io.github.cyanheads/gutenberg-mcp-server
REMOTE · GUTENBERG.CASEYJHAND.COM · 2 COMPONENTS · SCANNED SEP 28
MCP server for Project Gutenberg — 75,000+ public-domain ebooks with full plain-text retrieval.
Available components
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. How we score → Why this is hard to score →
Endpoint Security83
- The endpoint's TLS certificate is valid, in date, and uses a strong key. View diagnostics → Pass
- No authorisation is required to call this server. Every tool declares its destructiveHint and none is destructive, so open access doesn't expose one. See how to fix → View diagnostics → Partial
- HTTPS is enforced; there's no plaintext access path. View diagnostics → Pass
- The HSTS (Strict-Transport-Security) header is present. View diagnostics → Pass
- DNSSEC is configured correctly; the domain's records validate against the full chain to the root. View diagnostics → Pass
Transport & Reachability100
- Verified streamable-http transport via a live MCP handshake. View diagnostics → Pass
Schema Quality & AI Usability66
- AI-judged instruction clarity (excellent).Pass
- Context-footprint check failed: tool/resource definitions use about 1171 tokens (~292/item across 4 items; 4 tools + 0 resources), over budget; trim descriptions and params. See how to fix → Fail
- Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples. See how to fix → Fail
Stability & Change Management100
- No destabilizing schema changes in the last 30 days.Pass
Tool Coverage100
- 100% of tools have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the tool's name).Pass
- 100% of tool parameters carry a description.Pass
- Structured output schemas are declared (100% of tools); any adoption earns full credit.Pass
Tool Safety100
- No prompt-injection markers were found in the server instructions, tool names or descriptions we captured.Pass
- We read all 4 captured tool definition(s), and no name or description among them implies an irreversible operation.Pass
- An AI judge read all 5 captured unit(s) of tool text and found none that tries to manipulate the model reading it.Pass
Capabilities100
- Implements a current MCP spec version (2026-07-28).Pass
How do I install the io.github.cyanheads/gutenberg-mcp-server server?
io.github.cyanheads/gutenberg-mcp-server is a hosted endpoint at https://gutenberg.caseyjhand.com/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.
remote · gutenberg.caseyjhand.com
claude mcp add --transport http cyanheads-gutenberg-mcp-server 'https://gutenberg.caseyjhand.com/mcp'
{
"mcpServers": {
"cyanheads-gutenberg-mcp-server": {
"url": "https://gutenberg.caseyjhand.com/mcp"
}
}
} {
"servers": {
"cyanheads-gutenberg-mcp-server": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://gutenberg.caseyjhand.com/mcp"
}
}
} [mcp_servers.cyanheads-gutenberg-mcp-server] url = "https://gutenberg.caseyjhand.com/mcp"
{
"$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
"mcp": {
"cyanheads-gutenberg-mcp-server": {
"type": "remote",
"url": "https://gutenberg.caseyjhand.com/mcp",
"enabled": true
}
}
} openclaw mcp add cyanheads-gutenberg-mcp-server --url 'https://gutenberg.caseyjhand.com/mcp' --transport streamable-http
mcp_servers:
cyanheads-gutenberg-mcp-server:
url: "https://gutenberg.caseyjhand.com/mcp" {
"McpServers": {
"cyanheads-gutenberg-mcp-server": {
"Transport": "http",
"Url": "https://gutenberg.caseyjhand.com/mcp"
}
}
} assistant mcp add cyanheads-gutenberg-mcp-server -t streamable-http -u 'https://gutenberg.caseyjhand.com/mcp'
{
"mcpServers": {
"cyanheads-gutenberg-mcp-server": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://gutenberg.caseyjhand.com/mcp"
}
}
} The mcpServers block is a cross-client convention. Remote transports vary, so check your client's docs.
Every change we have recorded for this component, newest first. Security-relevant changes are always shown. ▲ marks a change for the better, ▼ a change for the worse; unmarked changes are neutral.
