Gutenberg MCP Server - install, status & alternatives [2026]

01 · Install Gutenberg MCP Server

before you install - you'll need

Set MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE, MCP_LOG_LEVEL before connecting.

Claude Code

claude mcp add cyanheads-gutenberg-mcp-server --transport http https://gutenberg.caseyjhand.com/mcp

Claude Desktop / Cursor / VS Code - add to config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cyanheads-gutenberg-mcp-server": {
      "url": "https://gutenberg.caseyjhand.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Same JSON for Cursor. For VS Code, rename the top-level key from `mcpServers` to `servers`.

Using another client? Same JSON, different key

Claude Desktop · mcpServers

Cursor · mcpServers

VS Code · servers

Windsurf · mcpServers

Zed · context_servers

Cline · mcpServers

Roo Code · mcpServers

Continue · mcpServers

LibreChat · mcpServers

Gemini CLI · mcpServers

Codex CLI · mcp_servers

Full setup guides: every client.

02 · Evidence

https://gutenberg.caseyjhand.com/mcp

transport: streamable-http

endpoint alive - responded to MCP initialize · probed 2026-09-17

Security posture

What to check before giving this server access to your agent - from the registry, GitHub, and our own probes. We don't score safety; we show what's verifiable.

runs as local process (stdio) - runs on your machine with your user's permissions · remote - your agent's requests go to gutenberg.caseyjhand.com

endpoint auth accepted our unauthenticated MCP initialize - no credentials needed to connect

license Apache-2.0 - declared in the repository

npm package @cyanheads/gutenberg-mcp-server - published under the repo owner's npm scope (@cyanheads)

registry namespace io.github.cyanheads is GitHub-verified and matches the repo owner

03 · What Gutenberg MCP Server can do

Prose above is summarized from the project's README and registry record - no invented capabilities.

What you can build

With this server connected, an agent can retrieve the plain-text content of a book, stripped of license boilerplate, with offset/limit chunking for context-budget management, and browse the most-downloaded books, optionally filtered by language or topic - useful as a discovery entry point.

Capability map

Tools grouped from the project's README - what Gutenberg MCP Server lets an agent do.

Gutenberg

4 tools - e.g. Search the Gutenberg catalog by title, author, topic, language, or author lifespan - returns popularity-ordered results with IDs ready for follow-up calls; Fetch complete metadata for a book by ID - full…

gutenberg_search_books · gutenberg_get_book · gutenberg_get_text · gutenberg_browse_popular

Paginated

1 tool - e.g. up to 32 books per page; use totalCount to determine total pages

Paginated

Latest releases

v0.1.8 · 2026-08-23

Upstream deadlines and content[] parity · gutenberg_browse_popular's complete results now pass enrichment validation instead of always claiming truncation (#8) · gutenberg_get_text's text_fetch_failed carries its…

v0.1.7 · 2026-08-22

Strict tool inputs and explicit stateless HTTP · All four root tool schemas advertise additionalProperties: false and reject undeclared keys. · HTTP deployments select stateless consistently; Gutendex 404s preserve…

v0.1.6 · 2026-07-11

gutenberg_get_text sources from the PG-sanctioned mirror · Text fetches now go through gutenberg.pglaf.org instead of the ToS-restricted www.gutenberg.org, and has_plain_text no longer advertises un-fetchable books.…

04 · Who maintains Gutenberg MCP Server

gutenberg-mcp-server is maintained by cyanheads. We track 125 MCP servers from cyanheads - 119 actively maintained, 1,816 combined GitHub stars, oldest repo from Dec 2024. Full record: all servers from cyanheads.

05 · Facts

repository: github.com/cyanheads/gutenberg-mcp-server
category: other - ranked #312 of 945 actively-maintained other servers as of 2026-09-18.
release cadence: 5 releases in the last 90 days (latest 2026-08-23)
registry: io.github.cyanheads/gutenberg-mcp-server (active, first published 2026-06-01 · 8 versions)
packages: npm:@cyanheads/gutenberg-mcp-server · npm:@cyanheads/gutenberg-mcp-server

06 · Gutenberg MCP Server FAQ

Is Gutenberg MCP Server still maintained?

Yes - as of 2026-09-18, its last commit was 2026-08-23 and it shipped 5 releases in the last 90 days. We re-verify nightly.

What can Gutenberg MCP Server do?

With this server connected, an agent can retrieve the plain-text content of a book, stripped of license boilerplate, with offset/limit chunking for context-budget management, and browse the most-downloaded books, optionally filtered by language or topic - useful as a discovery entry point.

How do I install Gutenberg MCP Server?

Run `npx -y @cyanheads/gutenberg-mcp-server`. The README documents 2 environment variables (MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE, MCP_LOG_LEVEL) to set first. Set MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE, MCP_LOG_LEVEL before connecting. You can also paste the ready-made client config above.

Does Gutenberg MCP Server require authentication?

No - the endpoint accepted our unauthenticated MCP initialize when probed on 2026-09-17; you can connect without credentials.

07 · Alternatives to Gutenberg MCP Server

Alternatives to Gutenberg MCP Server

Maintained other servers if Gutenberg MCP Server isn't the fit.

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