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Providers

bibsync can query NASA ADS, InspireHEP, or both. Provider selection is controlled with --provider:

bibsync main.tex -o references.bib --provider auto
bibsync main.tex -o references.bib --provider ads
bibsync main.tex -o references.bib --provider inspire

Auto

auto is the default. It tries NASA ADS first when ADS_API_TOKEN is present, then falls back to InspireHEP:

bibsync main.tex -o references.bib

This is a practical default for astrophysics projects. ADS generally has rich astronomy metadata, while InspireHEP is useful for high-energy physics and gravitational-wave records that are indexed there.

If ADS_API_TOKEN is not set, auto still works by using InspireHEP.

NASA ADS

NASA ADS supports:

  • arXiv IDs
  • DOIs
  • ADS bibcodes

ADS requires an API token:

export ADS_API_TOKEN="..."
bibsync main.tex -o references.bib --provider ads

Use ADS when:

  • The paper is likely indexed in the NASA Astrophysics Data System.
  • You want ADS-provided journal macros and ADS metadata such as adsurl.
  • Your citekeys include ADS bibcodes.

ADS BibTeX output can include journal macros such as \prl. A production paper often gets those definitions from astronomy bibliography packages or style files. For standalone examples, define the macro in the TeX source:

\providecommand{\prl}{Phys. Rev. Lett.}

InspireHEP

InspireHEP supports:

  • arXiv IDs
  • DOIs

It does not require an API token for the public literature API:

bibsync main.tex -o references.bib --provider inspire

Use InspireHEP when:

  • Your project cites high-energy physics, gravitational-wave, or related records indexed in InspireHEP.
  • You want token-free operation in CI or pre-commit.
  • Your citekeys are arXiv IDs and DOIs rather than ADS bibcodes.

Choosing A Provider

For local author workflows, auto is usually the best default. It uses ADS when available and falls back to InspireHEP.

For pre-commit hooks shared by collaborators, prefer an explicit provider:

bibsync --provider inspire --output references.bib main.tex

This avoids requiring every contributor to configure ADS_API_TOKEN. If your project needs ADS-only bibcodes, document the token requirement in the project README and use --provider ads.