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mcp-open-library

@8enSmith

About mcp-open-library

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for the Internet Archive's Open Library API that enables AI assistants to search for book and author information.

Basic information

Category

Developer Tools

License

MIT

Runtime

node

Transports

stdio

Publisher

8enSmith

Submitted by

Ben Smith

Config

Add this server to your MCP-compatible client using the configuration below.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-open-library": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@smithery/cli",
        "install",
        "@8enSmith/mcp-open-library",
        "--client",
        "claude"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Tools

No tools detected

We auto-extract tools from the README. The maintainer can list them under a ## Tools heading to populate this section.

Overview

What is mCP-Open-Library?

mcp-open-library is an MCP server that provides AI assistants with tools to search the Open Library API for book and author information, including titles, authors, covers, and author photos.

How to use mCP-Open-Library?

Install via Smithery (npx -y @smithery/cli install @8enSmith/mcp-open-library --client claude) or manually by cloning the repo, running npm install and npm run build. Then point any MCP‑compatible client (e.g., Claude Desktop) to the build/index.js entry point, or use the MCP Inspector with npm run inspector.

Key features of mCP-Open-Library

  • Search books by title (get_book_by_title)
  • Search authors by name (get_authors_by_name)
  • Retrieve detailed author information by Open Library key
  • Get author photo URL using Open Library ID
  • Get book cover URL by ISBN, OCLC, LCCN, OLID, or ID
  • Get full book details by ISBN, LCCN, OCLC, or OLID

Use cases of mCP-Open-Library

  • AI assistant answering book queries in a chat interface
  • Building a reading list or author biography tool
  • Fetching book covers or author photos for display
  • Looking up edition details and availability data

FAQ from mCP-Open-Library

What is mCP-Open-Library?

It is an MCP server that wraps the Open Library API, exposing tools for AI assistants to search books and authors, retrieve details, covers, and photos.

How do I install mCP-Open-Library?

You can install it automatically via Smithery or manually by cloning the repository, installing dependencies with npm install, and building with npm run build.

What tools does mCP-Open-Library provide?

It provides six tools: get_book_by_title, get_authors_by_name, get_author_info, get_author_photo, get_book_cover, and get_book_by_id.

How can I use mCP-Open-Library with an MCP client?

Use any MCP client (e.g., Claude Desktop) and point it to the built build/index.js file. The server communicates over stdio.

Does mCP-Open-Library require a specific Node version?

The README recommends Node v22.21.1, though newer versions may also work.

Comments

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