Open Library API
Public Open Library API for searching books and retrieving structured work, edition, author, and bibliographic metadata without an API key.
Connect this API to an AI agent Browse all specs
What you can do with Open Library API via MCP
Every endpoint below becomes a governed tool your AI agent (Claude, ChatGPT, or a customer-facing VX agent) can call — with scoped permissions, sandbox testing, and audit logs.
| Method | Path | Operation | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| GET | /search.json |
SearchBooks | Search books Method: GET Path: /search.json IMPORTANT: This function has 0 REQUIRED parameter(s) and 7 OPTIONAL parameter(s) REQUIRED parameters MUST be provided OPTIONAL parameters can be omitted if not needed Parameters: Query Parameters: OPTIONAL: - q: Free-text search query. - title: Title query. - author: Author query. - isbn: ISBN-10 or ISBN-13 query. - subject: Subject query. - page: One-based result page. - limit: Number of results per page. |
| GET | /works/{workId}.json |
GetWork | Get work Method: GET Path: /works/{workId}.json IMPORTANT: This function has 1 REQUIRED parameter(s) and 0 OPTIONAL parameter(s) REQUIRED parameters MUST be provided OPTIONAL parameters can be omitted if not needed Parameters: Path Parameters: REQUIRED: - workId: Open Library work identifier without the /works/ prefix. |
| GET | /authors/{authorId}.json |
GetAuthor | Get author Method: GET Path: /authors/{authorId}.json IMPORTANT: This function has 1 REQUIRED parameter(s) and 0 OPTIONAL parameter(s) REQUIRED parameters MUST be provided OPTIONAL parameters can be omitted if not needed Parameters: Path Parameters: REQUIRED: - authorId: Open Library author identifier without the /authors/ prefix. |
| GET | /books/{editionId}.json |
GetEdition | Get edition Method: GET Path: /books/{editionId}.json IMPORTANT: This function has 1 REQUIRED parameter(s) and 0 OPTIONAL parameter(s) REQUIRED parameters MUST be provided OPTIONAL parameters can be omitted if not needed Parameters: Path Parameters: REQUIRED: - editionId: Open Library edition identifier without the /books/ prefix. |
Usage guide
## Authentication The catalog endpoints in this specification are public and do not require an API key or bearer token. Use a descriptive `User-Agent` that includes an application name and contact URL or email, respect Open Library rate limits, cache responses, and avoid high-volume parallel requests. ## Coverage Includes public search, work, author, and edition JSON endpoints. Open Library also documents separate APIs for covers, subjects, and other resources.
How to use this spec
- Create a free VX Agents account (sandbox tools included).
- Open the marketplace and connect “Open Library API” to an agent.
- Expose it as an MCP server for Claude/ChatGPT, or chat with it directly.