Open Library Connector for AI agents.
16 live capabilities
Find textbooks and bibliographic data across 20 million books.
Waiting for input…
Why people use Open Library
MIT Open Library for Academic Research and Bibliographies
This Connector lets your agent do that work in one go. You can ask for a complete bibliography of an author or a list of all editions for a specific work. You get the data you need in a single response, letting you get back to your actual writing.
What Vinkius changes
You get instant access to a massive bibliographic database without leaving your chat interface.
Use it from Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or another AI client you already have.
One account · 5,900+ Connectors
- Real-world use case 01
Finding every translation of a classic novel
A researcher needs to find all versions of a text.
- Real-world use case 02
Locating free-to-read textbooks
A student wants to find machine learning books they can read now.
- Real-world use case 03
Identifying current literature trends
A content creator wants to see what's popular.
Complete set · 16capabilities
The complete Open Library capability set.
These are the exact actions your AI can choose when you ask it to work with Open Library.
01—04
4 capabilities in this set.
Part of 16 available through Open Library.
- 01 Capability
Get author
Get a detailed author profile using an Open Library key like OL33421A. This helps you find specific biographical data quickly.
- 02 Capability
Get author works
List all works by a specific author including titles, covers, and subjects. This is perfect for building complete bibliographies.
- 03 Capability
Get edition
Retrieve specific details like page count, physical format, and ISBNs for a given edition key. Use this to verify the exact version of a text.
- 04 Capability
Search authors
Search the database for author names, birth dates, and their most popular works. This lets you discover new writers in any field.
05—08
4 capabilities in this set.
Part of 16 available through Open Library.
- 05 Capability
Search books
Search over 20 million books with options to sort by rating, age, or edition count. This is your primary way to find new material.
- 06 Capability
Search by author
Pull a complete bibliography of books written by a specific author name. It saves you from manual list building.
- 07 Capability
Search by isbn
Look up a book's title, publisher, and cover art using its ISBN-10 or ISBN-13. This verifies specific copies instantly.
- 08 Capability
Search by language
Find books published in specific languages using ISO 639-1 codes like eng or fre. Use this for international research.
09—12
4 capabilities in this set.
Part of 16 available through Open Library.
- 09 Capability
Search by publisher
Browse catalogs from specific houses like MIT Press or Cambridge University Press. This helps you find high-quality academic texts.
- 10 Capability
Search by subject
Explore books by categories like quantum physics or computer science. This is great for broad topic exploration.
- 11 Capability
Search by title
Find a specific book when you know the exact title. This is the fastest way to get to a specific work.
- 12 Capability
Search full text
Find books that have freely readable full text available on the Internet Archive. This identifies what you can actually read now.
13—16
4 capabilities in this set.
Part of 16 available through Open Library.
- 13 Capability
Search recent
See the latest additions to the Open Library catalog. Use this to stay on top of new releases.
- 14 Capability
Get work
Get full details for a book work, including its description, subjects, and publication history. This provides a deep dive into any specific title.
- 15 Capability
Get work editions
Find every translation and format available for a specific book work. Use this to see all variations of a classic text.
- 16 Capability
Search trending subjects
Discover what books are currently popular within a specific subject category. This helps identify current trends in literature.
Set up in minutes
One URL. Then ask Open Library to work.
Claude and ChatGPT only need the Connector URL. Copy it once, add it in settings, and use Open Library from the conversation.
Choose your client
Live previewAdvanced clients IDE · CLI
Claude · Web + desktop
Connector URL · ready to paste
Streamable HTTPhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_9DOutpAgVk5VYFsE7XQZwnhyLXHDq395Jrc9pEz2/mcp - Step 01
Open Connectors
In Claude Web or Claude Desktop, open Settings and choose Connectors.
- Step 02
Add the URL
Choose Add custom connector, name it Open Library, and paste the URL above.
- Step 03
Turn it on in chat
Select +, open Connectors, and enable Open Library for the conversation.
ChatGPT · Web + desktop
Connector URL · ready to paste
Streamable HTTPhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_9DOutpAgVk5VYFsE7XQZwnhyLXHDq395Jrc9pEz2/mcp - Step 01
Open MCP settings
On desktop, open Settings and MCP servers. On web, open your workspace app or connector settings.
- Step 02
Add the URL
Choose Add server with Streamable HTTP, or create a custom MCP app, then paste the Open Library URL.
- Step 03
Save and start
Save the connection and enable Open Library in your conversation. Desktop may ask you to restart once.
