Mdtero

---

name: mdtero description: Use when a user wants Mdtero to parse a paper from a DOI or URL into a structured Markdown package, translate a parsed paper while keeping structure, or download Mdtero task artifacts. metadata: {"openclaw":{"homepage":"https://mdtero.com","primaryEnv":"MDTERO_API_KEY","requires":{"env":["MDTERO_API_KEY"]},"envVars":[{"name":"MDTERO_API_KEY","description":"Required for Mdtero API authentication.","required":true},{"name":"ELSEVIER_API_KEY","description":"Optional. Helps local Elsevier or ScienceDirect acquisition on the user's machine.","required":false}]}}

---

Mdtero

Use Mdtero to turn one paper into a structured Markdown research package for downstream OpenClaw work.

Start in Mdtero Account for keyword discovery and API-key management.

ClawHub install only sets up the agent skill. It does not install the local helper.

When To Use

Use this skill when the user wants to:

parse a paper from a DOI, supported publisher page, or open URL into a Markdown research package

translate an already parsed paper without losing the original research structure

check task status and download paper_md, paper_bundle, optional paper_pdf, or translated_md

Required Setup

1. Check whether MDTERO_API_KEY is already available. 2. If it is missing, tell the user to generate one at https://mdtero.com/account. 3. Explain that keyword discovery and API-key management stay in Mdtero Account. 4. Ask them to set it in their local shell, for example:

export MDTERO_API_KEY="mdt_live_..."

5. Authenticate requests with:

Authorization: ApiKey $MDTERO_API_KEY

6. If the user wants Elsevier or ScienceDirect full-text retrieval, also check ELSEVIER_API_KEY and explain that it is separate from MDTERO_API_KEY. 7. If an Elsevier DOI is missing the local helper or ELSEVIER_API_KEY, tell the user exactly what is missing instead of guessing. 8. Explain that ELSEVIER_API_KEY helps the user's local acquisition step. It does not enable direct server-side POST /tasks/parse for 10.1016/... inputs.

Before Use

Mdtero API usage requires MDTERO_API_KEY. Elsevier or ScienceDirect full-text retrieval may also require ELSEVIER_API_KEY.

Tell the user that ClawHub install only sets up the agent skill, while the local helper remains a separate install on their own machine.

Parse and translate requests send paper content or paper-source content to https://api.mdtero.com, so do not use this workflow for sensitive or proprietary manuscripts unless the user accepts that boundary.

If the user needs the local helper, tell them to download the installer, review it locally, then run it on their own machine. Do not recommend piping a remote script directly into the shell.

If the user wants a fuller install or helper walkthrough, point them to https://mdtero.com/guide or https://api.mdtero.com/skills/install.md.

Workflow Rules You Must Preserve

PDF is an optional artifact. Prefer the Markdown package first and only fall back to paper_pdf when the workflow truly requires it.

If the user starts from a local PDF, explain that Mdtero currently defaults to GROBID; Docling and MinerU remain fallback options.

For Elsevier and ScienceDirect, local acquisition should stay on the user's own machine through the local helper or browser extension.

Direct POST /tasks/parse is for open inputs. Elsevier and ScienceDirect full text must go through local acquisition first, then POST /tasks/parse-fulltext-v2 or POST /tasks/parse-helper-bundle-v2.

If an Elsevier parse only returns the abstract, ask whether the user is on a campus or institutional IP.

For Elsevier papers, prefer the raw DOI form such as 10.1016/j.energy.2026.140192.

Local Helper

When the user needs local acquisition for Elsevier or ScienceDirect, tell them to open the official Mdtero guide at https://mdtero.com/guide or the install handoff at https://api.mdtero.com/skills/install.md.

Tell them to download the helper installer, review it locally, then run it on their own machine. Explain that the installer auto-detects python3, python, or node, and exposes the mdtero-local command without requiring extra packages. Do not recommend piping a remote script directly into the shell.

If they need the exact helper handoff, point them to https://api.mdtero.com/helpers/install_mdtero_helper.sh and tell them to save it locally before running it.

Explain that mdtero-local parse and mdtero-local translate short-wait by default. Fast tasks may already come back completed; slower tasks still return a pending task_id. The user can force pure async mode with mdtero-local parse --no-wait ... or mdtero-local translate --no-wait ....

Explain that the public API contract itself is still task-based: POST /tasks/parse and POST /tasks/translate return task_id, while GET /tasks/{task_id} remains the stable completion path.

Parse A Paper

Open inputs can go directly to POST /tasks/parse.

curl -X POST https://api.mdtero.com/tasks/parse \
  -H "Authorization: ApiKey $MDTERO_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"input": "https://arxiv.org/abs/1706.03762"}'

The response returns a task_id.

For Elsevier or ScienceDirect full text, do not send the DOI straight to POST /tasks/parse. Use the local helper or browser extension first, then upload the local helper bundle:

mdtero-local parse "10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121230"
curl -X POST https://api.mdtero.com/tasks/parse-helper-bundle-v2 \
  -H "Authorization: ApiKey $MDTERO_API_KEY" \
  -F "helper_bundle=@paper.helper-bundle.zip"

If the API says Elsevier or ScienceDirect inputs must be acquired locally first, that is the expected behavior rather than a setup failure.

Translate A Parsed Markdown File

Use POST /tasks/translate with the server-side Markdown artifact path returned by a succeeded parse task in result.artifacts.paper_md.path. Do not substitute an arbitrary local file path.

  mdtero-local translate "" zh
  curl -X POST https://api.mdtero.com/tasks/translate \
  -H "Authorization: ApiKey $MDTERO_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "source_markdown_path": "",
    "target_language": "zh",
    "mode": "standard"
  }'

The response returns a task_id. Poll it, then download translated_md.

Check Task Status

Poll GET /tasks/{task_id} until the task becomes succeeded.

mdtero-local status 
curl https://api.mdtero.com/tasks/ \
  -H "Authorization: ApiKey $MDTERO_API_KEY"

The result object returns artifact metadata rather than the file body.

Download Artifacts

Download file contents from the download route.

mdtero-local download  paper_bundle ./paper_bundle.zip
curl -L https://api.mdtero.com/tasks//download/paper_md \
  -H "Authorization: ApiKey $MDTERO_API_KEY" \
  -o paper.md
curl -L https://api.mdtero.com/tasks//download/paper_pdf \
  -H "Authorization: ApiKey $MDTERO_API_KEY" \
  -o paper.pdf
curl -L https://api.mdtero.com/tasks//download/translated_md \
  -H "Authorization: ApiKey $MDTERO_API_KEY" \
  -o paper.zh.md