NotebookLM Server

A remote Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that gives AI agents (Claude, Cursor, Copilot, etc.) full programmatic access to Google NotebookLM via browser automation.

Hosted on Vercel · Browser powered by Browserless.io

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🗺️ Architecture

AI Agent (Claude / Cursor)
        │  MCP (Streamable HTTP)
        ▼
  ┌─────────────────────┐
  │  Vercel Function    │  ← Next.js App Router
  │  (TypeScript / MCP) │     mcp-handler adapter
  └─────────┬───────────┘
            │  WebSocket (CDP)
            ▼
  ┌─────────────────────┐
  │  Browserless.io     │  ← Remote headless Chromium
  │  (free tier)        │     stealth mode enabled
  └─────────┬───────────┘
            │  Playwright
            ▼
  ┌─────────────────────┐
  │  Google NotebookLM  │  ← Authenticated via stored cookies
  └─────────────────────┘

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⚡ Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• A free Browserless.io account → get your API token
• A Google account with access to NotebookLM
• A Vercel account

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Step 1 — Clone & install

git clone <your-repo-url>
cd notebooklm-mcp
npm install

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Step 2 — Extract Google cookies (one-time)

This step opens a browser window for you to sign in. Runs locally only.

# Install playwright for local cookie extraction
npm install playwright --save-dev
npx playwright install chromium

# Run the extractor
npm run get-cookies

1. A Chrome browser will open → sign in to your Google account
2. Navigate to NotebookLM and verify you can see your notebooks
3. Switch back to the terminal and press Enter
4. The script prints a NOTEBOOKLM_STORAGE_STATE=... value — copy it

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Step 3 — Configure environment variables

Copy .env.example to .env.local and fill in your values:

cp .env.example .env.local

# From https://browserless.io → your dashboard
BROWSERLESS_TOKEN=your_token_here

# From the get-cookies script output
NOTEBOOKLM_STORAGE_STATE=eyJjb29...

# Optional: closest region (sfo | lon | sea | fra)
BROWSERLESS_REGION=sfo

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Step 4 — Test locally

npm run dev
# MCP endpoint: http://localhost:3000/api/mcp

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Step 5 — Deploy to Vercel

# Install Vercel CLI
npm i -g vercel

# Deploy (follow the prompts)
vercel

# Add your environment variables (or use the Vercel dashboard)
vercel env add BROWSERLESS_TOKEN
vercel env add NOTEBOOKLM_STORAGE_STATE
vercel env add BROWSERLESS_REGION

# Deploy to production
vercel --prod

Your MCP server will be live at:

https://your-project.vercel.app/api/mcp

---

Step 6 — Connect your AI agent

Claude Desktop (~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notebooklm": {
      "url": "https://your-project.vercel.app/api/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Cursor (.cursor/mcp.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notebooklm": {
      "url": "https://your-project.vercel.app/api/mcp"
    }
  }
}

---

🛠️ Available MCP Tools

Notebooks

Tool	Description
notebooklm_list_notebooks	List all notebooks in your account
notebooklm_create_notebook	Create a new notebook
notebooklm_get_notebook	Get details of a notebook by ID
notebooklm_delete_notebook	Delete a notebook permanently

Sources

Tool	Description
notebooklm_list_sources	List all sources in a notebook
notebooklm_add_source_url	Add a website URL as a source
notebooklm_add_source_youtube	Add a YouTube video as a source
notebooklm_add_source_text	Add plain text as a source
notebooklm_remove_source	Remove a source from a notebook

Chat / Query

Tool	Description
notebooklm_ask	Ask a question (single turn)
notebooklm_conversation	Multi-turn conversation (up to 10 questions)

Content Generation

Tool	Description
notebooklm_generate_audio	Generate an Audio Overview (podcast)
notebooklm_generate_quiz	Generate a quiz
notebooklm_generate_flashcards	Generate flashcards
notebooklm_generate_mindmap	Generate a mind map
notebooklm_generate_slideshow	Generate a slide deck
notebooklm_generate_study_guide	Generate a study guide
notebooklm_generate_briefing	Generate a briefing document

Utility

Tool	Description
notebooklm_health_check	Verify Browserless.io connection and session validity

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🔑 Session Management

Google sessions typically last 30–90 days. When your session expires:

1. Run npm run get-cookies again on your local machine
2. Copy the new NOTEBOOKLM_STORAGE_STATE value
3. Update it in Vercel: vercel env rm NOTEBOOKLM_STORAGE_STATE && vercel env add NOTEBOOKLM_STORAGE_STATE
4. Re-deploy: vercel --prod

The notebooklm_health_check tool will tell you if the session is still valid.

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💰 Browserless.io Free Tier

The free tier gives you ~1,000 units/month.

Operation	Approx. cost
List notebooks	~1 unit
Add a URL source	~2–3 units
Ask a question	~2 units
Generate audio	~2 units

For typical personal use (~50–100 tool calls/month), the free tier is more than sufficient.

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⚠️ Limitations

• Vercel Hobby timeout: Functions are limited to 60 seconds. Long-running operations (audio generation) are started asynchronously and must be checked in the NotebookLM UI.
• Session expiry: Google cookies expire. Re-run get-cookies when authentication fails.
• UI changes: NotebookLM is a product under active development. If selectors break, open an issue.
• Unofficial: This uses browser automation, not an official API. Google could change NotebookLM's interface at any time.

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🔧 Troubleshooting

"Session has expired" error → Re-run npm run get-cookies and update NOTEBOOKLM_STORAGE_STATE in Vercel.

"BROWSERLESS_TOKEN is not set" error → Add the token in Vercel dashboard → Settings → Environment Variables.

Tool returns "Could not find button" error → NotebookLM's UI may have been updated. Check the notebooklm-py repo for updated selectors.

Timeout errors → Browserless.io free tier may be under load. Wait a few minutes and retry.