NotebookLM MCP Server

NotebookLM MCP for Claude (Desktop & CLI)

A powerful MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that brings Google NotebookLM into Claude Desktop and Claude Code.

Features

• Research: List and create notebooks
• Content: Add URLs, text, and files as sources
• Generation: Create Podcasts, Videos, Slides, Mind Maps, Infographics, Quizzes, Flashcards, and Reports
• Natural Interaction: Chat directly with your sources using Claude's reasoning

Prerequisites

1. Install uv (Python Package Manager)

# Using curl
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

# Or with Homebrew (macOS)
brew install uv

# Using PowerShell
powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"

# Or with Scoop
scoop install uv

# Or with winget
winget install --id=astral-sh.uv -e

Verify installation:

uv --version

2. Clone and Install Dependencies

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/alfredang/notebooklm-mcp.git

# Navigate to the project folder
cd notebooklm-mcp

# Install dependencies (includes notebooklm-py and fastmcp)
uv sync

This will:

• Create a .venv virtual environment
• Install notebooklm-py (Python client for NotebookLM API)
• Install fastmcp (MCP server framework)

Note: These dependencies are required for both Claude Desktop and Claude Code.

Step 1: Authenticate with NotebookLM

NotebookLM uses browser-based authentication. You must login once to save your session cookies.

cd notebooklm-mcp
uv run notebooklm login

What happens:

1. A browser window will open automatically
2. Log in to your Google account
3. Navigate to NotebookLM if not redirected automatically
4. Wait until the terminal displays "Success"
5. Close the browser

Verify authentication:

uv run python -c "
from notebooklm import NotebookLMClient
import asyncio
async def test():
    client = await NotebookLMClient.from_storage()
    async with client:
        notebooks = await client.notebooks.list()
        print(f'Authenticated! Found {len(notebooks)} notebooks.')
asyncio.run(test())
"

You should see: Authenticated! Found X notebooks.

Step 2: Test the MCP Server

Before configuring Claude, verify the server starts correctly:

cd notebooklm-mcp
uv run python server.py

Expected output:

Starting NotebookLM MCP server...
NotebookLM client initialized successfully
Starting MCP server 'NotebookLM' with transport 'stdio'

Press Ctrl+C (or Cmd+C on Mac) to stop the server after confirming it works.

Step 3: Setup for Claude Desktop

3.1 Find Your Paths

You'll need two paths for the configuration:

Find your uv path:

which uv

where uv

Find your project path:

cd notebooklm-mcp && pwd

cd notebooklm-mcp; (Get-Location).Path

3.2 Open the Config File

From Claude Desktop (Recommended):

1. Open Claude Desktop
2. Go to Settings (gear icon) → Developer → Edit Config
3. This opens claude_desktop_config.json in your default editor

Or manually:

3.3 Add the MCP Server Configuration

Important: Replace <UV_PATH> and `` with your actual paths from Step 3.1

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notebooklm": {
      "command": "<UV_PATH>",
      "args": [
        "--directory",
        "",
        "run",
        "python",
        "server.py"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notebooklm": {
      "command": "/Users/yourname/.local/bin/uv",
      "args": [
        "--directory",
        "/Users/yourname/projects/notebooklm-mcp",
        "run",
        "python",
        "server.py"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notebo