Readwise MCP Server - Connect your Readwise account to Claude AI
Project description
Readwise MCP Server ๐
Connect your Readwise account to Claude AI and access all your highlights, books, and reading list directly in conversations!
โจ What Can You Do?
Once set up, you can ask Claude:
- "What's in my Readwise reading list?" - View all saved articles
- "Show me my daily review highlights" - Get your spaced repetition review
- "Search my highlights for 'productivity tips'" - Find specific highlights
- "Save this article: https://example.com" - Add to your reading list
- "List all my tags" - See your document tags
- "Export all my highlights" - Backup your entire library
๐ 10-Minute Setup
What You Need
- โ Readwise account (Get one here)
- โ Claude AI (Pro/Team/Enterprise - any plan with MCP support)
- โ Free Render account for hosting
Step 1: Get Your Readwise Token (1 min)
- Go to https://readwise.io/access_token
- Copy your access token
- Keep it handy
Step 2: Fork & Deploy Server (5 min)
Option A: Deploy to Render (Recommended)
-
Fork this repository:
- Click "Fork" button at the top of this GitHub page
- This creates your own copy of the code
-
Sign up at Render (free tier available)
-
Create New Web Service:
- Click "New +" โ "Web Service"
- Choose "Connect a Git repository"
- Select your forked repository from the list
-
Configure:
- Name:
readwise-mcp(or your choice) - Runtime: Docker (auto-detected)
- Plan: Free
- Name:
-
Add Environment Variable (in Render dashboard):
READWISE_TOKEN=<paste_your_token_from_step_1>
That's it! No API key needed.
-
Click Create Web Service and wait ~2 minutes
Option B: Other Platforms
Railway / Fly.io / Google Cloud Run
The server works on any platform that supports Docker. See Dockerfile for configuration.
Step 3: Verify It's Running (1 min)
Visit: https://YOUR-SERVICE-NAME.onrender.com/health
You should see:
{
"status": "healthy",
"service": "readwise-mcp-enhanced",
"authentication": "enabled"
}
โ If you see this, you're good to go!
Step 4: Connect to Claude (3 min)
-
Open Claude AI at https://claude.ai
-
Go to Settings โ Integrations (or similar MCP section)
-
Add MCP Server:
Name: Readwise URL: https://YOUR-SERVICE-NAME.onrender.comNo API key needed!
-
Test Connection - Should show "12 tools available"
-
Save and you're done! ๐
Step 5: Start Using!
Try asking Claude:
- "What did I save to Readwise today?"
- "Show me highlights from my AI books"
- "Get my daily review"
๐ All Available Features
Reader Tools (5 tools)
- Save documents - Add URLs to your reading list
- List documents - Browse with filters (location, category, author, date)
- Update documents - Edit titles, tags, notes
- Delete documents - Remove from library
- List tags - View all your tags
Highlights Tools (7 tools)
- List highlights - Browse with date filters
- Daily review - Spaced repetition system
- Search highlights - Find by text query using enhanced MCP endpoint with vector/semantic search
- List books - View books with highlight counts
- Get book highlights - All highlights from a specific book
- Export highlights - Backup everything
- Create highlights - Add manual highlights
๐ Advanced Features
- โ Enhanced MCP Search - Uses Readwise's MCP endpoint with vector/semantic search for better results
- โ Unlimited pagination - Fetch ALL your data
- โ Incremental sync - Get only new/updated items
- โ Smart filtering - Filter by author, site, dates
- โ Bulk export - Backup your entire library
๐ Cost
100% Free for Personal Use:
- โ Render: 750 hours/month (runs 24/7)
- โ Uses your existing Readwise subscription
- โ ๏ธ Server "sleeps" after 15 min (10 sec wake-up on first request)
Optional Upgrade:
- ๐ต $7/month for Render Starter (always-on, no sleep)
๐ ๏ธ Troubleshooting
"Connection Failed" in Claude
- Visit
https://YOUR-SERVICE.onrender.com/health- Should return healthy status - Verify the URL is correct in Claude settings
- Wait 10 seconds if server was sleeping (free tier)
Server Takes Long to Respond
- Free tier "sleeps" after 15 min inactivity
- First request after sleep takes ~10 seconds to wake up
- This is normal - subsequent requests are fast!
"Readwise API Error"
- Check your
READWISE_TOKENin Render dashboard - Verify token at https://readwise.io/access_token
- Token might have expired - get a new one
Still Need Help?
- ๐ See CLAUDE_AI_SETUP.md for detailed Claude setup
- ๐ See DEPLOYMENT.md for advanced deployment options
- ๐ Open an issue
๐ Security & Privacy
- โ All requests encrypted via HTTPS
- โ Your Readwise token stays on your server (never exposed to Claude)
- โ Open source - inspect the code yourself!
- โ ๏ธ Important: Your server URL is public but only works with YOUR Readwise token
Keep your secrets safe:
- Never commit
.envfiles with tokens - Don't share your Readwise token
- Only you can access your data through your server
๐งช For Developers
Run Locally
# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt
# Configure
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your tokens
# Run
python main.py
# Test
python test_all_tools.py
Docker
docker build -t readwise-mcp .
docker run -p 8000:8000 \
-e READWISE_TOKEN=your_token \
readwise-mcp
Project Structure
readwise-mcp-server/
โโโ main.py # FastMCP server (12 tools with enhanced MCP search)
โโโ readwise_client.py # Readwise API client (supports MCP endpoints)
โโโ requirements.txt # Python dependencies
โโโ Dockerfile # Container config
โโโ render.yaml # Render deployment
โโโ test_all_tools.py # Test suite
๐ค Contributing
Contributions welcome! Please:
- Fork the repo
- Create a feature branch
- Make your changes
- Test thoroughly
- Submit a pull request
๐ Credits
Built with:
- FastMCP - Python MCP framework
- Readwise API - Readwise platform
- MCP Protocol - Anthropic's protocol
โญ Support
If you find this useful, please star the repository!
Made with โค๏ธ for the Readwise and Claude AI community
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