- 28 Sept 26 +7
- We updated how we score, so this day's move reflects our rubric, not a change to the server See what changed → functional
- 25 Sept 26 0
- We updated how we score, so this day's move reflects our rubric, not a change to the server See what changed → functional
- 20 Sept 26 0
- Server version: 0.1.8 → 0.1.9 functional
- 9 Sept 26 0
- Stability: 0.97 → pass security
- 8 Sept 26 +1
No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 93 to 97. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 28 days of observed history at the previous scan, 29 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.
- 7 Sept 26 −1
- Stability: pass → 0.93 functional
- 26 Aug 26 0
- We updated how we score, so this day's move reflects our rubric, not a change to the server See what changed → functional
- 25 Aug 26 0
- Stability: 0.97 → pass security
Diagnostic detail from the automated scan of this channel: what the scanner observed at each step, so you can see exactly where a check passed or failed. It is informational only and never changes the trust score.
Captured 28 Sept 2026 · Probed https://gutenberg.caseyjhand.com/mcp
TLS valid
Negotiated TLS 1.3 with TLS_AES_128_GCM_SHA256 .
| Subject | Issuer | Valid from | Valid until | Key | Signature | Serial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN=caseyjhand.com | CN=WE1,O=Google Trust Services,C=US | 4 Sept 2026 | 3 Dec 2026 | ECDSA 256 | ECDSA-SHA256 | a6985204ed51ae050e7738aa6be668e9 |
| SANs: caseyjhand.com, *.caseyjhand.com | ||||||
| CN=WE1,O=Google Trust Services,C=US (CA) | CN=GTS Root R4,O=Google Trust Services LLC,C=US | 13 Dec 2023 | 20 Feb 2029 | ECDSA 256 | ECDSA-SHA384 | 7ff31977972c224a76155d13b6d685e3 |
| CN=GTS Root R4,O=Google Trust Services LLC,C=US (CA) | CN=GlobalSign Root CA,OU=Root CA,O=GlobalSign nv-sa,C=BE | 15 Nov 2023 | 28 Jan 2028 | ECDSA 384 | SHA256-RSA | 7fe530bf331343bedd821610493d8a1b |
Background: What to check on a remote MCP endpoint →
DNSSEC secure
Validation of gutenberg.caseyjhand.com. — Secure
| Zone | DS | Keys | Algorithms | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| . | trust_anchor | 20326, 38696 | 8, 8 | Verified |
| com. | present | 19718 | 13 | Verified |
| caseyjhand.com. | present | 2371 | 13 | Verified |
| gutenberg.caseyjhand.com. | Verified address RRset verified with the apex keys |
Authentication No authorisation required
The endpoint answered without asking for a token. Anyone who knows the URL can reach it.
| Result | No authorisation required |
|---|---|
| HTTP status | 200 |
| Header | Value |
|---|---|
| strict-transport-security | max-age=63072000; includeSubDomains; preload |
| x-content-type-options | nosniff |
Background: How OAuth 2.1 works in the 2026 MCP spec →
Transports 2 probes
| Transport | URL | Outcome | Status | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| streamable-http | https://gutenberg.caseyjhand.com/mcp | Verified | 200 | |
| http (plaintext) | http://gutenberg.caseyjhand.com/mcp | HTTPS enforced | 301 | https://gutenberg.caseyjhand.com/mcp |
The tools this component advertises to a client, with an estimated token cost for each. Expand a tool to see its parameters and schema. The per-tool counts are indicative and are not scored directly; the schema's total context footprint is one signal in Schema Quality & AI Usability. A tool's description is untrusted text the model reads on every call, which is what makes this list a security surface and not just an inventory: how tool poisoning works →
gutenberg_browse_popular Browse Popular Gutenberg Books ~200
Browse the most-downloaded Project Gutenberg books, ordered by popularity. Returns up to 32 titles with their Gutenberg IDs, authors, languages, and download counts. Optionally filter by language or topic. Use this as a discovery entry point — "what are the most popular classics in French?" — or as a heartbeat check that the catalog is reachable.
