--- name: notebooklm-management version: "1.2" last_updated: 2026-04-25 tags: [research, management, documents, automation, productivity] description: "NotebookLM MCP server management - query notebooks, add from share links, handle auth, reset sessions. Use when working with Google NotebookLM notebooks for conversational research tasks." --- # NotebookLM MCP Management > Tech Stack Target / Version: NotebookLM current web release, Markdown session capture, and URL-tracked research workflows. Use this skill when research should be grounded in NotebookLM notebooks instead of a generic web search. - Leverage native parallel subagent dispatch and 200k+ context windows where available. ## Current MCP Reality This repository already targets a real NotebookLM MCP workflow. The concrete tool surface available in this environment includes: - `get_health` - `list_notebooks`, `search_notebooks`, `select_notebook` - `ask_question` - `add_notebook`, `update_notebook`, `remove_notebook` - `list_sessions`, `reset_session`, `close_session` - `setup_auth`, `re_auth`, `cleanup_data` ## Activation Conditions Use symptom -> action triggers: when one matches, apply this skill and verify with the protocol below. - Querying a specific NotebookLM notebook - Adding a notebook from a share URL - Managing a notebook library or switching active notebooks - Recovering authentication or cleaning NotebookLM state - Continuing a multi-turn research session ## Recommended Workflow 1. Call `get_health` first to confirm authentication and server readiness. 2. Reuse an existing session when the task is the same. 3. Prefer `search_notebooks` or `list_notebooks` before asking the user to restate what is already in the library. 4. Use `ask_question` iteratively in the same session for deep work. 5. Use `setup_auth` or `re_auth` only when health indicates auth problems. ## Library Management Rules - Do not add or remove notebooks without explicit user confirmation. - When adding a notebook, collect URL, description, topics, and use cases first. - Update metadata instead of creating duplicates when the notebook already exists. ## Troubleshooting - Auth broken: `get_health` -> `re_auth` - Stale browser state: `cleanup_data(preserve_library=true)` after closing browsers - Wrong context: `reset_session` or switch notebooks - Ambiguous notebook choice: search the library before creating a new one ## Anti-Patterns - Treating source content as already clean: Formatting automation will happily preserve broken or inconsistent input. - Skipping an open-file verification pass: Documents and spreadsheets often fail in the destination app, not in the script output. - Automating irreversible edits without checkpoints: A small mapping mistake can affect an entire workbook or document. ## Verification Protocol Before claiming "skill applied successfully": 1. Pass/fail: The Notebooklm Management workflow names the agent boundary, delegated scope, and expected return artifact. 2. Pass/fail: Context passed to helpers is minimal, task-local, and free of hidden expected answers. 3. Pass/fail: Results are integrated only after evidence, diffs, or citations are checked by the controller. 4. Pressure-test scenario: Run the workflow on two similar tasks that must not share assumptions or leaked context. 5. Success metric: Zero context leakage; every delegated output is independently reviewable. ## References & Resources ### Documentation - [MCP Tool Reference](./references/mcp-tool-reference.md) - Current NotebookLM MCP operations and parameters - [Troubleshooting Guide](./references/troubleshooting.md) - Auth recovery, cleanup, and session issues - [Workflows](./references/workflows.md) - Library, query, and maintenance workflows ### Scripts - [NotebookLM Helper](./scripts/notebooklm-helper.py) - Local helper for library exports and reporting when MCP access is unavailable - [Scripts README](./scripts/README.md) - Quick commands for the helper script ### Examples - [simple-query.py](./examples/simple-query.py) - Basic query pattern - [multi-turn-conversation.py](./examples/multi-turn-conversation.py) - Session reuse pattern - [library-management.py](./examples/library-management.py) - Library search and organization ## Cross-Client Portability This skill is written to stay usable across GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, Codex, and Gemini CLI. - GitHub Copilot: keep the folder in a Copilot-visible skill or plugin path, or wrap the workflow as project instructions if the host does not support portable skill folders directly. - Claude Code: keep the folder in a local skills directory or a compatible plugin or marketplace source. - Codex: install or sync the folder into `$CODEX_HOME/skills/` and restart Codex after major changes. - Gemini CLI: this repository generates a project command named `/skills:notebooklm-management` from this skill. Rebuild commands with `python scripts/export-gemini-skill.py notebooklm-management` and then run `/commands reload` inside Gemini CLI. ## MCP Availability And Fallback Preferred MCP Server: NotebookLM MCP - Fallback prompt: "Use the NotebookLM MCP Management skill without MCP. Rely on the local `SKILL.md`, bundled references or scripts, and manual verification. Show the exact commands, evidence, and final checks you used before concluding." - Use the NotebookLM web UI directly, capture answers in Markdown, and store session notes locally when the MCP server is unavailable. - Preserve notebook URLs, prompt history, and manual research notes so the workflow remains reproducible. ## Related Skills - [documentation-authoring](../documentation-authoring/SKILL.md): Use it when the workflow also needs drafting structured technical or product documents. - [notion-docs](../notion-docs/SKILL.md): Use it when the workflow also needs Notion page and database publishing workflows. - [pdf](../pdf/SKILL.md): Use it when the workflow also needs PDF extraction, generation, and layout-aware review. - [word-document](../word-document/SKILL.md): Use it when the workflow also needs Word document authoring and formatting workflows.