# Gutendex MCP > Gutendex connects your AI agent to 70,000+ public domain ebooks from Project Gutenberg. You search and discover classic literature and research material—all free of charge and without needing an API key. ## Overview - **Category:** knowledge-management - **Price:** Free - **Tags:** ebooks, public-domain, literary-archive, open-data, digital-library, book-metadata ## Description This MCP gives you direct access to the world's largest catalog of free, public domain books. Instead of sifting through multiple library sites or worrying about paid subscriptions, your AI client handles everything. You just ask for what you need—a classic novel by author name, a subject like 'social classes,' or even filtering down results to only EPUB files from the 19th century. It's all in one place, managed through Vinkius. When you connect this MCP, your agent can pull detailed book metadata, including download counts and every format available, letting you get research material ready for use immediately. ## Tools ### get_book Retrieves detailed information about a single book using its Gutenberg ID or known title. ### get_books_by_url Pulls complete book details directly from any provided Gutenberg web address. ### list_books Searches and lists books using powerful filters like author, topic, language, and download format. ## Prompt Examples **Prompt:** ``` Find Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. ``` **Response:** ``` Found 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen (Gutenberg ID: 1342). Published 1813. Subjects: Love stories, Young women, England, Social classes. Download count: 50,000+. Available formats: HTML, EPUB, Kindle, plain text. Authors: Jane Austen (1775-1817). ``` **Prompt:** ``` Search for science fiction books in Portuguese. ``` **Response:** ``` Found 200+ books matching 'science fiction' with Portuguese language available. Notable titles include works by Machado de Assis (Brazilian author, 1839-1908), Júlio Verne translations, and classic Brazilian literature. Results sorted by download popularity. ``` **Prompt:** ``` Show me Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. ``` **Response:** ``` Found 'Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus' by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (Gutenberg ID: 84). Published 1818. Subjects: Science fiction, Gothic fiction, Monsters, Frankenstein's monster. Download count: 35,000+. Available in HTML, EPUB, Kindle, plain text and audio. ``` ## Capabilities ### Search by filter Find specific books using filters like author name, subject matter, language, or copyright status. ### Get book details Retrieve complete information about a single book, including all subjects and available formats. ### Identify book by URL Pull detailed metadata for any Gutenberg book you provide the full web address for. ### Filter results by format Limit your search results to specific file types, like PDF or plain text. ## Use Cases ### Building a literature syllabus for students A professor needs to build a reading list spanning multiple countries and time periods. They use `list_books` to filter by language (Portuguese, German) and subject ('Romanticism'), getting titles sorted by popularity so they know what's most available. ### Verifying source material for an article A journalist needs a definitive count of all public domain texts related to 'social class.' They use `list_books` and then run `get_book` on the top result to pull the exact download statistics. ### Migrating an archive from old links A librarian has a list of old, messy Gutenberg URLs. Instead of opening each one manually, they feed the batch into `get_books_by_url` to pull all necessary metadata for bulk processing. ### Checking historical context on a novel A student is writing about 'Moby Dick.' They use `list_books` first, then run `get_book` with the ID to confirm its original publication year and subjects for their bibliography. ## Benefits - Finding sources is fast. Instead of manually checking dozens of sites for public domain content, you use the `list_books` tool to filter by everything—language, subject, author years—in one query. - Never worry about file format again. The `get_book` function gives you every available download option (PDF, EPUB, Kindle, etc.) right out of the box. - It saves time on metadata extraction. If you have a link to an old book, don't copy and paste it into ten different tools; just use `get_books_by_url` and get all the data instantly. - Research deepens with precise filtering. You can narrow your search using `list_books`, limiting results by author birth/death year range to focus on specific eras. - It’s free, no sign-ups required. This MCP uses public domain resources, meaning you get access without any billing concerns or API key setup. ## How It Works The bottom line is you get precise book metadata without having to manage any API keys or complex setup. 1. Subscribe to this MCP in Vinkius. You won't need an API key; it's ready right away. 2. Tell your AI client what you are looking for—a title, author range, or specific subject (e.g., '19th-century French poetry'). 3. The MCP sends the query to Gutendex and returns structured data with titles, authors, subjects, and download links. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Do I need an API key?** No! Gutendex is completely free and requires no authentication. Just subscribe and start searching. There's no sign-up or registration needed. **What books are available?** Gutendex indexes 70,000+ ebooks from Project Gutenberg, the world's oldest digital library. This includes classics like Pride and Prejudice, Frankenstein, Moby Dick, Romeo and Juliet, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and thousands of other public domain works in many languages. **Can I filter by language?** Yes! Use the languages parameter with ISO 2-letter codes: "en" for English, "pt" for Portuguese, "fr" for French, "es" for Spanish, "de" for German, etc. You can also combine multiple languages: "en,fr" for English and French books. **Can I download the books?** Yes! Each book includes download URLs in multiple formats: HTML, EPUB, Kindle (MOBI), plain text, PDF and sometimes audio. The download links go directly to Project Gutenberg's servers. All books are in the public domain in the United States. **What specific book metadata does `get_book` provide for a title?** It returns comprehensive data including subjects, download counts, and all available formats like HTML, EPUB, Kindle, and PDF. You get full context for research or cataloging purposes. **Can I use `list_books` to find books based on their copyright status or author years?** Yes, you can filter by specific criteria like public domain versus in-copyright status. You can also narrow results using the author's birth and death year range. **If I have a Gutenberg URL, how do I get book details using `get_books_by_url`?** Just pass the full Gutenberg URL to `get_books_by_url`. The MCP handles the parsing and returns all associated metadata automatically. **Does `list_books` automatically sort results when I search for a topic or subject?** By default, the books found using `list_books` are sorted by popularity. This means you see the most downloaded and widely read titles first.