# Shelfclub (remote · mcp.shelfclub.app)

Search a catalog of 1.7 million books and find books by mood, vibe, pace or genre. Read-only.

- Trust score: 74/100 (medium)
- Change this week: +3
- Registry status: active
- Liveness: live
- Owner verified: no
- Last scored: 2026-10-18

## Components

- remote · `mcp.shelfclub.app`: 74/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/app-shelfclub-books/mcp.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/app-shelfclub-books/mcp)

## Channel facts

- Endpoint: `https://mcp.shelfclub.app/mcp`
- Transports: `streamable-http`
- Auth: `none`
- Version: `0.2.0`

## Trust breakdown

How this component scores in each security and reliability category. Every signal is checked automatically against the live server, and we only credit what we can confirm. Scores are 0–100 per category. Scoring method: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring (what has changed: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring/changelog)

Scored 2026-10-18.

- **Endpoint Security**: 74/100
  - The endpoint's TLS certificate is valid, in date, and uses a strong key.
  - No authorisation is required to call this server. Every tool declares its destructiveHint and none is destructive, so open access doesn't expose one.
  - HTTPS is enforced; there's no plaintext access path.
  - HSTS check failed: the Strict-Transport-Security header is absent.
  - DNSSEC check failed: this domain isn't protected by DNSSEC.
- **Transport & Reachability**: 100/100
  - Verified streamable-http transport via a live MCP handshake.
- **Schema Quality & AI Usability**: 73/100
  - AI-judged instruction clarity (excellent).
  - Context-footprint check failed: tool/resource definitions use about 863 tokens (~143/item across 6 items; 6 tools + 0 resources), over budget; trim descriptions and params.
  - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples.
- **Stability & Change Management**: 27/100
  - Stability observed for 8 of 30 days with no destabilising changes; credit accrues until the full window elapses.
- **Tool Coverage**: 98/100
  - 100% of tools have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the tool's name).
  - 93% of tool parameters carry a description.
  - Structured output schemas are declared (100% of tools); any adoption earns full credit.
- **Tool Safety**: 100/100
  - No prompt-injection markers were found in the server instructions, tool names or descriptions we captured.
  - We read all 6 captured tool definition(s), and no name or description among them implies an irreversible operation.
  - An AI judge read all 6 captured unit(s) of tool text and found none that tries to manipulate the model reading it.
- **Capabilities**: 100/100
  - Implements a supported MCP spec version (2025-11-25); the latest is 2026-07-28.

## Install

### How do I install the Shelfclub MCP server?

Shelfclub is a hosted endpoint at https://mcp.shelfclub.app/mcp, so there is nothing to install locally. Ready-made configuration for Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Codex and 5 more is on this page, copied from each client's own documentation.

### Claude

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http app-shelfclub-books 'https://mcp.shelfclub.app/mcp'
```

### Cursor

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "app-shelfclub-books": {
      "url": "https://mcp.shelfclub.app/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "app-shelfclub-books": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.shelfclub.app/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### Codex

```toml
[mcp_servers.app-shelfclub-books]
url = "https://mcp.shelfclub.app/mcp"
```

### opencode

```json
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "app-shelfclub-books": {
      "type": "remote",
      "url": "https://mcp.shelfclub.app/mcp",
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}
```

### OpenClaw

```bash
openclaw mcp add app-shelfclub-books --url 'https://mcp.shelfclub.app/mcp' --transport streamable-http
```

### Hermes

```yaml
mcp_servers:
  app-shelfclub-books:
    url: "https://mcp.shelfclub.app/mcp"
```

### Netclaw

```json
{
  "McpServers": {
    "app-shelfclub-books": {
      "Transport": "http",
      "Url": "https://mcp.shelfclub.app/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### Vellum

```bash
assistant mcp add app-shelfclub-books -t streamable-http -u 'https://mcp.shelfclub.app/mcp'
```

### Other

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "app-shelfclub-books": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.shelfclub.app/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

The mcpServers block is a cross-client convention. Remote transports vary, so check your client's docs.

## Changelog

Every change recorded for this component, newest first. Days that predate change tracking, or that we cannot explain, say so: "we were watching and nothing happened" and "we were not watching" are different claims.

