4Science Community call: develop an Open-Source MCP Server for DSpace
Are you scared of AI and AI implementation everywhere? Don’t worry, we are too, and we are doing our best to get the best out of this AI wave that is hitting us. However, not everything about AI has to be scary or bad; sometimes it can help you in your daily work and improve it. That is why we wanted to take a step toward AI because, as we like to say, “If you can’t beat them, join them.” That is why we have released dspace-mcp, a PoC open-source server that connects AI assistants directly to DSpace repositories. Now available on GitHub, the project is the first implementation of the Model Context Protocol (MCP)for the DSpace ecosystem, enabling you to search, manage, and submit content to digital repositories through natural-language conversation.
New webinars coming up! Let’s Explore What’s Possible with DSpace
Narrating Cultural Heritage in DSpace through IIIF Annotations and Storytelling
How can a detail in a painting or a passage in a manuscript become part of a bigger story? Discover how DSpace-GLAM combines IIIF annotations and storytelling to connect digital objects with people, places, and events, creating interactive narratives that help audiences explore collections in context.
Choose the session that works for you:
October 28, 2027, 11 am CET: Italian-language webinar hosted by 4Science Register here
November 11, 2026 12:00 PM EST / 6pm CET: English language presentation at the IIIF community call Link to join the call, no registration needed
Registering DOIs with DSpace
Join 4Science, DataCite, and the DSpace community for a practical session on configuring DSpace to mint and register DOIs and update their metadata. Whether you already register DOIs or are considering getting started, we’ll explore how this functionality can support your institution.
Speakers include Pascal-Nicolas Becker (4Science), Mary Hirsch (DataCite), and Holger Lenz (DSpace).
November 17 at 3:00 p.m. UTC Register here
We hope to see you there and hear your questions!
4Science DSpace community contributions update October 2026
We’re excited to share 4Science’s contributions to the DSpace Community in October 2026. These updates are here to help make your DSpace experience smoother, safer, and more reliable. At 4Science, we don’t just build on DSpace, we help build DSpace. Our developers are among the most active contributors to the DSpace codebase, and this release cycle was no exception.
Security & Reliability
Your data’s safety is our top priority. Over the past weeks, we addressed several critical security vulnerabilities across DSpace:
- Path Traversal in Export Script: We fixed a vulnerability in the export script that could have allowed a Path Traversal attack via malicious bitstream filenames.
- Request Item Token Handling: We corrected how tokens for the “Request Item” feature are processed, preventing potential unauthorized file disclosure when Request-a-Copy is disabled.
- OAI-ORE Harvesting Protection: We resolved an issue where a malicious harvesting source could trick DSpace into revealing sensitive information during OAI-ORE harvesting (SSRF vulnerability).
- Bitstream Metadata Exposure: We ensured that technical details about bitstreams — such as file size and checksum — are no longer exposed to users who don’t have access to the underlying content via an accessToken parameter bypass.
- REST Endpoint Protection: We secured the REST endpoints used to delete completed processes against unauthorized access, preventing unauthenticated deletion of processes.
Preparing for DSpace 11: The “Unified Relationship” Era
The biggest news for Repository Administrators is our progress on the DSpace 11 Merger. We have been actively collaborating with the community to define a single, powerful model for managing relationships harmonizing how DSpace handles links across the entire research domain.
This is the most significant architectural shift currently underway in DSpace.
After contributing to the conceptual design as part of the DSpace and DSpace-CRIS merger management team, we submitted an initial pull request and are now reviewing a pull request from Atmire that aims to further enhance the current model.
A question we hear often: What does this mean for users of DSpace and DSpace-CRIS? Our most important goal is to ensure smooth and straightforward migration paths for all users whether you’re on DSpace or DSpace-CRIS toward the new unified model planned for DSpace 11.
New Features for DSpace 11
DSpace 11 should not only be about the important work on the data model. We certainly haven’t forgotten about working on new features for this version of DSpace! Here are several enhancements we’ll bring to DSpace 11 to improve the experience for both admins and researchers:
Modernizing Communication
We are leading the effort to add XOAUTH2 support for Gmail and Outlook to DSpace. This ensures your repository will continue to send emails reliably, even as major providers phase out older, less secure authentication methods.
DSpace North America user group meeting: a recap
One of our favorite parts of the DSpace North America user meeting, besides enjoying a bowling game, was simply spending time with the community catching up with familiar faces, meeting new colleagues, and hearing firsthand what repository teams are working on.
There was plenty to talk about, especially the progress toward DSpace 11 and the DSpace–DSpace-CRIS merger. Seeing the people behind that shared effort and discussing the next steps together made it particularly rewarding.
We also enjoyed presenting the CORE integration in DSpace and sharing our MCP developments for the first time. Your questions, feedback, and ideas made those conversations worthwile.
Thank you, Harvard University, for hosting and the amazing tours of campus! And to the organizers and everyone who took the time to connect with us. We’re already looking forward to the next opportunity to meet and play bowling together!
