GitBook MCP Server (Looqbox fork, read-only)

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides access to GitBook's API for AI assistants and LLM applications.

This is a Looqbox fork of rickysullivan/gitbook-mcp, trimmed to the read tools relevant to docs-editing workflows, with a hardened API client (429 retry, typed error messages). See DESIGN.md for the full design history.

Read-only. Write tools (create_page, update_page) were designed but turned out to be unbuildable against GitBook's live API — see DESIGN.md §9 for findings. Revisit if GitBook ships real write support.

Overview

The GitBook MCP server enables read access to GitBook Organizations, Spaces, and Content through a standardized MCP interface. It provides 7 tools for content retrieval and 6 AI-powered prompts for documentation workflows.

Related MCP server: mcp-github

Quick Setup

Prerequisites

• Node.js 20+

• GitBook API token, per-dev personal access token (obtain from https://app.gitbook.com/account/developer)

• Your GitBook Organization ID (optional but recommended)

This fork isn't published to npm — clone and build it locally first:

git clone https://github.com/renancavalcantercb/gitbook-mcp.git
cd gitbook-mcp
npm install
npm run build

Every config below points at the built dist/index.js with node — substitute your actual clone path.

IDE and AI Assistant Integration

Claude Code

Recommended: register per-dev via the CLI, default scope is local (your personal settings, never committed — each dev mints their own PAT):

claude mcp add gitbook-mcp \
  -e GITBOOK_API_TOKEN=gb_api_your_token_here \
  -e GITBOOK_SPACE_ID=your_default_space_id_here \
  -- node /absolute/path/to/gitbook-mcp/dist/index.js --organization-id=your_organization_id_here

If you want a project-shared template instead, drop this in .mcp.json at the repo root with placeholders only — never commit a real token:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "gitbook-mcp": {
            "type": "stdio",
            "command": "node",
            "args": [
                "/absolute/path/to/gitbook-mcp/dist/index.js",
                "--organization-id=your_organization_id_here"
            ],
            "env": {
                "GITBOOK_API_TOKEN": "${GITBOOK_API_TOKEN}",
                "GITBOOK_SPACE_ID": "your_default_space_id_here"
            }
        }
    }
}

${GITBOOK_API_TOKEN} expands from each dev's own shell environment at runtime — no token ever lands in the committed file.

VS Code (with GitHub Copilot)

Add to your VS Code MCP settings:

{
    "servers": {
        "gitbook-mcp": {
            "type": "stdio",
            "command": "node",
            "args": [
                "/absolute/path/to/gitbook-mcp/dist/index.js",
                "--organization-id=your_organization_id_here"
            ],
            "env": {
                "GITBOOK_API_TOKEN": "gb_api_your_token_here"
            }
        }
    }
}

Claude Desktop

Add to your Claude Desktop configuration (%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json on Windows or ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS):

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "gitbook-mcp": {
            "command": "node",
            "args": [
                "/absolute/path/to/gitbook-mcp/dist/index.js",
                "--organization-id=your_organization_id"
            ],
            "env": {
                "GITBOOK_API_TOKEN": "gb_api_your_token_here"
            }
        }
    }
}

See https://modelcontextprotocol.io/quickstart/user for details.

GitHub Copilot plugin for JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ IDEA, WebStorm, etc.):

Add to your GitHub Copilot MCP settings for JetBrains IDEs (the path may vary by product and OS, e.g., ~/.config/github-copilot/intellij/mcp.json for IntelliJ on Linux/macOS, or the equivalent directory for your JetBrains IDE and platform):

{
    "servers": {
        "gitbook-mcp": {
            "command": "node",
            "args": [
                "/absolute/path/to/gitbook-mcp/dist/index.js",
                "--organization-id=your_organization_id_here"
            ],
            "env": {
                "GITBOOK_API_TOKEN": "gb_api_your_token_here"
            }
        }
    }
}

JetBrains AI Assistant

Add to your JetBrains AI Assistant MCP configuration (see official docs for the exact path):

Getting Your GitBook Credentials

1. API Token: Visit https://app.gitbook.com/account/developer to generate your API token

2. Organization ID: Use the list_organizations tool after setup to find your organization ID

3. Space ID (optional): Use the list_spaces tool (requires a valid organization ID and API token) to find specific space IDs

Configuration Options

You can configure the server using:

• CLI arguments: --organization-id, --space-id

• Environment variables in MCP config: Set via the env object in your MCP configuration

• System environment variables: GITBOOK_API_TOKEN, GITBOOK_ORGANIZATION_ID, GITBOOK_SPACE_ID, GITBOOK_API_BASE_URL

Note: .env/.env.local files are loaded automatically when running the server from a local build (node dist/index.js) — see Installation & Setup below.

