NotebookLM MCP Server

MCP server that exposes Google NotebookLM as tools for any MCP-compatible client.

Built on notebooklm-py (unofficial SDK).

Quick Start (Step by Step)

Step 1: Install

# Clone or navigate to the project
cd notebooklm-mcp

# Option A: using uv (recommended)
uv venv .venv && source .venv/bin/activate && uv pip install -e .

# Option B: using pip
python3 -m venv .venv && source .venv/bin/activate && pip install -e .

Step 2: Authenticate with Google NotebookLM

notebooklm-auth

This will show:

╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║           NotebookLM CLI Authentication                     ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Open this URL in your browser and log in:

  https://notebooklm.google.com/

Then follow these steps:

Open https://notebooklm.google.com/ in your browser
Log in with your Google account
Open DevTools (press F12)
Go to the Network tab
Refresh the page (F5)
Right-click the first request (notebooklm.google.com)
Click Copy > Copy as cURL
Paste into the terminal and press Enter twice

Step 3: Verify authentication

notebooklm-auth --verify

Expected output:

Auth file: ~/.notebooklm/storage_state.json
Cookies: <N> found
Verifying against https://notebooklm.google.com/ ...
CSRF token: <token>...
Session ID: <session_id>...

Authentication is VALID.

Step 4: Connect to your MCP client

See Client Configuration below for your specific tool.

Step 5: Start using NotebookLM tools

Once connected, you can use any of the 31 tools — list notebooks, add sources, ask questions, generate podcasts, and more.

Running

stdio (default — for local MCP clients)

notebooklm-mcp

HTTP (for remote clients, web UIs, multi-client setups)

notebooklm-mcp --transport streamable-http --port 8484

SSE (Server-Sent Events)

notebooklm-mcp --transport sse --port 8484

Client Configuration

Claude Code

claude mcp add notebooklm -- notebooklm-mcp

Cursor

Add to .cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notebooklm": {
      "command": "notebooklm-mcp"
    }
  }
}

Windsurf / Continue / Cline

Add to your MCP config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notebooklm": {
      "command": "notebooklm-mcp"
    }
  }
}

HTTP clients (any language/tool)

# Start the server
notebooklm-mcp --transport streamable-http --port 8484

# Connect from any MCP client at:
#   http://localhost:8484/mcp

Available Tools (31)

Notebooks

Tool	Description
`notebook_list`	List all notebooks
`notebook_create`	Create a new notebook
`notebook_get`	Get notebook details
`notebook_delete`	Delete a notebook
`notebook_rename`	Rename a notebook
`notebook_summary`	Get AI-generated summary

Sources

Tool	Description
`source_list`	List sources in a notebook
`source_add_url`	Add a URL or YouTube link
`source_add_text`	Add pasted text
`source_add_file`	Upload a local file (PDF, markdown, docx)
`source_get`	Get source details
`source_delete`	Delete a source
`source_fulltext`	Get extracted text
`source_guide`	Get AI summary of a source

Chat

Tool	Description
`chat_ask`	Ask questions about notebook sources
`chat_history`	Get conversation history
`chat_configure`	Set chat goal, length, or custom prompt

Artifacts

Tool	Description
`artifact_list`	List generated artifacts
`artifact_generate_audio`	Generate podcast/audio overview
`artifact_generate_report`	Generate a report
`artifact_generate_study_guide`	Generate study guide
`artifact_generate_quiz`	Generate quiz
`artifact_generate_flashcards`	Generate flashcards
`artifact_generate_mind_map`	Generate mind map
`artifact_download_audio`	Download audio file
`artifact_poll_status`	Check generation status
`artifact_delete`	Delete an artifact

Research

Tool	Description
`research_start`	Start web or Drive research
`research_poll`	Check research status

Tool	Description
`sharing_status`	Get sharing status
`sharing_set_public`	Toggle public/private

Authentication

Two options — no Playwright required for either:

Option 1: Interactive CLI (recommended)

notebooklm-auth

Opens instructions to copy cookies from your browser's DevTools. Supports:

Copy as cURL (right-click in Network tab)
Raw Cookie header
JSON export from browser extensions

Option 2: Environment variable

export NOTEBOOKLM_AUTH_JSON='{"cookies":[{"name":"SID","value":"...","domain":".google.com","path":"/","expires":-1,"httpOnly":true,"secure":true,"sameSite":"None"}]}'
notebooklm-mcp

Verify auth

notebooklm-auth --verify

Cookies are stored in ~/.notebooklm/storage_state.json and expire periodically.

Caveats

Uses undocumented Google APIs — may break without notice
Not affiliated with Google
Heavy usage may trigger rate limits
For personal/research use, not production