Open Library Connector for AI agents.

17 live capabilities

Search millions of books and author records to build accurate bibliographies.

Live agent request Open Library / Connector

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AI Agent

Why people use Open Library

Open Library for Bibliography Research

This Connector lets your agent do that heavy lifting in one go. You can ask for a full bibliography or a list of all editions for a specific work, and your agent pulls the structured data immediately.

What Vinkius changes

You get a research-ready library database integrated directly into your AI's capabilities.

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 edition of a 19th-century novel

A student needs to find every version of a classic play.
Real-world use case 02

Fetching metadata for a book app

A developer is building a book app and needs ISBN data.
Real-world use case 03

Compiling a complete bibliography

A researcher wants to see what a specific author wrote.

Complete set · 17capabilities

The complete Open Library capability set.

These are the exact actions your AI can choose when you ask it to work with Open Library.

Capability set01 / 05

01—04

4 capabilities in this set.

Part of 17 available through Open Library.

01 Capability
Get list editions
Pull all editions of books that appear in a specific user-created list.
02 Capability
Get list seeds
Retrieve the specific items contained within a user-created list.
03 Capability
Get author
Get details for a specific author, including their profile and ID.
04 Capability
Get author works
Retrieve a full list of works associated with a specific author.

Capability set02 / 05

05—08

4 capabilities in this set.

Part of 17 available through Open Library.

05 Capability
Get books by bibkeys
Look up book data using identifiers like ISBN, OCLC, LCCN, or OLID.
06 Capability
Get edition
Fetch details for a specific physical publication or edition of a book.
07 Capability
Get list metadata
Get the metadata and details for a specific user-curated book list.
08 Capability
Get recent changes by date
See what modifications were made to the Open Library database on a specific day.

Capability set03 / 05

09—11

3 capabilities in this set.

Part of 17 available through Open Library.

09 Capability
Get recent changes
Get a live stream of updates and modifications from the Open Library database.
10 Capability
Get subject
Fetch all books that are tagged with a specific subject or category.
11 Capability
Get user books
Retrieve the public reading log of a specific patron on Open Library.

Capability set04 / 05

12—14

3 capabilities in this set.

Part of 17 available through Open Library.

12 Capability
Get user lists
Get all the public lists created by a specific user.
13 Capability
Get work editions
Fetch every known edition of a specific literary work.
14 Capability
Get work
Get the core details of a specific literary work, independent of its editions.

Capability set05 / 05

15—17

3 capabilities in this set.

Part of 17 available through Open Library.

15 Capability
Search authors
Search the database for authors by name or other criteria.
16 Capability
Search books
Search for books using keywords, titles, or other search terms.
17 Capability
Search lists
Find user-created book lists based on specific keywords.

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 preview

Advanced clients IDE · CLI

Claude · Web + desktop

Official guide ↗

Connector URL · ready to paste

Streamable HTTP

https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_CpNyeMTclbFlxAYaQb2QzkWvrAooSrGDagCobypT/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

Official guide ↗

Connector URL · ready to paste

Streamable HTTP

https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_CpNyeMTclbFlxAYaQb2QzkWvrAooSrGDagCobypT/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

Official guide ↗

Advanced setup

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "open-library-extended": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_CpNyeMTclbFlxAYaQb2QzkWvrAooSrGDagCobypT/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...". 17 tools available

VS Code Copilot · IDE configuration

Official guide ↗

Advanced setup

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "open-library-extended": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_CpNyeMTclbFlxAYaQb2QzkWvrAooSrGDagCobypT/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...". 17 tools available

Windsurf · IDE configuration

Official guide ↗

Advanced setup

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "open-library-extended": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_CpNyeMTclbFlxAYaQb2QzkWvrAooSrGDagCobypT/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...". 17 tools available

Cline · IDE configuration

Official guide ↗

Advanced setup

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "open-library-extended": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_CpNyeMTclbFlxAYaQb2QzkWvrAooSrGDagCobypT/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...". 17 tools available

Claude Code · Terminal command

Official guide ↗

Advanced setup

claude mcp add open-library-extended --transport http "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_CpNyeMTclbFlxAYaQb2QzkWvrAooSrGDagCobypT/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...". 17 tools are ready

Where the request belongs

Work Open Library can move forward.

Built around the request

This is for researchers, students, and developers who are tired of manual bibliography hunting and want a way to programmatically access book metadata.

01

Academic Researcher

Compiles bibliographies and checks publication dates while writing papers.

02

Content Developer

Pulls metadata for apps that need structured book information.

03

Librarian

Manages and explores large collections of literary works and editions.

Build the capability set

Each Connector adds new actions and data without changing how you work.

Browse Connectors

01 3 capabilities

Open Library

Universal open book database. search millions of books, authors, and editions via AI.

02 12 capabilities

Google Books

Search the world's most comprehensive index of full-text books, manage personal bookshelves, and retrieve detailed literary metadata.

03 16 capabilities

MIT Open Library

Access millions of books, read them online, and explore the world largest open catalog of bibliographic data for every title.

04 4 capabilities

LibraryThing

Look up books by ISBN, explore works, and check library coverage. a bibliographic intelligence capability for AI agents.

05 13 capabilities

Penguin Random House

Access the global Penguin Random House catalog—search for authors, titles, works, and literary categories directly from your AI agent.

06 3 capabilities

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.

Before you connect

Questions about Open Library.

The practical details behind the request, access and result.

Can the Open Library MCP find specific book editions?

Yes, it can distinguish between different physical copies of the same work, allowing you to see various formats and publication dates.

Can I use this to find books by ISBN?

Yes, you can use identifiers like ISBN, OCLC, or LCCN to get specific data for a book instantly.

Is this good for academic research?

It's great for compiling bibliographies and checking publication details quickly without leaving your research environment.

Can it find author biographies?

Yes, it retrieves biographies and metadata for specific authors directly from the database.

Can I see what's new in the library?

Yes, you can see recent changes or a stream of modifications to the database to stay updated on new records.

Can it find community book lists?

Yes, you can search for and explore lists created by other users to discover new reading material.

Can I look up a book if I only have its ISBN?

Yes! Use the get_books_by_bibkeys capability and provide the ISBN (e.g., 'ISBN:0451526538'). The agent will return the book metadata associated with that specific identifier.

How do I see all the different versions or publications of a specific book?

You can use the get_work_editions capability with a Work ID (like 'OL27258W'). This will list the various physical editions and formats linked to that core literary work.

Can I search for authors by their name instead of an ID?

Absolutely. Use the search_authors capability with a name query. Once you find the correct author, you can use their ID with get_author or get_author_works for more details.

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