Tools (7)

search_books
get_book
search_authors
get_author
get_editions
search_by_isbn
report_feedback

search_books

Search Open Library for books by title, author, or subject.

Returns matching books with titles, authors, publication years, ISBNs,
subjects, and cover image IDs. Use the returned work key (e.g. /works/OL27448W)
with get_book() for full details.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`query`	`string`	required	Search query — title, author, or subject (e.g. "the lord of the rings", "tolkien").
`limit`	`integer`	optional	Max results to return (1-100). Default 10. (default: 10)

JSON-RPC Request

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "id": 1,
  "params": {
    "name": "search_books",
    "arguments": {
      "query": "example"
    }
  }
}

get_book

Get detailed information about a book/work by its Open Library work ID.

Returns title, description, subjects, author references, cover IDs, and
timestamps. Work IDs end in "W" — find them via search_books().

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`olid`	`string`	required	Open Library work ID (e.g. "OL27448W" for The Lord of the Rings).

JSON-RPC Request

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "id": 1,
  "params": {
    "name": "get_book",
    "arguments": {
      "olid": "example"
    }
  }
}

search_authors

Search Open Library for authors by name.

Returns matching authors with names, birth/death dates, top works, and
work counts. Use the returned author key with get_author() for full bio.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`query`	`string`	required	Author name to search for (e.g. "tolkien", "ursula le guin").
`limit`	`integer`	optional	Max results to return (1-100). Default 10. (default: 10)

JSON-RPC Request

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "id": 1,
  "params": {
    "name": "search_authors",
    "arguments": {
      "query": "example"
    }
  }
}

get_author

Get detailed information about an author by Open Library author ID.

Returns name, biography, birth/death dates, external links, and photo IDs.
Author IDs end in "A" — find them via search_authors().

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`olid`	`string`	required	Open Library author ID (e.g. "OL26320A" for J.R.R. Tolkien).

JSON-RPC Request

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "id": 1,
  "params": {
    "name": "get_author",
    "arguments": {
      "olid": "example"
    }
  }
}

get_editions

Get all editions of a work — different publishers, languages, formats.

Returns edition details including publishers, publication dates, ISBNs,
page counts, languages, and cover IDs. Useful for finding specific
translations or print editions.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`olid`	`string`	required	Open Library work ID (e.g. "OL27448W").
`limit`	`integer`	optional	Max editions to return (1-100). Default 10. (default: 10)

JSON-RPC Request

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "id": 1,
  "params": {
    "name": "get_editions",
    "arguments": {
      "olid": "example"
    }
  }
}

search_by_isbn

Look up a specific book edition by its ISBN-10 or ISBN-13.

Returns the edition's title, publishers, publication date, ISBNs, page
count, languages, covers, and linked work keys. Dashes in the ISBN are
stripped automatically.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`isbn`	`string`	required	ISBN-10 or ISBN-13 (e.g. "9780618640157" or "0618640150").

JSON-RPC Request

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "id": 1,
  "params": {
    "name": "search_by_isbn",
    "arguments": {
      "isbn": "example"
    }
  }
}

report_feedback

Report a bug, feature request, or general feedback for this data source.

Use this when something doesn't work as expected, when you'd like
a new feature, or when you have suggestions for improvement.

Args:
feedback: Describe the issue or suggestion.
feedback_type: One of 'bug', 'feature_request', or 'general'.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`feedback`	`string`	required
`feedback_type`	`string`	optional	(default: "general")

JSON-RPC Request

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "id": 1,
  "params": {
    "name": "report_feedback",
    "arguments": {
      "feedback": "example"
    }
  }
}

Quick Start

Shell

curl -X POST "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/open-library/" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \
  -H "Gnist-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "tools/call", "id": 1, "params": {"name": "search_books", "arguments": {"query": "example"}}}'

Python

import httpx

resp = httpx.post(
    "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/open-library/",
    headers={"Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "Content-Type": "application/json"},
    json={
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "id": 1,
  "params": {
    "name": "search_books",
    "arguments": {
      "query": "example"
    }
  }
},
)
print(resp.json())