### 2026-10-17 (score 74, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 20 to 23. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 6 days of observed history at the previous scan, 7 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-10-15 (score 73, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 13 to 17. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 4 days of observed history at the previous scan, 5 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-10-14 (score 72, 0)

- [security] Tool “find_books_by_mood” rewrote its description, which is the text the model reads
- [security] Tool “get_author” rewrote its description, which is the text the model reads
- [security] Tool “get_book” rewrote its description, which is the text the model reads
- [security] Tool “get_similar_books” rewrote its description, which is the text the model reads
- [security] Tool “get_trending_books” rewrote its description, which is the text the model reads
- [security] Tool “search_books” rewrote its description, which is the text the model reads
- [cosmetic] “get_author” reworded the description of “id”
- [cosmetic] “get_book” reworded the description of “id”
- [cosmetic] “get_similar_books” reworded the description of “id”

### 2026-10-12 (score 72, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 3 to 7. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 1 days of observed history at the previous scan, 2 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-10-11 (score 71, 0)

- [security] Tool “find_books_by_mood” rewrote its description, which is the text the model reads
- [security] Tool “get_author” rewrote its description, which is the text the model reads
- [security] Tool “get_book” rewrote its description, which is the text the model reads
- [security] Tool “get_similar_books” rewrote its description, which is the text the model reads
- [security] Tool “get_trending_books” rewrote its description, which is the text the model reads
- [security] Tool “search_books” rewrote its description, which is the text the model reads
- [functional regression] Schema quality: 127 → 143
- [functional improvement] Stability: unverified → 0.03

### 2026-10-10 (score 71)

First indexed and scored.

## MCP tools (6)

### `search_books` (~102 tokens)

Search books

Search the ShelfClub book catalog by title or author name. Returns up to 10 books, each with its ShelfClub id, authors, description, reader rating, series, shelfclub.app link, and mood, vibe, pace and genre tags (machine-generated, or voted for by at least three readers of the book).

Input parameters:

- `limit` (integer): How many books to return.
- `query` (string, required): A book title, an author name, or both.

Output parameters:

- `books` (array)
- `exactMatch` (boolean): False when nothing matched the query as written and `books` holds the closest titles instead.
- `retryAfterSeconds` (integer): With "try_again_later", when known: how long to wait.
- `status` (string): "try_again_later": the service was busy and looked nothing up, so the other fields are absent.
- `tagProvenance` (string): Where the moods, vibes, pace and genres come from.
- `total` (number): How many books in the catalog match, of which `books` is the first few.

### `find_books_by_mood` (~195 tokens)

Find books by mood

Find books in the ShelfClub catalog by mood, vibe, pace and genre tags. At least one tag is needed. Books that carry every requested tag are listed first, most read first; when there are fewer of those than asked for, books that carry some of the tags follow, and `matchAll` says how many of the books returned carry every tag. Each book is returned with its own tags. Returns up to 10 books, each with its ShelfClub id, authors, description, reader rating, series and shelfclub.app link. The tags are machine-generated, or voted for by at least three readers of the book.

Input parameters:

- `genres` (array)
- `limit` (integer): How many books to return.
- `moods` (array): How the book feels to read.
- `pace` (string): How quickly the story moves.
- `vibes` (array): The kind of reading experience.

Output parameters:

- `books` (array)
- `hasMore` (boolean): Whether more books carry these tags than were returned.
- `matchAll` (integer): How many of `books`, counted from the first, carry every tag asked for. The books after them carry some of the tags.
- `retryAfterSeconds` (integer): With "try_again_later", when known: how long to wait.
- `status` (string): "try_again_later": the service was busy and looked nothing up, so the other fields are absent.
- `tagProvenance` (string): Where the moods, vibes, pace and genres come from.

### `get_book` (~178 tokens)

Get book details

Look up one book in the ShelfClub catalog, by its ShelfClub id or by ISBN. Returns its description, authors, reader rating, series, an edition (ISBN, page count, publisher, publication date, language), its shelfclub.app link, and its mood, vibe, pace and genre tags (machine-generated, or voted for by at least three readers of the book). A lookup by id also returns the ShelfClub author id of each author that has an author record, and which of the moods, vibes and pace readers of the book voted for, with how many did.

Input parameters:

- `id` (string): The ShelfClub id of the book, as the other tools return it. Give this or `isbn`, not both.
- `isbn` (string): An ISBN-10 or ISBN-13, with or without hyphens.

Output parameters:

- `book` (object)
- `retryAfterSeconds` (integer): With "try_again_later", when known: how long to wait.
- `status` (string): "try_again_later": the service was busy and looked nothing up, so the other fields are absent.
- `tagProvenance` (string): Where the moods, vibes, pace and genres come from.

