Scrivener

A local MCP server that exposes your Scrivener projects to Claude (or any MCP-compatible client). Create new projects from scratch, navigate the binder, read and write document content, and update metadata — all without opening Scrivener.

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Requirements

• Node.js 18 or later
• Scrivener 3 on macOS (.scriv packages)

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Setup

cd scrivener-mcp
npm install

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Environment variables

Variable	Description
SCRIV_DIR	Path to a directory containing .scriv packages. Enables list_projects, open_project, and create_project.
SCRIV_PATH	Path to a single .scriv package. Opens it immediately on startup.
SCRIV_PLATFORM	mac (default) or windows. Controls the RTF format used when writing document content.

At least one of SCRIV_DIR or SCRIV_PATH must be set. Both can be set simultaneously.

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Running manually

# Multi-project mode (recommended)
SCRIV_DIR="/path/to/ScrivenerProjects" npm start

# Single-project mode
SCRIV_PATH="/path/to/MyProject.scriv" npm start

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Configuring Claude Desktop

Edit the Claude Desktop config file:

• Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Mac:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "scrivener": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/scrivener-mcp/src/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "SCRIV_DIR": "/Users/you/Writing/ScrivenerProjects"
      }
    }
  }
}

Windows:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "scrivener": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["C:\\path\\to\\scrivener-mcp\\src\\index.js"],
      "env": {
        "SCRIV_DIR": "C:\\Users\\you\\Documents\\ScrivenerProjects",
        "SCRIV_PLATFORM": "windows"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop after saving.

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Available tools

Project management

Tool	Description
list_projects	Lists all .scriv packages in SCRIV_DIR.
open_project(name)	Opens a project by name, making it active for all document tools.
create_project(name, ...)	Creates a new project and opens it. See below.

Document tools (require an open project)

Tool	Description
get_outline(rootUuid?, includeContent?)	Returns the binder as a nested tree with synopses, labels, and statuses. Pass rootUuid to scope to a subtree, and includeContent: true to inline prose directly into the tree (one call instead of many get_document calls). The best starting point for understanding and working on a project's structure.
list_documents	Returns the binder as a flat list with depth indicators. Useful for getting UUIDs.
get_document(uuid)	Returns metadata and plain text content for a single document.
get_documents(uuids)	Batch version of get_document — returns metadata and content for many documents in a single call.
add_document(...)	Adds a new document or folder to the binder.
move_document(uuid, newParentUuid)	Moves a binder item to a different parent folder.
write_document(uuid, content)	Writes new plain text content to a document (stored as RTF).
update_metadata(uuid, changes)	Updates title, synopsis, label, status, or compile inclusion.
batch_update_metadata(updates)	Batch version of update_metadata — applies many changes in a single .scrivx write.
search_documents(query)	Searches titles and synopses across the binder.

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Creating a project

create_project accepts a full binder structure so Claude can scaffold an entire project from an idea in one call.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
name	string	Project name (becomes the .scriv package name).
labels	array	Label definitions. Each is a string or {name, color}. Colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, cyan.
statuses	array	Status names. Defaults to: To Do, In Progress, First Draft, Revised Draft, Done.
manuscript	array	Binder items in the Draft (Manuscript) folder.
research	array	Binder items in the Research folder.

Binder item structure

{
  "title": "Chapter 1",
  "type": "Folder",
  "synopsis": "Alice finds the letter and confronts Bob.",
  "content": "Optional initial body text (Text items only).",
  "label": "POV: Alice",
  "status": "To Do",
  "includeInCompile": true,
  "children": [...]
}

• type: "Folder" for containers (acts, parts, chapters); "Text" for documents (scenes, notes). Defaults to "Text".
• synopsis: The virtual index card text — appears in Scrivener's corkboard and outliner views. Write a 1–3 sentence summary of what happens or what this item covers.
• label and status must match names defined in the project's labels and statuses arrays.

Example

{
  "name": "My Novel",
  "labels": [
    { "name": "POV: Alice", "color": "blue" },
    { "name": "POV: Bob", "color": "red" }
  ],
  "statuses": ["To Do", "First Draft", "Revised", "Done"],
  "manuscript": [
    {
      "title": "Act One",
      "type": "Folder",
      "synopsis": "Alice discovers the conspiracy.",
      "children": [
        {
          "title": "Chapter 1",
          "type": "Folder",
          "synopsis": "A normal Tuesday turns strange.",
          "children": [
            {
              "title": "The Letter",
              "type": "Text",
              "synopsis": "Alice finds an unsigned letter in her mailbox.",
              "label": "POV: Alice",
              "status": "To Do"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "research": [
    {
      "title": "Characters",
      "type": "Folder",
      "children": [
        {
          "title": "Alice",
          "type": "Text",
          "synopsis": "Protagonist. Mid-30s journalist, sceptical but curious."
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

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Collaborative workflow

The intended pattern is to work with Claude on the structure and content of a project together, using Scrivener's own organisational features:

1. Start with get_outline — Claude reads the full nested structure with synopses before suggesting or making any changes. This is how it understands the story shape.
2. Build structure with add_document — Add scenes, chapters, acts, or research notes at any point in the hierarchy. Always include a synopsis; it is what appears on the index card in Scrivener's corkboard.
3. Reorganise with move_document — Move items between parents to restructure the narrative without losing any content or metadata.
4. Write prose with write_document — Once structure is agreed, populate scenes with content.
5. Track progress with update_metadata — Update labels (e.g. POV, scene type) and statuses (e.g. First Draft, Revised) as work progresses.

Notes

• Close Scrivener before writing. write_document, update_metadata, add_document, and move_document modify project files directly. The server detects an open Scrivener instance via the Files/user.lock file Scrivener creates and refuses to write while it exists, so concurrent edits won't silently corrupt the project. Close Scrivener and retry.
• Mutations re-read state automatically. Each mutating call reloads the .scrivx from disk before writing, so external edits made between MCP calls aren't overwritten.
• binder.autosave is kept in sync. Every binder write also refreshes Files/binder.autosave (the zipped snapshot Scrivener cross-references on launch). Without this, Scrivener can decide the on-disk binder is "newer than expected" and shunt MCP-added items into a "Recovered Files" folder.
• write_document generates minimal RTF compatible with Scrivener 3. Non-ASCII characters are Unicode-escaped.
• Label and status IDs are discoverable via list_documents — labelId/statusId are raw IDs, label/status are the resolved names.