Readwise MCP (Legacy)

What it does

Connects AI assistants to your Readwise library, enabling them to search, retrieve, and interact with your highlights and Reader bookmarks. This is the legacy local MCP server — Readwise now offers a hosted replacement at readwise.io/mcp that supports both Readwise and Reader data with no local installation required.

Tools

• search — Search your Readwise highlights by keyword
• list-highlights — Retrieve highlights from your library with filtering
• get-book — Fetch metadata and highlights for a specific book/article

Installation

Note: This server is deprecated. For new setups, use the hosted version at readwise.io/mcp.

For Claude Desktop, add to claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "Readwise MCP": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@readwise/readwise-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "ACCESS_TOKEN": "YOUR_READWISE_ACCESS_TOKEN"
      }
    }
  }
}

Supported hosts

• Claude Desktop (legacy stdio mode)
• The hosted replacement at readwise.io/mcp also supports ChatGPT, Claude Code, and Cursor.