API Reference

Tools

The GitBook MCP server provides 12 tools organized into functional categories. Each tool includes behavioral hints:

• 📖 Read-only: Tool only reads data and doesn't modify anything

• 🔄 Idempotent: Repeated calls with same args have no additional effect with the same result

• 🌐 Open-world: Tool interacts with external entities

Organization Discovery

List Organizations (list_organizations) 📖 🔄 🌐

Lists all accessible GitBook organizations.

Parameters: None

Returns:

{
    "organizations": [
        {
            "id": "string",
            "title": "string",
            "urls": {
                "app": "string",
                "public": "string"
            }
        }
    ]
}

Space Management

List Spaces (list_spaces) 📖 🔄 🌐

Lists spaces, optionally filtered by organization.

Parameters:

• organizationId (optional): Organization ID to filter spaces

Returns:

{
    "spaces": [
        {
            "id": "string",
            "title": "string",
            "visibility": "string",
            "urls": {
                "app": "string",
                "public": "string"
            }
        }
    ]
}

Get Space Details (get_space) 📖 🔄 🌐

Retrieves detailed information about a specific space.

Parameters:

• spaceId (required): The ID of the space to retrieve

Returns:

{
    "id": "string",
    "title": "string",
    "description": "string",
    "visibility": "string",
    "urls": {
        "app": "string",
        "public": "string"
    }
}

Get Space Content (get_space_content) 📖 🔄 🌐

Retrieves the content structure and pages of a space.

Parameters:

• spaceId (optional): The ID of the space (uses default if configured)

Returns:

{
    "pages": [
        {
            "id": "string",
            "title": "string",
            "slug": "string",
            "path": "string"
        }
    ]
}

Search Content (search_content) 📖 🔄 🌐

Searches for content within a space using full-text search.

Parameters:

• query (required): Search query string

• spaceId (optional): The ID of the space to search (uses default if configured)

Returns:

{
    "results": [
        {
            "id": "string",
            "title": "string",
            "excerpt": "string",
            "url": "string"
        }
    ]
}

Content Retrieval

Get Page Content (get_page_content) 📖 🔄 🌐

Retrieves the content of a specific page.

Parameters:

• pageId (required): The ID of the page to retrieve

• spaceId (optional): The ID of the space containing the page

• format (optional): Output format ("document" or "markdown", defaults to "document")

• metadata (optional): Include revision metadata (boolean, defaults to false)

• computed (optional): Include computed revision data (boolean, defaults to false)

Returns:

{
    "id": "string",
    "title": "string",
    "content": "string",
    "format": "string"
}

Get Page by Path (get_page_by_path) 📖 🔄 🌐

Retrieves page content using the page path.

Parameters:

• pagePath (required): The path of the page to retrieve

• spaceId (optional): The ID of the space containing the page

Returns:

{
    "id": "string",
    "title": "string",
    "content": "string",
    "path": "string"
}

Dropped from the upstream base (out of scope for docs-editing use case, see DESIGN.md §3/§8): get_space_files, get_file, list_collections, get_collection, get_collection_spaces.

Prompts

The GitBook MCP server provides 6 AI-powered prompts for documentation workflows:

Fetch Documentation (fetch_documentation)

Fetches and analyzes GitBook documentation content for specific topics.

Parameters:

• topic (required): The topic or subject to search for and analyze

• spaceId (optional): The ID of the space to search (uses default if configured)

• includeStructure (optional): Set to "true" to include space structure

Returns: A comprehensive analysis of documentation related to the specified topic, including:

• Relevant pages and sections

• Content summaries

• Gaps or areas needing improvement

Analyze Content Gaps (analyze_content_gaps)

Identifies gaps and missing content in documentation.

Parameters:

• spaceId (optional): The ID of the space to analyze (uses default if configured)

• comparisonSource (optional): Source to compare against (default: "internal analysis")

Returns: A detailed gap analysis including:

• Missing topics and incomplete sections

• Coverage gaps prioritized by importance

• Suggestions for new content areas

Content Audit (content_audit)

Performs quality audits of documentation content.

Parameters:

• spaceId (optional): The ID of the space to audit (uses default if configured)

• auditCriteria (optional): Specific criteria to audit (default: "general quality and consistency")

Returns: A comprehensive quality assessment including:

• Content quality and consistency review

• Outdated information identification

• Writing style and formatting recommendations

Documentation Summary (documentation_summary)

Generates comprehensive summaries of GitBook spaces.

Parameters:

• spaceId (optional): The ID of the space to summarize (uses default if configured)

• summaryType (optional): Type of summary - "overview", "technical", "user-guide", or "custom" (default: "overview")

Returns: A structured summary including:

• Space structure and content organization

• Main topics and themes

• Target audience and use cases

Content Optimization (content_optimization)

Optimizes content for SEO, readability, structure, or performance.

