openlibrary-mcp-server

Search books and authors, fetch editions, browse subjects, and resolve cover images.

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What it can do

    What data it sees

    Do you need an account

    No: the server works without sign-in

    Search books and authors, fetch editions, browse subjects, and resolve cover images.

    How to connect

    How to connect openlibrary-mcp-server to Claude

    The server address to paste into Claude settings:

    https://openlibrary.caseyjhand.com/mcp

    1. Open Claude (claude.ai or the desktop app).
    2. Go to Settings → Connectors.
    3. Click Add custom connector.
    4. Paste the server address copied below into Remote MCP server URL and click Add.
    5. In a chat, click + → Connectors and switch the new connector on.

    Custom connectors are available on Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans (Free is limited to one). On Team and Enterprise an organization Owner adds the connector first under Organization settings → Connectors.

    Authorization

    After you click Add, a sign-in window for the service opens. Sign in with your own account and approve access. Claude never sees your password.

    How to connect openlibrary-mcp-server to ChatGPT

    The server address to paste into ChatGPT settings:

    https://openlibrary.caseyjhand.com/mcp

    1. Open ChatGPT in a browser (chatgpt.com). A Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise or Edu plan is required.
    2. Turn on developer mode once: Settings → Apps → Advanced settings → Developer mode.
    3. Open Settings → Connectors and click Create.
    4. Fill in the form: Name (anything), Description (one line about what the service does), MCP server URL (copy it below).
    5. Under Authentication choose OAuth if the service requires sign-in, otherwise None. Click Create.
    6. In a new chat open + → Apps/Connectors and enable the connector.

    OpenAI has renamed this section before (Connectors → Apps/Plugins). If the label differs, search settings for "developer mode". On Business/Enterprise workspaces an admin must allow custom connectors first.

    Authorization

    On first use ChatGPT opens the service's sign-in window. Sign in and approve access.

    How to connect openlibrary-mcp-server to Cursor

    The server address to paste into Cursor settings:

    https://openlibrary.caseyjhand.com/mcp

    Fastest: click Open in Cursor below and confirm the prompt.

    Manually:

    1. In Cursor open Settings → Cursor Settings → MCP and click Add new global MCP server.
    2. Paste the JSON copied below into ~/.cursor/mcp.json (per project: .cursor/mcp.json in the repo root).
    3. Save the file. The server appears in the MCP list; authorize it there if asked.

    Authorization

    If the service needs sign-in, an authorize button appears next to the server in the MCP list.

    Server tool list (10)

    Raw names from tools/list. Only developers need these.

    openlibrary_search_booksFull-text book search across Open Library works. Supports field filters (title, author, subject, publisher, ISBN, language) and returns work-level records with edition counts, cover IDs, and reading availability. Use query for general search or combine specific field filters. Results are work-level — drill into editions via openlibrary_get_editions.
    openlibrary_search_insideSearch the full text of books scanned by the Internet Archive — the "which book contains this passage?" lookup that the metadata tools cannot answer. Quote a phrase for an exact-phrase match; bare terms match anywhere in the text. Each result is an Internet Archive item with the matching passages as snippets, plus a relevance score. The full-text index is an order of magnitude slower than the metadata endpoints (seconds, not milliseconds), so reach for it when the passage is the question, not as a general book search — use openlibrary_search_books for title, author, or subject. Results key on Internet Archive items rather than Open Library works: chain the returned ia_identifier to archive.org, or match it against the ia_identifiers on openlibrary_search_books results to reach the catalogue record.
    openlibrary_get_workFetch a work by Open Library Work ID (OL…W). Returns title, description, subjects, cover IDs, and linked author IDs for follow-up lookups. Works represent the abstract book concept independent of any specific edition. Note: author names are not included — use openlibrary_get_author or openlibrary_search_books for names.
    openlibrary_get_editionsList editions of a work — different publishers, languages, formats, and print runs. Returns ISBNs, publisher, language, page count, and edition OLIDs. Use after openlibrary_get_work or openlibrary_search_books to find a specific printing.
    openlibrary_get_editionResolve one or more editions by identifier: ISBN-10, ISBN-13, OCLC, LCCN, or Open Library Edition ID (OL…M). Every identifier in a call shares one id_type — pass id_type "isbn" for both ISBN-10 and ISBN-13. Up to 50 identifiers resolve in a single upstream request, so a bibliography or shelf export costs one call rather than one per book; a large batch is a large response, so ask for what you need. Returns full edition metadata including authors, publisher, language, all identifier types, and the parent work ID, with author names inline and no secondary lookup; when the edition record itself lists no authors, they are recovered from the parent work and marked as such. Partial success is the norm — identifiers that resolve come back in editions, the rest are listed in unresolved with a reason, and the call fails only when nothing resolved.
    openlibrary_search_authorsSearch Open Library authors by name. Returns Open Library Author IDs, names, birth/death dates, top works, and subject associations. Use author IDs for openlibrary_get_author (bio, remote IDs) or openlibrary_get_author_works (list of works).
    openlibrary_get_authorFetch author detail by Open Library Author ID (OL…A). Returns bio, birth/death dates, photo IDs, and linked identifiers from Wikidata, VIAF, ISNI, Goodreads, and LibraryThing. Use openlibrary_search_authors to find an author ID first.
    openlibrary_get_author_worksList works by an author. Returns titles, cover IDs, and work OLIDs for drilling into editions or details. Use openlibrary_get_author for author bio and details, or openlibrary_get_editions to explore specific printings.
    openlibrary_get_subjectBrowse works by subject. Returns matching works with edition counts and cover IDs, plus the total work count for the subject. Case and spacing are normalized before lookup, so "Science Fiction" and "science_fiction" are the same request. Subject tags are user-contributed and the vocabulary varies — when a subject returns no works, try a different word form (singular/plural), a synonym, or a broader term.
    openlibrary_get_cover_urlResolve a cover image URL for a book or author photo. Returns a direct HTTPS URL in the requested size (S/M/L). The Covers API always returns HTTP 200 — missing covers return a 1×1 placeholder GIF, not a 404 — so the identifier format is validated locally first: "id" must be numeric, "isbn" 10 or 13 digits, "olid" an edition OLID (OL…M) for target "book" and an author OLID (OL…A) for target "author". Identifiers with path separators or control characters, and author-by-ISBN lookups, are rejected before any request. URLs can be embedded in markdown as ![cover](url).