openlibrary-mcp-server

Get Editions

openlibrary_get_editions

Read-onlyIdempotent

List editions of a work — different publishers, languages, formats, and print runs. Returns ISBNs, publisher, language, page count, and edition OLIDs. Use after openlibrary_get_work or openlibrary_search_books to find a specific printing. A merged work ID resolves to the work it was merged into. To reach a work from an ISBN, call openlibrary_get_edition with id_type "isbn" — its work_id output is the parent work.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`limit`	No	Max editions to return; values above 100 apply 100 when limit clamping is enabled. Prefer 10–20 for exploration.
`offset`	No	Zero-based offset for pagination.
`work_id`	Yes	Open Library Work ID. Format: OL…W (e.g., "OL45804W"), optionally prefixed "/works/". Not an ISBN — resolve an ISBN to its work with openlibrary_get_edition (id_type "isbn").

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description
`error`	No	Present when the call failed. Absent on success.
`total`	No	Total editions for this work.
`notice`	No	Guidance for a merged work ID or a requested limit above the page ceiling.
`offset`	No	Zero-based offset of the first returned result — echoes the requested offset, so an empty page still records the offset that produced it.
`work_id`	No	Canonical Open Library Work ID the editions were found under — differs from the requested work_id when that ID was merged into this work.
`editions`	No	Editions of the work, up to limit.
`totalCount`	No	Total editions for this work across all pages.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed5 schema fields changedOct 26, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / limit / description

Previous value: -"Max editions to return. Prefer 10–20 for exploration."New value: +"Max editions to return; values above 100 apply 100 when limit clamping is enabled. Prefer 10–20 for exploration."

changedInput schema / properties / limit / maximum

Previous value: -100New value: +9007199254740991

addedOutput schema / properties / editions / items / properties / edition_name

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Cataloged edition or printing statement, preserved verbatim. Absent when not recorded.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / editions / items / properties / physical_format

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Cataloged physical format or binding, preserved verbatim. Absent when not recorded.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

changedOutput schema / properties / notice / description

Previous value: -"Set when the requested work ID was merged into a different canonical ID."New value: +"Guidance for a merged work ID or a requested limit above the page ceiling."

Changed8 schema fields changedSep 24, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / work_id / description

Previous value: -"Open Library Work ID (OL…W). A leading \"/works/\" prefix is stripped if provided."New value: +"Open Library Work ID. Format: OL…W (e.g., \"OL45804W\"), optionally prefixed \"/works/\". Not an ISBN — resolve an ISBN to its work with openlibrary_get_edition (id_type \"isbn\")."

addedInput schema / properties / work_id / pattern
```
Added value: +"^(?:\\/works\\/)?OL\\d+W$"
```

changedOutput schema / anyOf

Previous value: -[
-  {
-    "not": {
-      "required": [
-        "error"
-      ]
-    },
-    "required": [
-      "total",
-      "work_id",
-      "editions"
-    ]
-  },
-  {
-    "required": [
-      "error"
-    ]
-  }
-]New value: +[
+  {
+    "not": {
+      "required": [
+        "error"
+      ]
+    },
+    "required": [
+      "total",
+      "offset",
+      "work_id",
+      "editions"
+    ]
+  },
+  {
+    "required": [
+      "error"
+    ]
+  }
+]

changedOutput schema / properties / editions / items / properties / work_id / description

Previous value: -"Parent Work ID. Usually matches the requested work_id."New value: +"Parent Work ID. Usually matches the top-level work_id."

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

Previous value: -"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `not_found`: Work ID does not exist on Open Library. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."New value: +"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `not_found`: Work ID does not exist on Open Library, or it redirects to no reachable work. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."

addedOutput schema / properties / notice

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Set when the requested work ID was merged into a different canonical ID.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / offset

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Zero-based offset of the first returned result — echoes the requested offset, so an empty page still records the offset that produced it.",
+  "type": "number"
+}

changedOutput schema / properties / work_id / description

Previous value: -"Open Library Work ID."New value: +"Canonical Open Library Work ID the editions were found under — differs from the requested work_id when that ID was merged into this work."

Changed6 schema fields changedAug 25, 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": [
+      "total",
+      "work_id",
+      "editions"
+    ]
+  },
+  {
+    "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`: Work ID does not exist on Open Library. 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: -[
-  "total",
-  "work_id",
-  "editions"
-]

Changed1 schema field changedJun 13, 2026

addedOutput schema / properties / totalCount

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Total editions for this work across all pages.",
+  "type": "number"
+}

First observedMay 25, 2026

TDQS

A4.3/5.0

Behavior4/5

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

Annotations already cover read-only, idempotent, open-world, so the bar is lower. The description still adds real behavioral information the annotations cannot: the payload fields returned and the edge case that a merged work ID silently resolves to the work it was merged into. It does not mention behavior for an unknown/invalid work_id, which would complete the picture.

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

Conciseness4/5

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

Front-loaded with the purpose, then sequencing, then edge case — a sensible order with no filler. The closing ISBN-routing sentence partially duplicates the work_id schema description, costing a little efficiency.

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

Completeness4/5

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

An output schema exists, so return values needn't be detailed, yet the description still summarizes them usefully. Paging is delegated to a well-documented schema and the merged-work case is called out; only error/empty-result behavior is unaddressed.

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?

Schema description coverage is 100% and both limit (with guidance to prefer 10–20) and offset are fully documented in the schema, so the baseline of 3 applies. The description's work_id note about ISBNs largely restates the schema's own warning rather than adding new semantics.

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?

States a specific verb and resource ("List editions of a work") and immediately scopes what an edition is: publishers, languages, formats, print runs. It distinguishes itself from openlibrary_get_edition (single printing) and openlibrary_get_work (parent work) by naming both siblings explicitly.

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?

Gives explicit sequencing ("Use after openlibrary_get_work or openlibrary_search_books to find a specific printing") and an explicit anti-pattern with the correct alternative: ISBN lookups should go to openlibrary_get_edition with id_type "isbn". An agent has no ambiguity about which sibling to call.

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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