Cursor · IDE configuration
Advanced setup
{
"mcpServers": {
"mit-open-library": {
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_9DOutpAgVk5VYFsE7XQZwnhyLXHDq395Jrc9pEz2/mcp"
}
}
}- Step 01
Open MCP Settings
Press Cmd+Shift+P (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) → search "MCP Settings"
- Step 02
Add the server config
Paste the JSON configuration above into the mcp.json file that opens
- Step 03
Save the file
Cursor will automatically detect the new Connector
- Step 04
Start using Open Library
Open Agent mode in chat and ask: "Using Open Library, help me...". 16 tools available
VS Code Copilot · IDE configuration
Advanced setup
{
"mcpServers": {
"mit-open-library": {
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_9DOutpAgVk5VYFsE7XQZwnhyLXHDq395Jrc9pEz2/mcp"
}
}
}- Step 01
Create MCP config
Create a .vscode/mcp.json file in your project root
- Step 02
Add the server config
Paste the JSON configuration above
- Step 03
Enable Agent mode
Open GitHub Copilot Chat and switch to Agent mode using the dropdown
- Step 04
Start using Open Library
Ask Copilot: "Using Open Library, help me...". 16 tools available
Windsurf · IDE configuration
Advanced setup
{
"mcpServers": {
"mit-open-library": {
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_9DOutpAgVk5VYFsE7XQZwnhyLXHDq395Jrc9pEz2/mcp"
}
}
}- Step 01
Open MCP Settings
Go to Settings → MCP Configuration or press Cmd+Shift+P and search "MCP"
- Step 02
Add the server
Paste the JSON configuration above into mcp_config.json
- Step 03
Save and reload
Windsurf will detect the new server automatically
- Step 04
Start using Open Library
Open Cascade and ask: "Using Open Library, help me...". 16 tools available
Cline · IDE configuration
Advanced setup
{
"mcpServers": {
"mit-open-library": {
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_9DOutpAgVk5VYFsE7XQZwnhyLXHDq395Jrc9pEz2/mcp"
}
}
}- Step 01
Open Cline MCP Settings
Click the Connectors icon in the Cline sidebar panel
- Step 02
Add remote server
Click "Add Connector" and paste the configuration above
- Step 03
Enable the server
Toggle the server switch to ON
- Step 04
Start using Open Library
Ask Cline: "Using Open Library, help me...". 16 tools available
Claude Code · Terminal command
Advanced setup
claude mcp add mit-open-library --transport http "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_9DOutpAgVk5VYFsE7XQZwnhyLXHDq395Jrc9pEz2/mcp"- Step 01
Install Claude Code
Run npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code if not already installed
- Step 02
Add the Connector
Run the command above in your terminal
- Step 03
Verify the connection
Run claude mcp to list connected servers, or type /mcp inside a session
- Step 04
Start using Open Library
Ask Claude: "Using Open Library, show me...". 16 tools are ready
Where the request belongs
Work Open Library can move forward.
Academic researchers who need to build massive bibliographies, students hunting for specific textbooks, and librarians tracking publication editions.
Academic Researcher
They use this to pull complete bibliographies and find specific translations for citations.
Student
They use this to locate freely readable textbooks and references for study.
Librarian
They use this to manage catalog data and track various publication formats.
Build the capability set
Add more capabilities.
Each Connector adds new actions and data without changing how you work.
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Project Gutenberg
Universal public domain library. search and retrieve thousands of free books via AI.
Bring your own AI
Change the model, client or framework. Keep Open Library connected.
-
Claude -
ChatGPT -
Gemini -
Cursor -
VS Code -
Windsurf -
ZCode -
Cline -
Zed -
Continue -
Kiro -
Roo Code -
Zencoder -
Goose -
Void -
Augment Code -
Amp -
Qodo -
Tabnine -
Pieces -
Sourcegraph Cody -
JetBrains -
Warp -
Amazon Q -
Antigravity -
BoltAI -
Raycast -
Jan -
LM Studio -
AnythingLLM -
Open WebUI -
Msty -
Cherry Studio -
LibreChat -
TypingMind -
Chorus -
5ire -
n8n -
LangChain -
LlamaIndex -
CrewAI -
Vercel AI SDK
Before you connect
Questions about Open Library.
The practical details behind the request, access and result.
What can the MIT Open Library MCP do?
It gives your AI agent access to a catalog of over 20 million books. You can search for titles, find author biographies, and look up specific book editions.
Can I find books that are free to read online?
Yes. The Connector can filter the catalog specifically for books that have freely readable full text available on the Internet Archive.
How do I search for books by a specific publisher?
You can ask your agent to browse catalogs from major publishers like MIT Press, O'Reilly, or Cambridge University Press to find specific academic works.
Can I get details on specific book editions?
Yes. It can retrieve details like page counts, physical formats, publication dates, and ISBNs for various editions of a single work.
Is this good for building bibliographies?
It's excellent for that. Your agent can pull a complete list of works for any author, including titles and subjects, to help you build a bibliography quickly.
Can I find books by ISBN?
Yes. You can look up any book by its ISBN-10 or ISBN-13 to get the title, publisher, and cover art instantly.
Do I need an API key?
No. Open Library is completely free and open. No authentication required.
Can I read full books?
Many books on Open Library have full-text versions available through the Internet Archive. Use the full-text search filter to find freely readable editions.
How many books are in Open Library?
Open Library catalogs over 20 million unique book records with metadata from libraries, publishers, and community contributions. It is one of the largest open book databases in the world.
One connection away
Give your agent a direct line to Open Library.
Connect Open Library once. Keep it beside 5,900+ managed Connectors when the next task needs more.
Explore every Connector No credit card required · Free tier available