Open Textbook Finder MCP
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 | {
"listChanged": true
} |
Tools
Functions exposed to the LLM to take actions
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| find_free_textbookA | Search for free and legal copies of a textbook on OpenStax, the Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB) and Open Library. Inputs: query (a book title, an ISBN or a course topic such as "organic chemistry") and an optional limit of 1 to 10 results from each source. Open Library results are marked free when there is a public domain copy to read online, and borrow when the book is a free loan. No account or key is needed. If one source is down the others still answer and the reply names the source that did not. Example prompt: "Is there a free legal copy of the Calculus textbook by Stewart, or something close to it?" |
| lookup_isbnA | Look up an ISBN on Open Library and return the edition details plus the other editions of the same book. Inputs: isbn (10 or 13 digits, hyphens allowed). The check digit is tested first, so a typo is reported before any search. The reply has the title, authors, publisher, publish date, page count and edition name, and says whether a free copy is known. Related editions are listed newest first. Example prompt: "Look up ISBN 978-0-13-468599-1 and tell me what other editions exist." |
| list_open_textbooks_by_subjectA | Browse free textbooks for a course topic. It lists matching OpenStax books and open access books from the Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB). Inputs: subject (a course topic such as "calculus", "nursing" or "economics") and an optional limit of 1 to 25 results. OpenStax books come first. If DOAB is down the OpenStax list still comes back and the reply says so. Example prompt: "List free textbooks for intro statistics." |
| find_older_editionA | Suggest earlier editions of a textbook, which usually cost less used than the newest one. Inputs: query (a title or an ISBN) and two optional values: edition_year, the year of the edition your course asks for, and limit, 1 to 10 suggestions. Without edition_year the newest edition Open Library lists counts as the current one, and an ISBN counts as the current edition when you pass one. Suggestions run from the closest older edition down. Editions only one or two releases back often keep the same chapters, but problem sets get reordered, so check the table of contents against your syllabus. The tool does not know prices. Example prompt: "My course wants the 9th edition of Stewart Calculus. Is there an older edition that would work?" |
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 4 tools
The four tools are largely distinct: ISBN lookup, subject browsing, free-copy search, and older-edition suggestions. However, find_free_textbook and list_open_textbooks_by_subject both accept course topics and return OpenStax/DOAB results, so an agent could hesitate between them for topic-based queries.
All tool names use consistent snake_case and follow a clear verb-led pattern: find_free_textbook, lookup_isbn, list_open_textbooks_by_subject, find_older_edition. The slight variation between 'find', 'lookup', and 'list' is natural and predictable for the actions.
Four tools is well-scoped for a focused textbook-finding server. Each tool covers a distinct search or lookup need without excessive surface area.
The surface covers the core workflows: search by title/topic/ISBN, browse by subject, validate ISBN details, and find older editions. Minor gaps remain, such as no direct way to list available subjects/sources or retrieve full textbook details for non-ISBN OpenStax/DOAB results.