I couldn't find any public implementations, so ended up building one myself.
What it does?
- It searches Anna's Archive by keywords. - It downloads books from search results. - It works directly in Claude Desktop through MCP.
Check out the repository's README for detailed installation and configuration instructions.
The code is fully open source and builds run on GitHub Actions for transparency.
I figured I'd share, since I couldn't be the only one wanting this functionality!
There's no way to protect against this. Anna's Archive doesn't include licence information in their data fields. It would be helpful to integrate with another data source that could warn MCP server users when they're attempting potentially risky actions. Please let me know if you have ideas on how to achieve this.
On a related note, please see this reply:
Are you referring to the JSON index (https://annas-archive.org/faq#api)?
Claude Desktop also has a built-in file reader [2], so you can ask it to read the file and process the content (e.g., generate a summary or even a meta-summary [3]).
[1] https://github.com/sylphxltd/pdf-reader-mcp [2] https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers/tree/main/sr... [3] https://x.com/iosifache/status/1942247320302547175
Lovely project!
I justified the hours I invested by thinking I could search, download, and explore books directly from Claude Desktop. While the initial steps are achievable with a CLI tool, the integration opens up new possibilities.
Some general thoughts:
- You’ll find the MCP mental model similar to the API one. - MCP integrations make it easier for non-technical users to access tools that were previously too technical. - An MCP integration implicitly respects a contract, unlike CLIs and GUIs which involve human aspects (aesthetics, information organisation, etc.). - MCP is an excuse for people to democratize data access. I wrote about this aspect here: https://x.com/iosifache/status/1941049600162574676?s=46
And BTW, that’s a good idea! The functionality should probably also be exposed via CLI.
An MCP server provides enough metadata and self-documentation that it's quite straightforward to make a MCP-agnostic CLI client that adapts an arbitrary MCP server into a set of flags that allow you to call its explicit tools with explicit arguments - without ever needing to involve an LLM in the mix! You could even have that CLI tool launch the MCP server as a local subprocess, if you wanted - again, all deterministically.
And if you want to have an SDK in any language under the sun, once you have an MCP outputting reasonable tool descriptions, any LLM could make a best-in-class SDK for you in a heartbeat following that language's best practices.
So it's not unreasonable for someone working on a greenfield project to make an MCP server first nowadays!
Am I correct here?
Does this MCP server allow one to download just a single book?
I remember once using an IPFS based tool to download a single 200-year-old, out-of-copyright copy of "Last of the Mohicans" from Anna's Archive. It worked, but was very very complicated to figure out how to make it work.
- search for book
- tap a result
- see a list of links to download mirrors (under 'slow downloads'), tap a link
- get a countdown timer
- timer expires, download links appear
- click a link, book downloads just like any other download
neilv•7h ago
How sincere is that statement?
bigyabai•7h ago
iosifache•7h ago
The comparison might be loose, but the problem is similar to releasing a browser. Do you prevent users from accessing websites you think are malicious or illegal? Or do you delegate that responsibility?
I was hesitant about releasing the MCP server as open source software, but I hope (1) it proves useful for others and (2) people understand that the authors of the books they're reading need money to eat, live, and support their families.
TylerE•48m ago
I might liken the situation more to releasing a browser and setting thepiratebay as the homepage.
iosifache•12m ago
ASalazarMX•7h ago
hereme888•5h ago