Parameters:

• spaceId (optional): The ID of the space to optimize (uses default if configured)

• optimizationType (required): Type of optimization - "SEO", "readability", "structure", or "performance"

• targetMetrics (optional): Specific metrics or goals to optimize for

Returns: Optimization recommendations including:

• Specific improvement strategies

• Priority-ranked optimization opportunities

• Implementation guidance

Propose Page Edit (propose_page_edit)

Drafts a create/update proposal for a GitBook page for human review. There is no write tool in this server — this prompt never calls the GitBook API to write anything; it only produces markdown for you to paste into the GitBook editor yourself. See DESIGN.md §9–10 for why direct writes aren't possible against the live API.

Parameters:

• spaceId (optional): The ID of the space to target (uses default if configured)

• pagePath (optional): Path of the existing page to update, or intended path for a new page. Omit if undecided.

• changeDescription (required): What should change, e.g. "VPN IPs changed, update with new values"

Returns: A structured edit proposal including:

• Target title, path, and GitBook app URL

• Mode (update or create)

• Full markdown draft

• Change summary (update) or placement rationale (create)

• An explicit "Not applied — paste this into GitBook yourself" closing line

Refuses outright for any space ID listed in GITBOOK_EXCLUDED_SPACE_IDS (defaults to the public docs space) — see Environment Variables below.

Configuration Reference

The GitBook MCP server supports multiple configuration methods with the following precedence (highest to lowest):

1. CLI Arguments - Passed when starting the MCP server

2. Configuration Files - Embedded in project configuration files

3. Environment Variables - Set in .env.local or system environment

Environment Variables

Note: Environment variables can be set in .env.local, .env, or your system environment.

CLI Arguments

Example:

node dist/index.js --organization-id your-org-id --space-id your-space-id

Additional Configuration Files

Typically these files are provided as context to the AI assistant, which means you can store project-based configuration.

1. .github/copilot-instructions.md

2. .cursorrules

3. .cursor/rules/rules.md

4. .cursor/rules/instructions.md

e.g.

Format:

## GitBook Configuration

For GitBook MCP operations, use the following configuration:

- organization-id: your-org-id-here
- space-id: your-space-id-here

Default Parameter Behavior

When GITBOOK_ORGANIZATION_ID or GITBOOK_SPACE_ID are configured:

• Tools marked as "optional" can omit the corresponding ID parameters

• The configured default values will be used automatically

• Explicit parameters in tool calls override defaults

Development

Prerequisites

• Node.js 20+

• npm

• GitBook API token (obtain from https://app.gitbook.com/account/developer)

Installation & Setup

git clone https://github.com/renancavalcantercb/gitbook-mcp.git
cd gitbook-mcp
npm install
npm run setup
# Add your GITBOOK_API_TOKEN (and optionally GITBOOK_ORGANIZATION_ID, GITBOOK_SPACE_ID) to .env.local
npm run build

Development

npm run dev

Debugging

DEBUG=1 npm run dev

Add the MCP to VS Code for development

You will need to use node as the command when running locally. The first arg should be the path to the compiled JavaScript output (e.g., dist/index.js).

{
    "servers": {
        "gitbook-mcp-dev": {
            "type": "stdio",
            "command": "node",
            "args": [
                "/my/path/to/gitbook-mcp/dist/index.js",
                "--organization-id=your_organization_id_here"
            ],
            "env": {
                "GITBOOK_API_TOKEN": "gb_api_your_token_here"
            }
        }
    }
}

Testing

There are currently no unit or integration tests; running npm run test only checks that the TypeScript code compiles successfully (type-check/build verification), and does not execute any actual tests.

npm run test

Error Handling

The API client retries 429 up to twice with exponential backoff before giving up, and maps common statuses to a clear message instead of a raw HTTP error:

Troubleshooting

Token Issues:

• Ensure token starts with gb_api_

• Verify token has not expired

• Check token permissions in GitBook settings

ID Resolution:

• Use list_organizations to find valid organization IDs

• Use list_spaces to find valid space IDs

• Use get_space_content to find valid page IDs

Configuration Issues:

• Verify environment variables are properly set

• Check file permissions on configuration files

• Ensure CLI arguments are properly formatted

Contributing

This is a Looqbox-internal fork of rickysullivan/gitbook-mcp. For changes specific to this fork (read-only trim, error mapping, write-capability findings), open a PR against renancavalcantercb/gitbook-mcp. For upstream fixes unrelated to the fork's changes, consider contributing to the original repo instead.

License

MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Related Documentation

• DESIGN.md — design history, including the write-capability blocker (§9)

• GitBook API Documentation

• Model Context Protocol Specification

• Detailed Prompt Documentation

Disclaimer

This project is independently developed and is not officially affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by GitBook.