gemini-notebook-mcp-cli

Gemini Notebook (formerly Google NotebookLM) CLI & MCP Server

Programmatic access to Gemini Notebook — via command-line interface (CLI) or Model Context Protocol (MCP) server.

Note: Personal/consumer accounts are tested regularly. Gemini Notebook Enterprise support is experimental. The documented notebook.cloud.google.com host has been live-verified with a project-qualified global deployment; other Enterprise host variants may require additional validation.

☕ If you find notebooklm-mcp-cli useful, consider buying me a coffee. It's free and built in my spare time — but testing every Gemini Notebook feature takes real time and resources. A coffee helps me cover it and keep shipping. Thank you!

Watch the Demos

Latest

Codex Setup + Cinematic Video & Slides

MCP Demos

General Overview Claude Desktop Perplexity Desktop MCP Super Assistant

CLI Demos

CLI Overview CLI, MCP & Skills Setup, Doctor & mcpb Infographics Support

Two Ways to Use

️ Command-Line Interface (CLI)

Use nlm directly in your terminal for scripting, automation, or interactive use:

nlm notebook list                              # List all notebooks
nlm notebook create "Research Project"         # Create a notebook
nlm source add <notebook> --url "https://..."  # Add sources
nlm audio create <notebook> --confirm          # Generate podcast
nlm download audio <notebook> --id <artifact-id>    # Download audio file
nlm download all <notebook> -d ./exports       # Download every artifact
nlm share public <notebook>                    # Enable public link

Run nlm --ai for comprehensive AI-assistant documentation.

MCP Server (for AI Agents)

Connect AI assistants (Claude, Gemini, Cursor, etc.) to Gemini Notebook:

# Automatic setup — picks the right config for each tool
nlm setup add claude-code
nlm setup add claude-desktop
nlm setup add gemini
nlm setup add github-copilot
nlm setup add cursor
nlm setup add cline
nlm setup add antigravity

# Generate JSON config for any other tool
nlm setup add json

Then use natural language: "Create a notebook about quantum computing and generate a podcast"

Features

Capability CLI Command MCP Tool List notebooks nlm notebook list notebook_list Create notebook nlm notebook create notebook_create Add Sources (URL, Text, Drive, File) nlm source add source_add Query notebook (persists to web UI) nlm notebook query notebook_query List/view/export chat sessions nlm chats list/get/export chat_list/chat_get/chat_export Create Studio Content (Audio, Video, etc.) nlm studio create studio_create Revise slide decks nlm slides revise studio_revise Download artifacts nlm download <type> download_artifact Download all artifacts (one or all notebooks) nlm download all download_all_artifacts Web/Drive research nlm research start research_start Share notebook nlm share public/invite notebook_share_* Sync Drive sources nlm source sync source_sync_drive Batch operations nlm batch query/create/delete batch Cross-notebook query nlm cross query cross_notebook_query Pipelines (multi-step workflows) nlm pipeline run/list pipeline Tag & smart select nlm tag add/list/select tag Configure AI tools nlm setup add/remove/list — Install AI Skills nlm skill install/update — Diagnose issues nlm doctor — Check remaining plan usage nlm usage [--profile <name>] usage_get

More Documentation:

• Getting Started — Install, login, agent setup, and migration from another Gemini Notebook MCP
• CLI Guide — Complete command reference
• MCP Guide — All 43 MCP tools with examples
• Authentication — Setup and troubleshooting
• Remote MCP — Web/mobile connector feasibility, security, and authentication limitations
• API Reference — Internal API docs for contributors

Important Disclaimer

This MCP and CLI use internal APIs that:

• Are undocumented and may change without notice
• Require cookie extraction from your browser (I have a tool for that!)

Use at your own risk for personal/experimental purposes.

Installation

Claude Desktop users: Download the extension (.mcpb file) → double-click → done! One-click install, no config needed.

Install from PyPI. This single package includes both the CLI and MCP server:

Using uv (Recommended)

uv tool install notebooklm-mcp-cli

Using uvx (Run Without Install)

uvx --from notebooklm-mcp-cli nlm --help
uvx --from notebooklm-mcp-cli notebooklm-mcp

Using pip

pip install notebooklm-mcp-cli

Using pipx

pipx install notebooklm-mcp-cli

After installation, you get:

• nlm — Command-line interface
• notebooklm-mcp — Gemini Notebook MCP server for AI assistants

Alternative: Install from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/jacob-bd/gemini-notebook-mcp-cli.git
cd notebooklm-mcp

# Install with uv
uv tool install .

Upgrading

# Using uv
uv tool upgrade notebooklm-mcp-cli

# Using pip
pip install --upgrade notebooklm-mcp-cli

# Using pipx
pipx upgrade notebooklm-mcp-cli

After upgrading, restart your AI tool to reconnect to the updated MCP server:

• Claude Code: Restart the application, or use /mcp to reconnect
• Cursor: Restart the application
• Gemini CLI: Restart the CLI session

Upgrading from Legacy Versions

If you previously installed the separate CLI and MCP packages, you need to migrate to the unified package.

Step 1: Check What You Have Installed

uv tool list | grep notebooklm

Legacy packages to remove:

Package What it was notebooklm-cli Old CLI-only package notebooklm-mcp-server Old MCP-only package

Step 2: Uninstall Legacy Packages

# Remove old CLI package (if installed)
uv tool uninstall notebooklm-cli

# Remove old MCP package (if installed)
uv tool uninstall notebooklm-mcp-server

Step 3: Reinstall the Unified Package

After removing legacy packages, reinstall to fix symlinks:

uv tool install --force notebooklm-mcp-cli

Why --force? When multiple packages provide the same executable, uv can leave broken symlinks after uninstalling. The --force flag ensures clean symlinks.

Step 4: Verify Installation

uv tool list | grep notebooklm

You should see only:

notebooklm-mcp-cli v0.2.0
- nlm
- notebooklm-mcp

Step 5: Re-authenticate

Your existing cookies should still work, but if you encounter auth issues:

nlm login

Note: The configured MCP server name is now gemini-notebook-mcp. The executable remains notebooklm-mcp for compatibility with existing installations.

Getting Started

If you are setting up the tool for the first time — or migrating from a browser-based Gemini Notebook MCP — see the Getting Started Guide. It covers install, login, agent registration, and a step-by-step migration path that avoids the "two Gemini Notebook servers registered" trap.

Uninstalling

To completely remove the MCP:

# Using uv
uv tool uninstall notebooklm-mcp-cli

# Using pip
pip uninstall notebooklm-mcp-cli

# Using pipx
pipx uninstall notebooklm-mcp-cli

# Remove cached auth tokens and data (optional)
rm -rf ~/.notebooklm-mcp-cli

Also remove from your AI tools:

nlm setup remove claude-code
nlm setup remove cursor
# ... or any configured tool

Authentication

Before using the CLI or MCP, you need to authenticate with Gemini Notebook:

CLI Authentication (Recommended)

# Auto mode: launches your browser, you log in, cookies extracted automatically
nlm lo