| Name | Type | Req | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| languages | array | – | Restrict to books in these languages (two-character ISO 639-1 codes). Example: ["en"] for English only, ["de", "fr"] for German or French. Omit for all languages. |
| limit | integer | – | Number of books to return (1–32). Default 20 gives a useful overview without overwhelming context. |
| topic | string | – | Filter by a subject or bookshelf keyword (case-insensitive phrase match). Example: "science fiction", "adventure", "detective". Applies on top of the language filter. |
| Name | Type | Req | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| books | array | – | Top books by download count, most popular first. |
| cap | number | – | The limit that was applied. |
| error | object | – | Present when the call failed. Absent on success. |
| shown | number | – | Number of books returned in this response. |
| totalInCatalog | number | – | Total books matching the filter in the full catalog (useful for context — "top 20 of 60,000"). |
| truncated | boolean | – | True when the catalog held more matches than were returned. |
| truncationCeiling | number | – | Download count of the least-popular book shown — omitted books have at most this many downloads. |
No examples provided.
gutenberg_get_book Get Gutenberg Book ~155
Fetch complete metadata for a Project Gutenberg book by ID — title, authors (with birth/death years), translators, editors, subjects, bookshelves, languages, copyright status, and the full formats map with download URLs for each available format (plain text, HTML, EPUB, cover image, etc.). Use this before gutenberg_get_text to confirm a plain-text format is available and to get the direct download URL.
| Name | Type | Req | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| id | integer | yes | Project Gutenberg book ID. Visible in Gutenberg URLs (e.g., gutenberg.org/ebooks/1342) and returned by gutenberg_search_books and gutenberg_browse_popular. Example: 1342 for Pride and Prejudice, 2600… |
| Name | Type | Req | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| authors | array | – | Primary author(s). |
| bookshelves | array | – | Project Gutenberg bookshelf categories (e.g., "Best Books Ever Listings", "Category: Classics of Literature"). |
| copyright | boolean|null | – | Copyright status: false = public domain in the USA, true = under copyright, null = unknown. |
| download_count | number | – | Total downloads — popularity signal. |
| editors | array | – | Editors, if any. |
| error | object | – | Present when the call failed. Absent on success. |
| formats | object | – | Map of MIME type to download URL. Key types: "text/plain; charset=utf-8" (preferred for gutenberg_get_text), "text/html", "application/epub+zip", "image/jpeg" (cover). Not every format is present for… |
| has_plain_text | boolean | – | True if media_type is "Text" AND a UTF-8 text/plain format ("text/plain; charset=utf-8") is present in formats — prerequisite for gutenberg_get_text. |
| id | number | – | Gutenberg ID. |
| languages | array | – | Two-character language codes for this edition. |
| media_type | string | – | "Text" for readable books, "Sound" for audio books. Only "Text" books have plain-text content available for gutenberg_get_text. |
| subjects | array | – | Library of Congress subject headings. |
| summaries | array | – | Every summary Gutendex holds for this work, in upstream order. Usually one; some records carry a long and a short variant. Empty when there are none. |
| summary | string|null | – | First entry of summaries — the primary auto-generated summary of the work, or null when Gutendex has none. |
| title | string | – | Book title. |
| translators | array | – | Translators, if this is a translated work. |
No examples provided.
gutenberg_get_text Get Gutenberg Book Text ~314
Retrieve the plain-text content of a Project Gutenberg book, stripped of the standard license header and footer so the response contains only the literary work. For long works — novels routinely run 500KB–2MB — use offset and limit to read in chunks rather than fetching the whole book at once. The response reports totalChars and remainingChars for reliable pagination. Prefers UTF-8 plain text; falls back to an HTML edition converted to text; refuses audio books (media_type "Sound") with a clear error.
