ShelLayer
A library card for your agent ShelfLayer lets your AI search a public-domain book index, inspect shelves, books, and tables of contents, read sections, and…
What it can do
- Search: Search ShelfLayer's public-domain library and return result ids for the fetch tool.
- Fetch: Fetch the full text and citation metadata for a ShelfLayer search result id.
- List Shelves: List every ShelfLayer category with a book count.
What data it sees
Do you need an account
No: the server works without sign-in
A library card for your agent
ShelfLayer lets your AI search a public-domain book index, inspect shelves, books, and tables of contents, read sections, and return citation-ready passages from Project Gutenberg-sourced works. It is a read-only research app for finding source material across history, philosophy, economics, science, biography, religion, art, and other nonfiction topics.
How to connect
How to connect ShelLayer to Claude
The server address to paste into Claude settings:
https://shellayer--abdelali-selouani.run.tools
- Open Claude (claude.ai or the desktop app).
- Go to Settings → Connectors.
- Click Add custom connector.
- Paste the server address copied below into Remote MCP server URL and click Add.
- 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 ShelLayer to ChatGPT
The server address to paste into ChatGPT settings:
https://shellayer--abdelali-selouani.run.tools
- Open ChatGPT in a browser (chatgpt.com). A Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise or Edu plan is required.
- Turn on developer mode once: Settings → Apps → Advanced settings → Developer mode.
- Open Settings → Connectors and click Create.
- Fill in the form: Name (anything), Description (one line about what the service does), MCP server URL (copy it below).
- Under Authentication choose OAuth if the service requires sign-in, otherwise None. Click Create.
- 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 ShelLayer to Cursor
The server address to paste into Cursor settings:
https://shellayer--abdelali-selouani.run.tools
Fastest: click Open in Cursor below and confirm the prompt.
Manually:
- In Cursor open Settings → Cursor Settings → MCP and click Add new global MCP server.
- Paste the JSON copied below into
~/.cursor/mcp.json(per project:.cursor/mcp.jsonin the repo root). - 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 (8)
Raw names from tools/list. Only developers need these.
| search | Search ShelfLayer's public-domain library and return result ids for the fetch tool. |
| fetch | Fetch the full text and citation metadata for a ShelfLayer search result id. |
| list_shelves | List every ShelfLayer category with a book count. |
| list_books | List or find books in the library, optionally searched by title, author, shelf metadata, or partial filters. |
| inspect_book | Return a book's metadata and full table of contents without passage text. |
| search_passages | Keyword full-text search over indexed book passages, optionally scoped by shelf, book, or section. |
| read_section | Return all passages in a section, in order. |
| get_citation | Return a passage locator and human-readable citation string. |