gutenberg-mcp-server

Get Gutenberg Book

gutenberg_get_book

Read-onlyIdempotent

Fetch complete metadata for a Project Gutenberg book by ID — title, authors (with birth/death years), translators, editors, subjects, bookshelves, languages, copyright status, and the full formats map with download URLs for each available format (plain text, HTML, EPUB, cover image, etc.). Use this before gutenberg_get_text to confirm a plain-text format is available and to get the direct download URL.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`id`	Yes	Project Gutenberg book ID. Visible in Gutenberg URLs (e.g., gutenberg.org/ebooks/1342) and returned by gutenberg_search_books and gutenberg_browse_popular. Example: 1342 for Pride and Prejudice, 2600 for War and Peace.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`id`	No	Gutenberg ID.
`error`	No	Present when the call failed. Absent on success.
`title`	No	Book title.
`authors`	No	Primary author(s).
`editors`	No	Editors, if any.
`formats`	No	Map of MIME type to download URL. Key types: "text/plain; charset=utf-8" (preferred for gutenberg_get_text), "text/html", "application/epub+zip", "image/jpeg" (cover). Not every format is present for every book.
`summary`	No	First entry of summaries — the primary auto-generated summary of the work, or null when Gutendex has none.
`subjects`	No	Library of Congress subject headings.
`copyright`	No	Copyright status: false = public domain in the USA, true = under copyright, null = unknown.
`languages`	No	Two-character language codes for this edition.
`summaries`	No	Every summary Gutendex holds for this work, in upstream order. Usually one; some records carry a long and a short variant. Empty when there are none.
`media_type`	No	"Text" for readable books, "Sound" for audio books. Only "Text" books have plain-text content available for gutenberg_get_text.
`bookshelves`	No	Project Gutenberg bookshelf categories (e.g., "Best Books Ever Listings", "Category: Classics of Literature").
`translators`	No	Translators, if this is a translated work.
`download_count`	No	Total downloads — popularity signal.
`has_plain_text`	No	True if media_type is "Text" AND a UTF-8 text/plain format ("text/plain; charset=utf-8") is present in formats — prerequisite for gutenberg_get_text.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed16 schema fields changedSep 20, 2026
- removedOutput schema / properties / authors / items / properties / birth_year / anyOf
```
Removed value: -[
-  {
-    "type": "number"
-  },
-  {
-    "type": "null"
-  }
-]
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / authors / items / properties / birth_year / type
```
Added value: +[
+  "number",
+  "null"
+]
```
- removedOutput schema / properties / authors / items / properties / death_year / anyOf
```
Removed value: -[
-  {
-    "type": "number"
-  },
-  {
-    "type": "null"
-  }
-]
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / authors / items / properties / death_year / type
```
Added value: +[
+  "number",
+  "null"
+]
```
- removedOutput schema / properties / copyright / anyOf
```
Removed value: -[
-  {
-    "type": "boolean"
-  },
-  {
-    "type": "null"
-  }
-]
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / copyright / type
```
Added value: +[
+  "boolean",
+  "null"
+]
```
- removedOutput schema / properties / editors / items / properties / birth_year / anyOf
```
Removed value: -[
-  {
-    "type": "number"
-  },
-  {
-    "type": "null"
-  }
-]
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / editors / items / properties / birth_year / type
```
Added value: +[
+  "number",
+  "null"
+]
```
- removedOutput schema / properties / editors / items / properties / death_year / anyOf
```
Removed value: -[
-  {
-    "type": "number"
-  },
-  {
-    "type": "null"
-  }
-]
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / editors / items / properties / death_year / type
```
Added value: +[
+  "number",
+  "null"
+]
```
- removedOutput schema / properties / summary / anyOf
```
Removed value: -[
-  {
-    "type": "string"
-  },
-  {
-    "type": "null"
-  }
-]
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / summary / type
```
Added value: +[
+  "string",
+  "null"
+]
```
- removedOutput schema / properties / translators / items / properties / birth_year / anyOf
```
Removed value: -[
-  {
-    "type": "number"
-  },
-  {
-    "type": "null"
-  }
-]
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / translators / items / properties / birth_year / type
```
Added value: +[
+  "number",
+  "null"
+]
```
- removedOutput schema / properties / translators / items / properties / death_year / anyOf
```
Removed value: -[
-  {
-    "type": "number"
-  },
-  {
-    "type": "null"
-  }
-]
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / translators / items / properties / death_year / type
```
Added value: +[
+  "number",
+  "null"
+]
```