### `get_similar_books` (~128 tokens)

Get similar books

List the books in the ShelfClub catalog whose mood, vibe, pace and genre tags overlap most with those of a given book. The tags are machine-generated, or voted for by at least three readers of the book, and a book that has none has no similar books. Returns up to 10 books, each with its ShelfClub id, authors, description, reader rating, series, tags and shelfclub.app link.

Input parameters:

- `id` (string, required): The ShelfClub id of the book, as the other tools return it.
- `limit` (integer): How many books to return.

Output parameters:

- `books` (array)
- `retryAfterSeconds` (integer): With "try_again_later", when known: how long to wait.
- `status` (string): "try_again_later": the service was busy and looked nothing up, so the other fields are absent.
- `tagProvenance` (string): Where the moods, vibes, pace and genres come from.

### `get_trending_books` (~100 tokens)

Get trending books

List the books trending on ShelfClub: the books its readers have been shelving come first, then the catalog's most widely read books. Returns up to 10 books, each with its ShelfClub id, authors, description, reader rating, series, shelfclub.app link, and mood, vibe and pace tags (machine-generated, or voted for by at least three readers of the book).

Input parameters:

- `limit` (integer): How many books to return.

Output parameters:

- `books` (array)
- `retryAfterSeconds` (integer): With "try_again_later", when known: how long to wait.
- `status` (string): "try_again_later": the service was busy and looked nothing up, so the other fields are absent.
- `tagProvenance` (string): Where the moods, vibes, pace and genres come from.

### `get_author` (~160 tokens)

Get author

Look up an author in the ShelfClub catalog by ShelfClub author id, which get_book returns for the authors of a book. Returns the author's name, biography, birth and death dates and shelfclub.app link. With `include_books`, also returns up to 10 of their books, the most recently published first, each with its ShelfClub id, description, reader rating, series, shelfclub.app link, and mood, vibe, pace and genre tags (machine-generated, or voted for by at least three readers of the book).

Input parameters:

- `id` (string, required): The ShelfClub id of the author, from the `authorLinks` of a get_book result.
- `include_books` (boolean): Also return up to 10 of the author's books.

Output parameters:

- `author` (object)
- `books` (array): With `include_books`: the most recently published first.
- `booksTotal` (number): With `include_books`: how many of their books the catalog has.
- `retryAfterSeconds` (integer): With "try_again_later", when known: how long to wait.
- `status` (string): "try_again_later": the service was busy and looked nothing up, so the other fields are absent.
- `tagProvenance` (string): Where the moods, vibes, pace and genres come from.

## Diagnostics

Captured diagnostic sections: TLS, DNSSEC, Authorisation, Transports. The full working is on the page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/app-shelfclub-books/mcp#diagnostics

## Score history

- 2026-10-18: 74
- 2026-10-17: 74
- 2026-10-16: 73
- 2026-10-15: 73
- 2026-10-14: 72
- 2026-10-13: 72
- 2026-10-12: 72
- 2026-10-11: 71
- 2026-10-10: 71

## Common questions

### What is the Shelfclub MCP server?

Shelfclub is an MCP server listed in the public MCP registry as app.shelfclub/books. Search a catalog of 1.7 million books and find books by mood, vibe, pace or genre. Read-only. This page covers its hosted endpoint (https://mcp.shelfclub.app/mcp).

### Is the Shelfclub MCP server safe to use?

Shelfclub scores 74 out of 100 on VerifyMCP. That is a record of what we were able to check automatically, not an endorsement. The category breakdown on this page shows every signal behind the number, including the ones we could not confirm.

### What tools does the Shelfclub MCP server expose?

Shelfclub exposes 6 tools: search_books, find_books_by_mood, get_book, get_similar_books, get_trending_books, get_author. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 863 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.

### Does the Shelfclub MCP server require authentication?

No. We connected to Shelfclub without credentials and it answered, so anything it exposes is reachable by anyone who knows the address.

### Is the Shelfclub MCP server still maintained?

Shelfclub is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 18 October 2026. Those dates come from our own scans of the registry and the channel itself, not from anything the publisher announced.

## Links

- Remote endpoint: https://mcp.shelfclub.app/mcp
- Website: https://shelfclub.app/
- Changelog RSS feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/app-shelfclub-books/mcp.xml
- Changelog JSON feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/app-shelfclub-books/mcp.json
- HTML version of this page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/app-shelfclub-books/mcp