Reader Server

What is Reader Server?

Reader Server is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that integrates with your Readwise Reader library. It acts as a bridge between MCP‑compatible clients (such as Claude Desktop and VS Code) and your personal knowledge repository, enabling document listing, retrieval, and updates.

How to use Reader Server?

Add the provided JSON configuration (including the path to the server directory and your Readwise Access Token) to your MCP client settings (e.g., claude_desktop_config.json or .vscode/mcp.json). Alternatively, place the token in a .env file inside the project directory.

Key features of Reader Server

• List documents with flexible filtering and pagination.
• Optionally retrieve full HTML content of documents.
• Supports filters: location (folders like new, later, shortlist, archive, feed) and updatedAfter timestamp.
• Pagination via pageCursor for browsing large libraries.
• Seamless integration with Claude Desktop and VS Code.
• Includes a standalone Reader Skill for direct Readwise API usage.

Use cases of Reader Server

• Quickly search and retrieve saved articles from your Reader library.
• Automate document organisation by listing and updating entries.
• Build note‑taking workflows that pull content from Reader.
• Integrate your reading highlights into AI‑powered conversations.

FAQ from Reader Server

What is the difference between Reader Server and the Reader Skill?

The Reader Server is an MCP server that lets MCP clients interact with your Reader library. The Reader Skill is a standalone collection of knowledge and examples for calling the Readwise Reader API directly via HTTP requests, without requiring an MCP server.

What do I need to run Reader Server?

You need a Readwise Reader API access token and the uv tool to run the server locally. The server is written in Python and uses main.py.

Can I retrieve the full HTML content of my documents?

Yes. When calling the list_documents tool, set the withContent parameter to true to include HTML content in the results.

Where is my data stored?

Your documents remain in Readwise Reader. The server acts only as a bridge—it does not store any data permanently.

How do I authenticate with Readwise Reader?

Provide your Readwise Reader API access token via the READWISE_ACCESS_TOKEN environment variable in your MCP client’s configuration or in a .env file within the server directory.