Anna's Archive
MCP server and CLI tool for searching and downloading documents from Anna's Archive
What is Anna's Archive?
Anna's Archive is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to mcp server and cli tool for searching and downloading documents from anna's archive
MCP server and CLI tool for searching and downloading documents from Anna's Archive
This server falls under the Search & Data Extraction category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- MCP server and CLI tool for searching and downloading docume
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx annasConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Anna's Archive
The Anna's Archive MCP server is a Go-based tool that integrates with Anna's Archive — one of the largest openly accessible digital libraries — to let AI assistants search for and download books and academic articles with permissive licensing (Creative Commons and public domain materials). It exposes four core tools covering book search, book download, article search, and article download, making it practical for researchers, students, and developers who want to retrieve document content through natural language requests to their AI client.
Prerequisites
- A valid Anna's Archive API key (obtained by making a donation to Anna's Archive at annas-archive.org)
- A local directory with write access for downloaded documents
- The annas-mcp binary downloaded from the GitHub releases page (https://github.com/iosifache/annas-mcp/releases)
- An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop
Obtain an Anna's Archive API key
The API requires a key that is granted to supporters of Anna's Archive. Visit https://annas-archive.org and follow the donation/API key process to receive your key.
Download the annas-mcp binary
Download the precompiled binary for your OS from the GitHub releases page. No Go toolchain is required for end users.
# Example for macOS (adjust filename for your platform)
curl -L https://github.com/iosifache/annas-mcp/releases/latest/download/annas-mcp-darwin-amd64 -o ~/bin/annas-mcp
chmod +x ~/bin/annas-mcpCreate a download directory
Create a folder where the MCP server will save downloaded books and articles.
mkdir -p ~/Downloads/annas-archiveTest the binary with the CLI
Verify the binary works and your API key is valid by running a quick book search from the command line.
ANNAS_SECRET_KEY=your_api_key ANNAS_DOWNLOAD_PATH=~/Downloads/annas-archive ~/bin/annas-mcp book-search "machine learning"Add the server to your MCP client configuration
Register the annas-mcp binary as an MCP server in claude_desktop_config.json with your API key and download path.
{
"mcpServers": {
"anna-mcp": {
"command": "/Users/yourname/bin/annas-mcp",
"args": ["mcp"],
"env": {
"ANNAS_SECRET_KEY": "your_api_key_here",
"ANNAS_DOWNLOAD_PATH": "/Users/yourname/Downloads/annas-archive"
}
}
}
}Anna's Archive Examples
Client configuration
Full claude_desktop_config.json entry for the Anna's Archive MCP server.
{
"mcpServers": {
"anna-mcp": {
"command": "/Users/yourname/bin/annas-mcp",
"args": ["mcp"],
"env": {
"ANNAS_SECRET_KEY": "feedfacecafebeef",
"ANNAS_DOWNLOAD_PATH": "/Users/yourname/Downloads/annas-archive",
"ANNAS_BASE_URL": "https://annas-archive.li"
}
}
}
}Prompts to try
Example prompts that use the four tools: book_search, book_download, article_search, article_download.
- "Search Anna's Archive for books about deep learning and Python"
- "Download the book with ID abc123def456 and save it as deep-learning.pdf"
- "Find academic articles about transformer neural networks from 2023"
- "Download the article with DOI 10.1038/nature12345"
- "Search for public domain books by Jules Verne"Troubleshooting Anna's Archive
ANNAS_SECRET_KEY is invalid or returns 403 Forbidden
API keys are tied to Anna's Archive donations. Confirm your key is correctly copied (no extra whitespace) and that it has not expired. Visit annas-archive.org to check your key status.
Downloads fail or files are not appearing in ANNAS_DOWNLOAD_PATH
Ensure the directory exists and the process has write permissions (`ls -la ~/Downloads/annas-archive`). Use an absolute path, not a relative path or tilde, in the env config.
The binary is not executable or shows 'permission denied'
Run `chmod +x /path/to/annas-mcp` to make the binary executable. On macOS, you may also need to approve it in System Settings > Privacy & Security if Gatekeeper blocks it.
Frequently Asked Questions about Anna's Archive
What is Anna's Archive?
Anna's Archive is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that mcp server and cli tool for searching and downloading documents from anna's archive It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Anna's Archive?
Follow the installation instructions on the Anna's Archive GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with Anna's Archive?
Anna's Archive works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Anna's Archive free to use?
Yes, Anna's Archive is open source and available under the MIT license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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