mcp-open-library
Server Configuration
Describes the environment variables required to run the server.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
No arguments | |||
Instructions
Guidance the server publishes about itself, which clients place ahead of the tool catalog so the model reads it before choosing anything.
This server publishes no instructions, or was last inspected before Glama recorded them.
Capabilities
Features and capabilities supported by this server
Protocol revision2025-11-25
| Capability | Details |
|---|---|
| tools | {} |
Tools
Functions exposed to the LLM to take actions
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| search_booksA | Search Open Library across titles, authors, subjects, places, people, publishers and ISBNs. Provide at least one search criterion: q, title, author, subject, place, person, publisher, isbn; combining several narrows the search. Returns at most |
| get_book_by_titleA | Search for a book by its title on Open Library. Returns at most |
| get_book_by_idA | Get detailed information about a book using its identifier (ISBN, LCCN, OCLC, OLID). |
| get_authors_by_nameA | Search for author information on Open Library. Returns at most |
| get_author_infoA | Get detailed information for a specific author using their Open Library Author Key (e.g. OL23919A). |
| get_author_photoA | Get the URL for an author's photo using their Open Library Author ID (OLID e.g. OL23919A). Reports when no photo exists rather than returning a URL to a blank placeholder. |
| get_book_coverA | Get the URL for a book's cover image using a key (ISBN, OCLC, LCCN, OLID, ID) and value. Reports when no cover exists rather than returning a URL to a blank placeholder. |
Prompts
Interactive templates invoked by user choice
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
No prompts | |
Resources
Contextual data attached and managed by the client
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
No resources | |
TDQS
Scored across 7 tools
Most tools are clearly separated by resource and action, but get_book_by_title overlaps heavily with search_books since it returns the same result structure and is essentially a subset of the general search. The book/author detail and cover/photo tools are unambiguous.
Naming mostly follows a consistent get_<resource>_by_<qualifier> pattern, e.g. get_book_by_id, get_book_by_title, get_author_photo. search_books breaks the get_ convention but remains readable and predictable alongside the others.
Seven tools is well-scoped for a read-only Open Library server. Each tool addresses a distinct lookup need without the collection feeling bloated or thin.
The surface covers general book search, book lookup by ID/title, author search, author details, author photos, and book covers. Minor gaps exist, such as no direct endpoint for works or edition lists beyond indirection through edition_key, but core reading workflows are covered.