NotebookLM MCP for Claude (Desktop & CLI)

A powerful MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that brings Google NotebookLM into Claude Desktop and Claude Code.

Features

• Research: List and create notebooks

• Content: Add URLs, text, and files as sources

• Generation: Create Podcasts, Videos, Slides, Mind Maps, Infographics, Quizzes, Flashcards, and Reports

• Natural Interaction: Chat directly with your sources using Claude's reasoning

Prerequisites

1. Install uv (Python Package Manager)

# Using curl
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

# Or with Homebrew (macOS)
brew install uv

Default install location: ~/.local/bin/uv

# Using PowerShell
powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"

# Or with Scoop
scoop install uv

# Or with winget
winget install --id=astral-sh.uv -e

Default install location: %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin\uv.exe

Verify installation:

uv --version

2. Clone and Install Dependencies

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/alfredang/notebooklm-mcp.git

# Navigate to the project folder
cd notebooklm-mcp

# Install dependencies (includes notebooklm-py and fastmcp)
uv sync

This will:

• Create a .venv virtual environment

• Install notebooklm-py (Python client for NotebookLM API)

• Install fastmcp (MCP server framework)

Note: These dependencies are required for both Claude Desktop and Claude Code.

Step 1: Authenticate with NotebookLM

NotebookLM uses browser-based authentication. You must login once to save your session cookies.

cd notebooklm-mcp
uv run notebooklm login

What happens:

1. A browser window will open automatically

2. Log in to your Google account

3. Navigate to NotebookLM if not redirected automatically

4. Wait until the terminal displays "Success"

5. Close the browser

Verify authentication:

uv run python -c "
from notebooklm import NotebookLMClient
import asyncio
async def test():
    client = await NotebookLMClient.from_storage()
    async with client:
        notebooks = await client.notebooks.list()
        print(f'Authenticated! Found {len(notebooks)} notebooks.')
asyncio.run(test())
"

You should see: Authenticated! Found X notebooks.

Step 2: Test the MCP Server

Before configuring Claude, verify the server starts correctly:

cd notebooklm-mcp
uv run python server.py

Expected output:

Starting NotebookLM MCP server...
NotebookLM client initialized successfully
Starting MCP server 'NotebookLM' with transport 'stdio'

Press Ctrl+C (or Cmd+C on Mac) to stop the server after confirming it works.

Step 3: Setup for Claude Desktop

3.1 Find Your Paths

You'll need two paths for the configuration:

Find your uv path:

which uv

Example output: /Users/yourname/.local/bin/uv

where uv

Example output: C:\Users\yourname\.local\bin\uv.exe

Find your project path:

cd notebooklm-mcp && pwd

Example output: /Users/yourname/projects/notebooklm-mcp

cd notebooklm-mcp; (Get-Location).Path

Example output: C:\Users\yourname\projects\notebooklm-mcp

3.2 Open the Config File

From Claude Desktop (Recommended):

1. Open Claude Desktop

2. Go to Settings (gear icon) → Developer → Edit Config

3. This opens claude_desktop_config.json in your default editor

Or manually:

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

3.3 Add the MCP Server Configuration

Important: Replace <UV_PATH> and <PROJECT_PATH> with your actual paths from Step 3.1

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notebooklm": {
      "command": "<UV_PATH>",
      "args": [
        "--directory",
        "<PROJECT_PATH>",
        "run",
        "python",
        "server.py"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Example with real paths:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notebooklm": {
      "command": "/Users/yourname/.local/bin/uv",
      "args": [
        "--directory",
        "/Users/yourname/projects/notebooklm-mcp",
        "run",
        "python",
        "server.py"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notebooklm": {
      "command": "<UV_PATH>",
      "args": [
        "--directory",
        "<PROJECT_PATH>",
        "run",
        "python",
        "server.py"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Example with real paths:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notebooklm": {
      "command": "C:\\Users\\yourname\\.local\\bin\\uv.exe",
      "args": [
        "--directory",
        "C:\\Users\\yourname\\projects\\notebooklm-mcp",
        "run",
        "python",
        "server.py"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Note: On Windows, use double backslashes (\\) in JSON paths.

3.4 Restart Claude Desktop

Look for the hammer icon in the chat input area - this indicates MCP tools are available.

3.5 Verify Connection

In Claude Desktop, type:

List my NotebookLM notebooks

Claude should use the list_notebooks tool and display your notebooks.

Step 4: Setup for Claude Code (CLI)

Prerequisites: Complete Steps 1-2 first (install dependencies with uv sync and authenticate with uv run notebooklm login).

4.1 Add the MCP Server

Replace <PROJECT_PATH> with your actual project path:

claude mcp add notebooklm -- uv --directory <PROJECT_PATH> run python server.py

Example:

claude mcp add notebooklm -- uv --directory /Users/yourname/projects/notebooklm-mcp run python server.py

claude mcp add notebooklm -- uv --directory <PROJECT_PATH> run python server.py

Example:

claude mcp add notebooklm -- uv --directory C:\Users\yourname\projects\notebooklm-mcp run python server.py

4.2 Verify the Server is Added

claude mcp list

You should see notebooklm in the list.

4.3 Test in Claude Code

Start a new Claude Code session:

claude

Then ask:

List my NotebookLM notebooks

Usage Examples

Once configured, use natural language commands in Claude Desktop or Claude Code:

Available Tools

Troubleshooting

"Server disconnected" or "Failed to spawn process"

Cause: Claude Desktop can't find uv because it doesn't inherit your shell's PATH.

Solution: Use the full absolute path to uv in the config (see Step 3.1).

"Command not found: uv"

Add to your shell profile (~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc):

export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"

Then reload:

source ~/.zshrc  # or source ~/.bashrc

Add to your PATH:

1. Open System Properties → Environment Variables

2. Under "User variables", edit Path

3. Add: %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin

4. Restart your terminal

MCP Server Not Appearing in Claude Desktop

Cause: Invalid JSON in config file or Claude not restarted properly.

Solution:

1. Validate your JSON at https://jsonlint.com/

2. Ensure no trailing commas in the JSON

3. Fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop

"NotebookLM client not initialized"

Cause: Server started before authentication was complete.

Solution:

1. Run uv run notebooklm login first

2. Restart Claude Desktop or re-add the MCP server in Claude Code

Check Claude Desktop Logs

# View recent logs
tail -100 ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log

# Or open in Finder
open ~/Library/Logs/Claude/

# View logs folder
explorer "$env:APPDATA\Claude\logs"

Remove and Re-add MCP Server (Claude Code)

If issues persist:

claude mcp remove notebooklm
claude mcp add notebooklm -- uv --directory <PROJECT_PATH> run python server.py

Updating

To update the NotebookLM library:

cd notebooklm-mcp
uv sync --upgrade

Project Structure

notebooklm-mcp/
├── server.py          # MCP server implementation
├── pyproject.toml     # Project dependencies
├── README.md          # This file
├── SKILL.md           # Claude Code skill definition
└── .venv/             # Virtual environment (auto-created)

License

MIT License