Open Library MCP server
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-open-library": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"mcp-open-library@latest",
"mcp-open-library"
],
"env": {
"MCP_PROXY_AUTH_TOKEN": "<mcp_proxy_auth_token>"
}
}
}
}{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-open-library": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"mcp-open-library@latest",
"mcp-open-library"
],
"env": {
"MCP_PROXY_AUTH_TOKEN": "<mcp_proxy_auth_token>"
}
}
}
}{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-open-library": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"mcp-open-library@latest",
"mcp-open-library"
],
"env": {
"MCP_PROXY_AUTH_TOKEN": "<mcp_proxy_auth_token>"
}
}
}
}{
"servers": {
"mcp-open-library": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"mcp-open-library@latest",
"mcp-open-library"
],
"env": {
"MCP_PROXY_AUTH_TOKEN": "${input:mcp_proxy_auth_token}"
}
}
},
"inputs": [
{
"id": "mcp_proxy_auth_token",
"type": "promptString",
"description": "Mcp proxy auth token",
"password": true
}
]
}{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-open-library": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"mcp-open-library@latest",
"mcp-open-library"
],
"env": {
"MCP_PROXY_AUTH_TOKEN": "<mcp_proxy_auth_token>"
}
}
}
}file .mcp.json (in your project root)file claude_desktop_config.jsonfile ~/.cursor/mcp.jsonfile .vscode/mcp.jsonfile ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.jsoninstall npx -y mcp-open-libraryversion 1.2.2
What it does
This server provides access to Open Library's book and author database through the MCP protocol. It lets AI assistants search for books by various criteria, look up author information, and retrieve cover images and author photos.
- Search for books by title, author, subject, ISBN or other fields to find reading recommendations or verify book details.
- Look up author information by name or Open Library key to gather biographical data or publication history.
- Retrieve book cover images and author photos using various identifiers for display or reference purposes.
Tools this server exposes
| Tool | Does |
|---|---|
| search_books | Search the Open Library catalogue by query, title, author, subject, place, person, publisher or ISBN with paging support. |
| get_book_by_title | Search for books using their title. |
| get_authors_by_name | Search for authors by name with paging support. |
| get_author_info | Retrieve detailed information for a specific author using their Open Library key. |
| get_author_photo | Get the URL for an author's photo using their Open Library ID. |
| get_book_cover | Get the URL for a book's cover image using ISBN, OCLC, LCCN, OLID or other identifiers. |
| get_book_by_id | Retrieve detailed book information using ISBN, LCCN, OCLC or OLID identifiers. |
Before you enable it
An MCP server runs with whatever access you give it. Start with a development account rather than production, and check which tools the server exposes before you let an agent call them unattended.