSkepsis decline my question in Claude?
BioSkepsis is scoped to life-science and biomedical research. Questions outside that scope, such as general coding, finance or quick factual lookups, return a declined status with a message explaining why, and no brief is produced.
How can a Team or Enterprise admin deploy BioSkepsis to a whole research group?
An Owner adds BioSkepsis for the organisation under Organization settings, then Connectors. Members then open Customize, then Connectors, and click Connect to sign in with their own BioSkepsis account, so each researcher's briefs and quota stay separate.
Run Your First Verified Biomedical Literature Review from Claude
Create a BioSkepsis account, add the BioSkepsis connector in Claude, and ask Claude your next evidence question. Every brief arrives with PubMed citations checked against their sources and a Trust Index you can inspect.
Start freeSources for Reading Claude and BioSkepsis Biomedical Research Connector
- Anthropic. Get started with custom connectors using remote MCP. Claude Help Center
- Anthropic. Connectors overview. Claude documentation
- Anthropic. Use plugins in Claude. Claude Help Center
- BioSkepsis. Claude connector setup guide. bioskepsis.ai/docs/claude-connector