ADS API
Quick Start
- •Define the retrieval goal (discovery, citation tracing, metrics, export, library workflows).
- •Build and validate the ADS query syntax.
- •Select minimal output fields (
fl) needed for the task. - •Execute ADS API requests with token authentication.
- •Check pagination, rate-limit behavior, and response completeness before concluding.
Build Queries
Use these core syntax rules first:
- •Use uppercase
AND,OR,NOTfor explicit boolean logic. - •Use
+termfor required terms and-termfor excluded terms. - •Use quoted phrases for exact matching, for example
"dark matter". - •Use fielded terms such as
author:"Doe, J",year:2024,bibstem:ApJ. - •Use ranges such as
year:[2018 TO 2024]. - •Use grouped clauses with parentheses for precedence control.
Read /Users/mac/Documents/yuzhe/skills/ads-api/references/search_syntax.md for canonical syntax patterns and edge-case behavior.
Read /Users/mac/Documents/yuzhe/skills/ads-api/references/search_parser.md when parser behavior or advanced operators become relevant.
Use API Endpoints
- •Base API host:
https://api.adsabs.harvard.edu. - •Send token in
Authorization: Bearer <ADS_API_TOKEN>. - •Start with
GET /v1/search/queryfor most workflows. - •Add
flandrowsexplicitly; avoid overfetching fields. - •Use deterministic sorting when reproducibility matters.
Use endpoint-specific guidance:
- •
/Users/mac/Documents/yuzhe/skills/ads-api/references/api_basics.md - •
/Users/mac/Documents/yuzhe/skills/ads-api/references/api_endpoints.md - •
/Users/mac/Documents/yuzhe/skills/ads-api/references/api_examples.md
Field Selection
Before running large queries, confirm field names and semantics in:
- •
/Users/mac/Documents/yuzhe/skills/ads-api/references/solr_fields_operators.md
For speed and reliability, request only required fields in fl (for example bibcode,title,author,year,citation_count).
Validation Checklist
- •Confirm query parses and returns expected document class.
- •Confirm filters and ranges are correctly scoped.
- •Confirm pagination (
rows,start) covers requested result volume. - •Confirm no silent truncation in returned fields.
- •Confirm HTTP status; handle
429and5xxwith retry/backoff.
Reference Index
Use /Users/mac/Documents/yuzhe/skills/ads-api/references/index.md to locate the right reference file quickly.