• THEMES
  • QUOTES
  • SUMMARIES
  • HUMAN

How to search and summarize highlights with your AI

Connect your Readwise library to your AI client once. From then on, your agent can treat your entire collection of highlights as a searchable knowledge base.

Ask AI about this page

Short answer

Can I search my Readwise highlights with AI?

Yes. Your AI uses the Readwise MCP to scan your saved notes and pull out specific quotes or patterns. You'll get organized summaries of your own thoughts and readings.

The outcomes.

What you get from your highlights.

The AI handles the heavy lifting of scanning thousands of notes to find what you need.

THEMES

Identify recurring ideas

The AI looks through your library to find connections between different books or articles. It surfaces patterns you might have missed.

QUOTES

Pull specific passages

Ask for exact wording from a specific author or topic. The AI finds the precise text you saved.

SUMMARIES

Condense your knowledge

Turn a massive list of highlights from a single book into a concise summary. It distills the core arguments for you.

HUMAN

Refine and organize

You decide which insights are worth keeping. The AI finds the data, but you make the final call on how to use it.

The workflow

What your AI does when you ask a question.

The AI acts as a bridge between your chat interface and your Readwise account.

  1. Scan your library

    The AI starts by looking through your available highlights to see what matches your request.

    list_highlights

  2. Locate specific matches

    Once it finds relevant topics, it narrows down the search to the exact highlights that fit your prompt.

    search_highlights

  3. Retrieve full text

    The AI pulls the complete content of the relevant highlights to ensure it has the full context.

    get_highlight

  4. Synthesize the answer

    The AI processes the gathered text to answer your question or create the summary you asked for.

    search_highlights

Try it

Copy these to start.

Use these prompts to interact with your Readwise data.

Starting points

These are basic ideas. Swap out the book titles or topics for your own specific interests.

Readwise Connector

You're all set. Choose your MCP client and follow the setup instructions.

Connector linkhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_T5LsmPh8GWaSfLl93p0Oh1OPJ4J1WVaOFggosB0k/mcp

Claude Desktop

Follow the steps below to connect in seconds.

  1. 1In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Connectors.
  2. 2Click “Add custom connector” and paste the connector link above as the remote MCP server URL.
  3. 3Click Add and start a new chat — Readwise capabilities are ready to use.
Configuration · claude_desktop_config.jsonCopy
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "readwise-alternative-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_T5LsmPh8GWaSfLl93p0Oh1OPJ4J1WVaOFggosB0k/mcp"
    }
  }
}
Copy into chat04

  • Find all my highlights about stoicism and summarize the main themes.

  • What are the most frequent quotes I've saved from books about productivity?

  • Search my highlights for anything mentioned by James Clear.

  • Give me a summary of all the highlights I've made from the book Atomic Habits.

  • Claude
  • ChatGPT
  • Cursor
  • VS Code
  • Windsurf
  • Claude Code
  • JetBrains
  • Cline

Start here

Connect Readwise once, then ask.

Click the link to connect your account. Your credentials stay encrypted and secure. Once connected, your AI can immediately start reading your highlights.

Connect Readwise to your AI

FAQ

How this task behaves.

  • 01

    Can the AI delete my highlights?

    No. The AI can only read and search your data. It has no permission to delete or modify your Readwise library.

  • 02

    Can I ask the AI to add new highlights to Readwise?

    No. This MCP is designed for searching and retrieving existing information, not for writing new data to your account.

  • 03

    Does the AI see all my highlights at once?

    The AI only accesses the highlights necessary to answer your specific question through the search and list tools.

  • 04

    Can I search by specific date ranges?

    Yes, if you include the date or time period in your prompt, the AI can use the search tools to find those specific entries.

  • 05

    Will this work with any AI client?

    It works with any MCP-compatible client like Claude, Cursor, or Windsurf.

  • More questions about Readwise? See everything the Readwise Connector can do

Connect Readwise to Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT & more