Readwise MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for accessing and interacting with your Readwise library.

Features

Access highlights from your Readwise library
Search for highlights using natural language queries
Get books and documents from your library
Seamless integration with Claude and other MCP-compatible assistants
Enhanced prompt capabilities for highlight analysis
Transport-aware logging system
Robust error handling and validation
MCP protocol compliance with proper request_id handling
Health check endpoint for monitoring
Improved setup wizard with API key validation

Project Structure

This repository is organized into the following key directories:

src/: Main source code for the Readwise MCP server
test-scripts/: Test scripts and utilities for validating MCP server functionality
- smart-mcp-test.sh: Main testing script for both stdio and SSE transports
- run-simple-server.sh: Script to run a simple MCP server
- See test-scripts/README.md for complete documentation
examples/: Example implementations and code samples
- examples/mcp-implementations/: Basic MCP server implementations
- examples/test-clients/: Client-side test scripts
- See examples/README.md for complete documentation
dist/: Compiled JavaScript output (generated)
scripts/: Utility scripts for development and testing

Installation

# Install from npm
npm install -g readwise-mcp

# Or clone the repository and install dependencies
git clone https://github.com/your-username/readwise-mcp.git
cd readwise-mcp
npm install
npm run build

Setup

Before using the server, you need to configure your Readwise API key:

# Run the setup wizard
npm run setup

# Or start with the API key directly
readwise-mcp --api-key YOUR_API_KEY

You can get your API key from https://readwise.io/access_token.

Usage

CLI

# Start with stdio transport (default, for Claude Desktop)
readwise-mcp

# Start with SSE transport (for web-based integrations)
readwise-mcp --transport sse --port 3000

# Enable debug logging
readwise-mcp --debug

API

import { ReadwiseMCPServer } from 'readwise-mcp';

const server = new ReadwiseMCPServer(
  'YOUR_API_KEY',
  3000, // port
  logger,
  'sse' // transport
);

await server.start();

Testing with MCP Inspector

The project includes built-in support for testing with the MCP Inspector. You can use either the TypeScript script or the shell script to run the inspector.

Automated Tests

Run the automated test suite that verifies all tools and prompts:

# Run automated inspector tests
npm run test-inspector

# Run in CI mode (exits with status code)
npm run test-inspector:ci

The test suite verifies:

Server startup and connection
Tool availability and responses
Prompt functionality
Error handling
Response format compliance

Each test provides detailed output and a summary of passed/failed cases.

Manual Testing

Using the Shell Script

# Test with stdio transport (default)
./scripts/inspector.sh

# Test with SSE transport
./scripts/inspector.sh -t sse -p 3001

# Enable debug mode
./scripts/inspector.sh -d

# Full options
./scripts/inspector.sh --transport sse --port 3001 --debug

Using the TypeScript Script

# Test with stdio transport (default)
npm run inspector

# Test with SSE transport
npm run inspector -- -t sse -p 3001

# Enable debug mode
npm run inspector -- -d

# Full options
npm run inspector -- --transport sse --port 3001 --debug

Available Options

-t, --transport <type>: Transport type (stdio or sse), default: stdio
-p, --port <number>: Port number for SSE transport, default: 3001
-d, --debug: Enable debug mode

Example Inspector Commands

Test a specific tool:

./scripts/inspector.sh
> tool get-highlights --parameters '{"page": 1, "page_size": 10}'

Test a prompt:

./scripts/inspector.sh
> prompt search-highlights --parameters '{"query": "python"}'

List available tools and prompts:

./scripts/inspector.sh
> list tools
> list prompts

Testing Without a Readwise API Key

If you don't have a Readwise API key or don't want to use your real API key for testing, you can use the mock testing functionality:

npm run test-mock

This runs a test script that:

Creates a mock implementation of the Readwise API
Sets up the MCP server with this mock API
Tests various endpoints with sample data
Verifies server functionality without requiring a real API key

The mock implementation includes:

Sample books, highlights, and documents
Simulated network delays for realistic testing
Error handling testing

Available Tools

get_highlights: Get highlights from your Readwise library
get_books: Get books from your Readwise library
get_documents: Get documents from your Readwise library
search_highlights: Search for highlights in your Readwise library

Available Prompts

readwise_highlight: Process highlights from Readwise
- Supports summarization, analysis, connection finding, and question generation
- Includes robust error handling and parameter validation
- Formats highlights in a reader-friendly way
readwise_search: Search and process highlights from Readwise
- Provides formatted search results with source information
- Handles API errors gracefully with user-friendly messages
- Includes validation for required parameters

Recent Improvements

Enhanced MCP Protocol Compliance

Proper handling of request_id in all responses
Validation of incoming requests against MCP protocol specifications
Consistent error response format following MCP guidelines

Improved Setup Experience

Interactive setup wizard with API key validation
Secure storage of configuration
Detailed error messages for troubleshooting

Robust Error Handling

Specific error messages for different API error conditions
Consistent error format across all tools and prompts
Transport-aware logging that doesn't interfere with the protocol

Development

# Build the project
npm run build

# Run tests
npm test

# Start in development mode with auto-reload
npm run dev:watch

# Lint code
npm run lint

License

MIT

Readwise Library