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MCP Open Library

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A Model Context Protocol server for the Internet Archive's Open Library API enabling AI assistants to search for book and author information.
How to install ↓ Compare GitHub source repository ↗
Category
Other
Stars
★ 95 Popular
Transport
stdio (local process)
Runtime
Node.js 22.21.1 · Docker
Credentials
No credential needed
License
MIT
Last commit
Tools
6
62FMRS · C

The server offers a variety of tools covering common operations from search to detailed info, with clean structured output, easy to integrate. However, it relies on a public API and lacks caching or rate limiting, suitable for lightweight queries.

Strongest · Documentation 14/20 Weakest · Reliability 10/20

Reliability
10/20
Security and permissions
14/20
Maintenance
12/20
Documentation
14/20
Setup experience
12/20
Why each score
Reliability 10/20
Source structure is clear with main server and test files, but no CI workflow or verifiable execution logs. Test coverage unknown; error handling and edge cases are thinly documented. Cannot confirm actual behavior of declared tools; happy path plausible, so score below 12.
Security and permissions 14/20
No obvious malware, credential theft, or unconfirmed dangerous operations. Server only calls public Open Library API, no API keys required, but least privilege and data boundaries not explicit; network calls lack timeout or error handling documentation; no security response channel. Score not full.
Maintenance 12/20
Repository active with commits and releases, but no detailed version history or dependency update records. Maintainer identity clear, MIT license present, but security response channel missing. Score above average.
Documentation 14/20
README covers installation, server running, tool parameters, and output examples, but lacks common error troubleshooting, rate limit notes, and cost info. Docs support basic usage but have hidden assumptions. Score 14 matches evidence.
Setup experience 12/20
Manual and Docker installation provided with clear steps, but requires specific Node version and lacks complete client config examples (e.g., for Claude Desktop). Setup is moderately complex, score 12.

Static review · not runListed 2026-08-07

Read the FMRS scoring method →

Fit and risk

What it can accessUses the network

Best for

  • AI assistants or chatbots that want to query book and author information in natural language.
  • Applications needing structured book data integration.

Not for

  • Comprehensive book catalog management for commercial use, as data comes from a public API and may be incomplete or delayed.
  • Use cases requiring real-time updates or high-frequency polling.
  • Scenarios requiring authentication or access to restricted resources.

Required permissions

  • Access to the Open Library public API (no authentication).
  • Communication via STDIO transport with MCP clients.

Risks and side effects

  • Dependency on external API; service may be unavailable due to network issues or API changes.
  • Data may be outdated or incomplete.
  • No rate limiting implemented; excessive requests could trigger Open Library restrictions.

Setup

Before you start

Runtime：Node.js 22.21.1 · Docker

  1. Clone the repository: git clone https://github.com/8enSmith/mcp-open-library.git
  2. cd mcp-open-library
  3. npm install
  4. npm run build
  5. Run the server (e.g., using the MCP Inspector or configure an MCP client).

Alternatively, install via Smithery for Claude Desktop: npx -y @smithery/cli install @8enSmith/mcp-open-library --client claude.

Check that it works

After connecting, the client's tool list should show get_book_by_title, get_authors_by_name, get_author_info, get_author_photo, get_book_cover and get_book_by_id. Run get_book_by_title with "The Hobbit" — a result containing open_library_work_key "/works/OL45883W" confirms the server works.

Troubleshooting

  1. Ensure Node.js version is v22.21.1 or later (if using nvm, run `nvm use`).
  2. Run `npm run build` to build the latest code.
  3. In the MCP Inspector, ensure the command is set to `build/index.js` and choose and connect STDIO transport.
  4. Check API accessibility by directly hitting the Open Library API.

Things to try

Once connected, you can ask your AI assistant things like:

  • Look up the book 'The Hobbit' by title and tell me its authors and first publish year.
  • Search for the author J.R.R. Tolkien and show me their birth date and top work.
  • Use author key OL26320A to get detailed information and a photo URL for Tolkien.
  • Find the book with ISBN 9780547928227 and tell me its page count, publisher, and cover URL.

Tools 6

get_book_by_title read-only
Search for book information by title.
get_authors_by_name read-only
Search for author information by name.
get_author_info read-only
Get detailed information for a specific author using their Open Library Author Key.
get_author_photo read-only
Get the URL for an author's photo using their Open Library Author ID (OLID).
get_book_cover read-only
Get the URL for a book's cover image using a specific identifier (ISBN, OCLC, LCCN, OLID, or ID).
get_book_by_id read-only
Get detailed book information using a specific identifier (ISBN, LCCN, OCLC, or OLID).

Use cases

Search for book information within an AI assistant, e.g., find a book by title.
Find author information and author photos.
Get URLs for book cover images.
Look up detailed book information by identifier like ISBN.

Supported clients

Claude Desktop

Listed from the project's documentation, not tested by this site.

Overview

This project implements an MCP server that provides tools for AI assistants to interact with the Open Library. It allows searching for book information by title, searching for authors by name, retrieving detailed author information using their Open Library key, and getting URLs for author photos using their Open Library ID (OLID). The server returns structured data for book and author information.

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Source revision 1d09ddc6f7d4 Data synced 2026-10-12 Read the FMRS scoring method