How do I install the calibre mcp server?

Use a recorded configuration for your client, replace example credential values and paths, and verify the documented runtime. Restart or reconnect the client, then inspect the available tools.

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Calibre MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for searching and reading books from your Calibre ebook library.

Local serverstdio

What is the Calibre MCP Server?

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for searching and reading books from your Calibre ebook library.

The short version

Full-text search — with automatic phrase matching and fuzzy fallback
Search by author — or title with partial matching
Extract text excerpts — from books with keyword highlighting and pagination
Pure bash implementation using calibredb CLI
Returns Calibre deep links (calibre://) and file URLs (file://)
Robust timeout handling for macOS compatibility

What it needs from you

Calibre installed at /Applications/calibre.app - A Calibre library at ~/Calibre Library - Text (.txt) exports of your books for excerpt functionality - Bash 4.0 or later

More MCP options

Compare MCP servers by category, or browse hosted MCP servers if you prefer an endpoint over a local process.

Maintainer setup documentation.

Recorded tools

Check the linked publisher documentation and your connected client's tool list. Names and availability can vary with the server version and account permissions.

Tool	What it does
query	required): Search query. Multi-word queries are automatically phrase-searched
limit	optional): Maximum results (default: 50)
fuzzy_fallback	optional): Fallback query with related terms if exact search fails
author	required): Author name (partial match supported)
title	required): Book title (partial match supported)
book_id	required): Calibre book ID
keyword	optional): Search term to find in the book
context_lines	optional): Lines of context around matches (default: 10)
max_results	optional): Results per page (default: 10)
page	optional): Page number for pagination (default: 1)

How to install the Calibre MCP Server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "calibre": {
      "command": "/path/to/calibre-mcp.sh"
    }
  }
}

From the project documentation. Replace placeholders and example paths before connecting.

Configuration

Calibre installed at /Applications/calibre.app - A Calibre library at ~/Calibre Library - Text (.txt) exports of your books for excerpt functionality - Bash 4.0 or later

Frequently asked questions

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for searching and reading books from your Calibre ebook library. Confirm the tools offered by your installed version in the connected client. Tool availability and permissions depend on the server and account configuration.