Open Library Server

Overview

This project is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server built with TypeScript. It connects AI assistants to the Open Library API for searching books and authors, retrieving metadata, comparing works, and finding text snippets inside books.

Technologies Used

• TypeScript
• Node.js
• Model Context Protocol (MCP)
• Open Library API

Installation

npm install

Build

npm run build

Run

npm start

The server uses stdio transport. Point your MCP client at dist/index.js.

Available MCP Tools

Search

Tool	Parameters	Description
search_books	query	Search books by title, author, or keyword
search_authors	query, optional limit (default 10, max 25)	Search authors by name
read_book_snippet	query, optional limit (default 3, max 10)	Search inside books for text snippets

Books & works

Tool	Parameters	Description
get_work_details	workId	Full work record by Open Library work ID
get_book_details_by_isbn	isbn	Book details by ISBN-10 or ISBN-13
get_editions	workId	List editions for a work
get_book_ratings	workId	Aggregate reader ratings for a work
get_book_summary	workId	Concise metadata summary (title, description, subjects, etc.)
compare_books	workId1, workId2	Side-by-side comparison of two works

Authors

Tool	Parameters	Description
get_author_profile	authorId	Author biography and profile by ID
get_author_works	authorId, optional limit (default 20, max 100), optional offset	Author bibliography

Subjects

Tool	Parameters	Description
get_subject_insights	subject, optional limit (default 20, max 100), optional offset	Books and trends for a subject/topic