NotebookLM

You use this MCP server to connect Claude Desktop to NotebookLM with client-side prompt structuring, ensuring responses come only from uploaded documents and always include source citations. It guides Claude to format questions before sending them to NotebookLM and to present results faithfully without adding external knowledge.

How to use

Start a conversation with Claude Desktop and ask a simple question in your preferred language. The MCP server reads structuring guidelines embedded in its tool description and transforms your question into a structured prompt that enforces source fidelity and explicit citations. Claude then queries NotebookLM with this structured prompt and returns a source-faithful answer to you. If you need more details, you can trigger follow-up questions in the same workflow.

Key behaviors you should expect:

• All claims are tied to specific source documents with citations.
• If information is not present, Claude explicitly states that it is not found in the documents.
• The system works multilingual by design; continue using your account language for best results.

How to install

Prerequisites you must install before using this MCP server: Node.js version 18.0.0 or newer, npm, Claude Desktop, and a Google account with NotebookLM access.

Install from source and build the MCP server by running the following commands in sequence.

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

# Enter directory
cd notebooklm-mcp-structured

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build
npm run build

Configuration and usage notes

Configure Claude Desktop to load the MCP server as a local stdio process. You provide an absolute path to the built script in your configuration so Claude can launch and communicate with the server during a session.

First-time authentication flow is integrated to help you connect to NotebookLM. After you restart Claude Desktop, you can check health and complete Google login when prompted.

Environment and language considerations:

• The system is designed to be language-agnostic, but using your account’s primary language yields the most consistent results.
• It supports multilingual prompts; structure your questions in any supported language and Claude will adapt.

Security and reliability notes

All generated prompts and responses flow through Claude Desktop and NotebookLM. The client-side structure ensures fidelity to your uploaded documents and prevents external knowledge from being introduced into the final answer.

The MCP server also includes automatic connection verification to NotebookLM before performing operations that require authentication. If authentication is needed, Claude Desktop will guide you through a login flow.

Troubleshooting and tips

If you encounter authentication issues, restart Claude Desktop and follow the first-time authentication steps again. Ensure you are using the correct Google account linked to NotebookLM.

If NotebookLM reports authentication problems, verify that your NotebookLM access is active and your browser login completed successfully. The MCP server handles the flow automatically and will retry as needed.

Examples of capabilities

Use cases include legal document analysis, literature review with source tracking, cross-document fact extraction, and professional fact-checking with explicit citations and source control.

Available tools

ask_question

Ask questions to NotebookLM with session management and automatic authentication support.

reset_session

Reset a conversation session to start fresh.

list_sessions

View all active conversation sessions.

close_session

Close a specific session.

get_health

Check authentication, connection status, and Chrome state with enhanced diagnostics.

setup_auth

Initial Google login to enable NotebookLM access.

re_auth

Switch Google accounts or recover from rate limits.

add_notebook

Add a notebook to your library in NotebookLM.

list_notebooks

List all notebooks in your library.

get_notebook

Get details of a specific notebook.

select_notebook

Set the active notebook for queries.

update_notebook

Update notebook metadata.

remove_notebook

Remove a notebook from your library.

search_notebooks

Search notebooks by keywords.

get_library_stats

View library statistics.

cleanup_data

Clean up browser data and authentication files.