> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://portkey-docs-feature-comparison-update.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Open Library MCP server

> The Open Library MCP server provides AI agents with access to Open Library's book and author catalog through a simple read-only API with no authentication required.

The Open Library MCP server integrates with Open Library, a free, open-source book and author catalog run by the Internet Archive. It provides read-only tools for discovering books and authors, retrieving details, and fetching cover images — all without authentication.

## When should you use this server

Use the Open Library MCP server when you want an agent to:

* Search for books by title
* Search for authors by name
* Fetch detailed author information
* Retrieve author photos
* Get book cover images by ISBN or other identifiers

## Key features

* No authentication required — uses Open Library's public API
* Simple, read-only operations for book and author discovery
* Cover image retrieval for books and authors
* ISBN lookup and bibliographic information
* Ideal for demos, prototypes, and educational use

## Authentication

* **None required** — this server uses Open Library's public API

## Tools provided

### **get\_book\_by\_title**

Search for books using their title.

**Arguments:**

* `title` *(string, required)* — the book title to search for.

**Returns:**

* List of matching books with metadata.

**Example usage:**

* *"Find books with 'Lord of the Rings' in the title."*
* *"Search for science textbooks about quantum physics."*

***

### **get\_authors\_by\_name**

Search for authors using their name.

**Arguments:**

* `name` *(string, required)* — the author name to search for.

**Returns:**

* List of matching authors with basic information.

**Example usage:**

* *"Find authors named Margaret Atwood."*
* *"Search for writers with 'Smith' in their name."*

***

### **get\_author\_info**

Retrieve detailed information for a specific author using their Open Library key.

**Arguments:**

* `author_key` *(string, required)* — Open Library author key (OLID).

**Returns:**

* Detailed author information including birth/death dates, biography, and works.

**Example usage:**

* *"Get detailed information about author OL26320A."*
* *"Tell me more about this author."*

***

### **get\_author\_photo**

Get the URL for an author's photo using their Open Library ID (OLID).

**Arguments:**

* `olid` *(string, required)* — Open Library author ID.
* `size` *(string, optional)* — image size (S, M, L), defaults to L.

**Returns:**

* URL to the author's photo.

**Example usage:**

* *"Get the photo of author OL26320A."*
* *"Show me what this author looks like."*

***

### **get\_book\_cover**

Get the URL for a book's cover image using identifiers such as ISBN, OCLC, LCCN, OLID, or internal ID.

**Arguments:**

* `key` *(string, required)* — identifier type (ISBN, OCLC, LCCN, OLID, ID).
* `value` *(string, required)* — identifier value.
* `size` *(string, optional)* — image size (S, M, L), defaults to L.

**Returns:**

* URL to the book's cover image.

**Example usage:**

* *"Get the cover image for ISBN 9780547928227."*
* *"Show me the book cover for The Hobbit."*

## Rate limits

* Controlled by Open Library's public API rate limits (sufficient for typical usage)
* Avoid bulk or automated scraping

## Notes

* All tools are **read-only**
* Records may be incomplete or inconsistent, since data is community-maintained
* Great for **lightweight demos** and **testing MCP connectivity**, since it requires no credentials