Changed5 schema fields changedAug 23, 2026

changedOutput schema / anyOf

Previous value: -[
-  {
-    "not": {
-      "required": [
-        "error"
-      ]
-    },
-    "required": [
-      "id",
-      "title",
-      "authors",
-      "translators",
-      "editors",
-      "subjects",
-      "bookshelves",
-      "languages",
-      "copyright",
-      "media_type",
-      "download_count",
-      "summary",
-      "formats",
-      "has_plain_text"
-    ]
-  },
-  {
-    "required": [
-      "error"
-    ]
-  }
-]New value: +[
+  {
+    "not": {
+      "required": [
+        "error"
+      ]
+    },
+    "required": [
+      "id",
+      "title",
+      "authors",
+      "translators",
+      "editors",
+      "subjects",
+      "bookshelves",
+      "languages",
+      "copyright",
+      "media_type",
+      "download_count",
+      "summary",
+      "summaries",
+      "formats",
+      "has_plain_text"
+    ]
+  },
+  {
+    "required": [
+      "error"
+    ]
+  }
+]

changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / description

Previous value: -"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `not_found`: No book exists with the given ID. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."New value: +"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `not_found`: No book exists with the given ID. `catalog_unavailable`: The Project Gutenberg catalog did not answer within the time this server allows for one lookup. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."

changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / examples

Previous value: -[
-  "not_found"
-]New value: +[
+  "not_found",
+  "catalog_unavailable"
+]

addedOutput schema / properties / summaries

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Every summary Gutendex holds for this work, in upstream order. Usually one; some records carry a long and a short variant. Empty when there are none.",
+  "items": {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  "type": "array"
+}

changedOutput schema / properties / summary / description

Previous value: -"Auto-generated summary of the work, when available. Absent on many older records."New value: +"First entry of summaries — the primary auto-generated summary of the work, or null when Gutendex has none."

Changed6 schema fields changedAug 22, 2026

changedInput schema / $schema

Previous value: -"http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#"New value: +"https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema"

addedInput schema / additionalProperties
```
Added value: +false
```

changedOutput schema / $schema

Previous value: -"http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#"New value: +"https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema"

addedOutput schema / anyOf

Added value: +[
+  {
+    "not": {
+      "required": [
+        "error"
+      ]
+    },
+    "required": [
+      "id",
+      "title",
+      "authors",
+      "translators",
+      "editors",
+      "subjects",
+      "bookshelves",
+      "languages",
+      "copyright",
+      "media_type",
+      "download_count",
+      "summary",
+      "formats",
+      "has_plain_text"
+    ]
+  },
+  {
+    "required": [
+      "error"
+    ]
+  }
+]

addedOutput schema / properties / error

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": {},
+  "description": "Present when the call failed. Absent on success.",
+  "properties": {
+    "code": {
+      "description": "JSON-RPC error code for this failure.",
+      "maximum": 9007199254740991,
+      "minimum": -9007199254740991,
+      "type": "integer"
+    },
+    "data": {
+      "additionalProperties": {},
+      "properties": {
+        "reason": {
+          "description": "Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `not_found`: No book exists with the given ID. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler.",
+          "examples": [
+            "not_found"
+          ],
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "recovery": {
+          "additionalProperties": {},
+          "description": "Actionable next step for the caller.",
+          "properties": {
+            "hint": {
+              "type": "string"
+            }
+          },
+          "required": [
+            "hint"
+          ],
+          "type": "object"
+        },
+        "retryable": {
+          "description": "Whether retrying may succeed.",
+          "type": "boolean"
+        }
+      },
+      "type": "object"
+    },
+    "message": {
+      "description": "Human-readable description of what went wrong.",
+      "type": "string"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "code",
+    "message"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

removedOutput schema / required

Removed value: -[
-  "id",
-  "title",
-  "authors",
-  "translators",
-  "editors",
-  "subjects",
-  "bookshelves",
-  "languages",
-  "copyright",
-  "media_type",
-  "download_count",
-  "summary",
-  "formats",
-  "has_plain_text"
-]

Changed1 schema field changedJul 11, 2026

changedOutput schema / properties / has_plain_text / description

Previous value: -"True if media_type is \"Text\" AND a text/plain format (UTF-8 or ASCII) is present in formats — prerequisite for gutenberg_get_text."New value: +"True if media_type is \"Text\" AND a UTF-8 text/plain format (\"text/plain; charset=utf-8\") is present in formats — prerequisite for gutenberg_get_text."

First observedJun 16, 2026

TDQS

A4.5/5.0

Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already declare readOnlyHint, idempotentHint, and openWorldHint. The description adds value by specifying the exact contents of the returned metadata (title, authors, formats map, etc.) and the practical purpose of retrieving the download URL, going beyond the annotation baseline.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Two sentences, front-loaded with the core action and contents, followed by a precise usage directive. No wasted words; every clause earns its place.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

For a simple metadata-fetch tool with a full output schema and safety annotations, the description covers the essential use case and next step. Nothing an agent needs to call it correctly is missing.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

The schema description covers 100% of the single parameter (id) with source guidance and examples. The tool description adds no new parameter information, so the baseline 3 for high schema coverage applies.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description clearly states the verb 'Fetch' and the resource 'complete metadata for a Project Gutenberg book by ID', enumerating specific metadata fields. It distinguishes itself from siblings by naming gutenberg_get_text and explaining the intended sequencing.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines5/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Explicitly directs the agent to use this tool before gutenberg_get_text to confirm plain-text availability and obtain the download URL. This names an alternative and gives a concrete condition, leaving no ambiguity about when to invoke it.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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