Programmatic access to Google NotebookLM via browser automation
NotebookLM MCP Server
A remote Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that gives AI agents (Claude, Cursor, Copilot, etc.) full programmatic access to Google NotebookLM via browser automation.
Hosted on Vercel Β· Browser powered by Browserless.io
πΊοΈ Architecture
AI Agent (Claude / Cursor)
β MCP (Streamable HTTP)
βΌ
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β Vercel Function β β Next.js App Router
β (TypeScript / MCP) β mcp-handler adapter
βββββββββββ¬ββββββββββββ
β WebSocket (CDP)
βΌ
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β Browserless.io β β Remote headless Chromium
β (free tier) β stealth mode enabled
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β Playwright
βΌ
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β Google NotebookLM β β Authenticated via stored cookies
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β‘ Quick Start
Prerequisites
- Node.js 18+
- A free Browserless.io account β get your API token
- A Google account with access to NotebookLM
- A Vercel account
Step 1 β Clone & install
git clone <your-repo-url>
cd notebooklm-mcp
npm install
Step 2 β Extract Google cookies (one-time)
This step opens a browser window for you to sign in. Runs locally only.
# Install playwright for local cookie extraction
npm install playwright --save-dev
npx playwright install chromium
# Run the extractor
npm run get-cookies
- A Chrome browser will open β sign in to your Google account
- Navigate to NotebookLM and verify you can see your notebooks
- Switch back to the terminal and press Enter
- The script prints a
NOTEBOOKLM_STORAGE_STATE=...value β copy it
Step 3 β Configure environment variables
Copy .env.example to .env.local and fill in your values:
cp .env.example .env.local
# From https://browserless.io β your dashboard
BROWSERLESS_TOKEN=your_token_here
# From the get-cookies script output
NOTEBOOKLM_STORAGE_STATE=eyJjb29...
# Optional: closest region (sfo | lon | sea | fra)
BROWSERLESS_REGION=sfo
Step 4 β Test locally
npm run dev
# MCP endpoint: http://localhost:3000/api/mcp
Step 5 β Deploy to Vercel
# Install Vercel CLI
npm i -g vercel
# Deploy (follow the prompts)
vercel
# Add your environment variables (or use the Vercel dashboard)
vercel env add BROWSERLESS_TOKEN
vercel env add NOTEBOOKLM_STORAGE_STATE
vercel env add BROWSERLESS_REGION
# Deploy to production
vercel --prod
Your MCP server will be live at:
https://your-project.vercel.app/api/mcp
Step 6 β Connect your AI agent
Claude Desktop (~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"notebooklm": {
"url": "https://your-project.vercel.app/api/mcp"
}
}
}
Cursor (.cursor/mcp.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"notebooklm": {
"url": "https://your-project.vercel.app/api/mcp"
}
}
}
π οΈ Available MCP Tools
Notebooks
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
notebooklm_list_notebooks |
List all notebooks in your account |
notebooklm_create_notebook |
Create a new notebook |
notebooklm_get_notebook |
Get details of a notebook by ID |
notebooklm_delete_notebook |
Delete a notebook permanently |
Sources
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
notebooklm_list_sources |
List all sources in a notebook |
notebooklm_add_source_url |
Add a website URL as a source |
notebooklm_add_source_youtube |
Add a YouTube video as a source |
notebooklm_add_source_text |
Add plain text as a source |
notebooklm_remove_source |
Remove a source from a notebook |
Chat / Query
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
notebooklm_ask |
Ask a question (single turn) |
notebooklm_conversation |
Multi-turn conversation (up to 10 questions) |
Content Generation
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
notebooklm_generate_audio |
Generate an Audio Overview (podcast) |
notebooklm_generate_quiz |
Generate a quiz |
notebooklm_generate_flashcards |
Generate flashcards |
notebooklm_generate_mindmap |
Generate a mind map |
notebooklm_generate_slideshow |
Generate a slide deck |
notebooklm_generate_study_guide |
Generate a study guide |
notebooklm_generate_briefing |
Generate a briefing document |
Utility
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
notebooklm_health_check |
Verify Browserless.io connection and session validity |
π Session Management
Google sessions typically last 30β90 days. When your session expires:
- Run
npm run get-cookiesagain on your local machine - Copy the new
NOTEBOOKLM_STORAGE_STATEvalue - Update it in Vercel:
vercel env rm NOTEBOOKLM_STORAGE_STATE && vercel env add NOTEBOOKLM_STORAGE_STATE - Re-deploy:
vercel --prod
The `notebooklm_
Tools (19)
notebooklm_list_notebooksList all notebooks in your accountnotebooklm_create_notebookCreate a new notebooknotebooklm_get_notebookGet details of a notebook by IDnotebooklm_delete_notebookDelete a notebook permanentlynotebooklm_list_sourcesList all sources in a notebooknotebooklm_add_source_urlAdd a website URL as a sourcenotebooklm_add_source_youtubeAdd a YouTube video as a sourcenotebooklm_add_source_textAdd plain text as a sourcenotebooklm_remove_sourceRemove a source from a notebooknotebooklm_askAsk a question (single turn)notebooklm_conversationMulti-turn conversation (up to 10 questions)notebooklm_generate_audioGenerate an Audio Overview (podcast)notebooklm_generate_quizGenerate a quiznotebooklm_generate_flashcardsGenerate flashcardsnotebooklm_generate_mindmapGenerate a mind mapnotebooklm_generate_slideshowGenerate a slide decknotebooklm_generate_study_guideGenerate a study guidenotebooklm_generate_briefingGenerate a briefing documentnotebooklm_health_checkVerify Browserless.io connection and session validityEnvironment Variables
BROWSERLESS_TOKENrequiredAPI token from Browserless.io dashboardNOTEBOOKLM_STORAGE_STATErequiredGoogle session cookies extracted via local scriptBROWSERLESS_REGIONOptional region for Browserless (sfo | lon | sea | fra)Configuration
{"mcpServers": {"notebooklm": {"url": "https://your-project.vercel.app/api/mcp"}}}