| Name | Type | Req | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| id | integer | yes | Project Gutenberg book ID. Use gutenberg_search_books or gutenberg_get_book to find IDs. Example: 1342 for Pride and Prejudice, 2600 for War and Peace, 84 for Frankenstein. |
| limit | integer | – | Maximum number of characters to return in this chunk. Default 20,000 (~4–5 pages of prose). Increase toward 50,000 for large context windows. The actual returned length may be slightly less than limi… |
| offset | integer | – | Character offset into the stripped literary text at which to start reading. 0 returns the beginning of the work. To read subsequent chunks, use offset = prior_offset + prior_length (the length field… |
| Name | Type | Req | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| error | object | – | Present when the call failed. Absent on success. |
| hasMore | boolean | – | True if there is more text after this chunk. When true, call again with offset = offset + length. |
| id | number | – | Gutenberg book ID. |
| length | number | – | Number of characters in this chunk. |
| offset | number | – | Character offset where this chunk begins. |
| provenance | string | – | One-line source note with Project Gutenberg ID, title, and license URL. |
| remainingChars | number | – | Characters remaining after this chunk (totalChars - offset - length). 0 means this chunk includes the end of the book. |
| sourceFormat | string | – | The format that was fetched. "text/html" indicates HTML-to-text conversion was applied because no plain-text format was available. |
| text | string | – | The requested chunk of literary text, stripped of Gutenberg license boilerplate. Encoding: UTF-8. Line endings: normalized to LF. |
| title | string | – | Book title, from the catalog record. |
| totalChars | number | – | Total characters in the stripped literary text. Use with offset and length to determine progress and plan subsequent calls. |
No examples provided.
gutenberg_search_books Search Gutenberg Books ~424
Search the Project Gutenberg catalog of 78,000+ public-domain books. Matches title and author name with query words; filters by topic (subject or bookshelf keyword), language, author lifespan, or a specific list of Gutenberg IDs. Results are ordered by popularity (download count) by default. Returns book ID, title, authors, languages, subjects, and download count — use gutenberg_get_book for the full formats map before fetching text.
| Name | Type | Req | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| author_year_end | integer | – | Include only books with at least one author alive on or before this year. Example: author_year_start=1800 with author_year_end=1899 returns books with 19th-century authors. |
| author_year_start | integer | – | Include only books with at least one author alive on or after this year (positive = CE, negative = BCE). Combine with author_year_end for a range. |
| ids | array | – | Narrow results to specific Gutenberg ID numbers. Other filters still apply. Useful for batch pre-fetching known IDs; use gutenberg_get_book for single-ID lookups. |
| languages | array | – | Filter to books in any of these two-character ISO 639-1 language codes. Example: ["en"] for English, ["fr", "de"] for French or German. |
| page | integer | – | Page number for paginated results (1-indexed). Each page returns up to 32 books. Use totalCount to determine total pages. |
| query | string | – | Words to match against book titles and author names (case-insensitive, space-separated). Example: "dickens expectations" matches Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. |
| sort | string | – | Result ordering. "popular" (default) sorts by download count descending. "ascending" and "descending" sort by Gutenberg ID number. |
| topic | string | – | Case-insensitive phrase to match against subjects and bookshelves. Example: "detective" returns books on the "Detective and Mystery Stories" bookshelf. Separate from query — topic searches categoriza… |
| Name | Type | Req | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| books | array | – | Matching books, ordered by the sort parameter. |
| error | object | – | Present when the call failed. Absent on success. |
| hasMore | boolean | – | True if there are additional pages of results. |
| page | number | – | Current page number. |
| totalCount | number | – | Total number of books matching the query across all pages. |
No examples provided.
What is the io.github.cyanheads/gutenberg-mcp-server server?
io.github.cyanheads/gutenberg-mcp-server is listed in the public MCP registry as io.github.cyanheads/gutenberg-mcp-server. MCP server for Project Gutenberg, 75,000+ public-domain ebooks with full plain-text retrieval. This page covers its hosted endpoint (https://gutenberg.caseyjhand.com/mcp).
Is the io.github.cyanheads/gutenberg-mcp-server server safe to use?
io.github.cyanheads/gutenberg-mcp-server scores 87 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 io.github.cyanheads/gutenberg-mcp-server server expose?
io.github.cyanheads/gutenberg-mcp-server exposes 4 tools: gutenberg_search_books, gutenberg_get_book, gutenberg_get_text, gutenberg_browse_popular. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 1,093 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.
Does the io.github.cyanheads/gutenberg-mcp-server server require authentication?
No. We connected to io.github.cyanheads/gutenberg-mcp-server without credentials and it answered, so anything it exposes is reachable by anyone who knows the address.
Is the io.github.cyanheads/gutenberg-mcp-server server still maintained?
io.github.cyanheads/gutenberg-mcp-server is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 28 September 2026. Those dates come from our own scans of the registry and the channel itself, not from anything the publisher announced.