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io.github.cyanheads/openlibrary-mcp-server

io.github.cyanheads/openlibrary-mcp-server · v0.3.1

Measured by MCP Station

Description written by the publisher, not verified

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

Connect

claude mcp add --transport http openlibrary-mcp-server https://openlibrary.caseyjhand.com/mcp

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openlibrary-mcp-server": {
      "url": "https://openlibrary.caseyjhand.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Tools as reported by the server

• openlibrary_search_books
  Full-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
• openlibrary_search_inside
  Search 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
• openlibrary_get_work
  Fetch 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. A merged work ID resolves to the work it was merged into. To reach a work from an
• openlibrary_get_editions
  List 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. A merged work ID resolves to the work it was merged into. To
• openlibrary_get_edition
  Resolve 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
• openlibrary_search_authors
  Search 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_author
  Fetch 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_works
  List 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_subject
  Browse 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 —
• openlibrary_get_cover_url
  Resolve 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

Repository · JSON · Text for agents · Registry updated 2026-10-08