Readwise Reader
Enables Claude to interact with the Readwise Reader API, allowing for saving, listing, updating, and deleting documents with complete metadata and content access through natural language.
What is Readwise Reader?
Readwise Reader is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to enables claude to interact with the readwise reader api, allowing for saving, listing, updating, and deleting documents with complete metadata and content access through natural language.
Enables Claude to interact with the Readwise Reader API, allowing for saving, listing, updating, and deleting documents with complete metadata and content access through natural language.
This server falls under the Knowledge & Memory category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- Enables Claude to interact with the Readwise Reader API, all
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx readwise-reader-mcp-serverConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Readwise Reader
The Readwise Reader MCP Server connects AI assistants to the Readwise Reader API, enabling natural language interactions with your personal reading library. It exposes six tools covering the full lifecycle of documents: saving new articles by URL or HTML, listing and filtering your library, updating document metadata, deleting entries, browsing tags, and searching across titles and notes using regex patterns. Readers and researchers use it to query, organize, and retrieve highlights and saved content without leaving their AI chat interface.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 18 or higher and npm installed
- A Readwise account with Reader access
- Your Readwise access token (available at readwise.io/access_token)
- An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop
Clone the repository
Clone the Readwise Reader MCP server to your local machine.
git clone https://github.com/edricgsh/Readwise-Reader-MCP.git
cd Readwise-Reader-MCPInstall dependencies
Install all required Node.js packages.
npm installBuild the project
Compile the TypeScript source into runnable JavaScript.
npm run buildObtain your Readwise access token
Log in to Readwise and navigate to readwise.io/access_token to generate or copy your API token. Keep this token secret.
Configure your MCP client
Add the server configuration to claude_desktop_config.json, passing your Readwise token as an environment variable.
Restart Claude Desktop and verify
Restart the application and ask Claude to list your recent documents to confirm the connection is working.
Readwise Reader Examples
Client configuration
Add this block to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS. Adjust the path to the dist/index.js file from your cloned directory.
{
"mcpServers": {
"readwise-reader": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/absolute/path/to/Readwise-Reader-MCP/dist/index.js"],
"env": {
"READWISE_TOKEN": "your_readwise_access_token_here"
}
}
}
}Prompts to try
Use natural language to manage your Readwise Reader library.
- "List my 10 most recently saved articles"
- "Save this URL to my Readwise Reader: https://example.com/article"
- "Search my library for documents about machine learning"
- "Show me all documents tagged 'research'"
- "Update the title of document ID abc123 to 'ML Paper Review'"
- "Delete the document with ID xyz789 from my library"Troubleshooting Readwise Reader
Authentication error: 401 Unauthorized when calling any tool
Verify your READWISE_TOKEN is set correctly in the MCP config env block. Tokens can be regenerated at readwise.io/access_token — ensure you copy the full token string without extra spaces.
Rate limit errors (429 Too Many Requests)
The Readwise API enforces 20 requests/minute for reads and 50/minute for create/update operations. Add pauses between bulk operations or spread requests across multiple minutes.
readwise_list_documents returns empty results even though my library has content
Try calling the tool without any filters first to confirm the connection works. Then add filters one at a time (by location, category, or tags) to narrow down results.
Frequently Asked Questions about Readwise Reader
What is Readwise Reader?
Readwise Reader is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables claude to interact with the readwise reader api, allowing for saving, listing, updating, and deleting documents with complete metadata and content access through natural language. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Readwise Reader?
Follow the installation instructions on the Readwise Reader GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with Readwise Reader?
Readwise Reader works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Readwise Reader free to use?
Yes, Readwise Reader is open source and available under the MIT License license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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Quick Config Preview
Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json
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