Gutenberg MCP Server vs Gutendex
A side-by-side look at the Gutenberg MCP Server and Gutendex MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Gutenberg MCP Server for art & culture work as a local process; choose Gutendex for art & culture as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Gutenberg MCP Server when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Art & Culture domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE, MCP_LOG_LEVEL, MCP_HTTP_PORT. - You want tools like
gutenberg_search_books, gutenberg_get_book, gutenberg_get_text.
Choose Gutendex when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Art & Culture domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
search_books, get_book, popular_books.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Art & Culture | Art & Culture |
| Quality signal | 56/100 · Good | 55/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPEMCP_LOG_LEVELMCP_HTTP_PORT | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 3 | 1 |
| Directory activity | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 4 | 4 |
| Full listing | View Gutenberg MCP Server | View Gutendex |
Tools & capabilities
Gutenberg MCP Server tools 4
gutenberg_search_booksSearch the catalog by title, author, topic, language, or author lifespan, with pagination and popularity sortinggutenberg_get_bookFetch complete metadata for a book by ID — authors, translators, editors, full formats map, subjects, copyright statusgutenberg_get_textRetrieve a book's plain-text content stripped of license boilerplate, with offset/limit chunkinggutenberg_browse_popularBrowse the most-downloaded books, optionally filtered by language or topic
Gutendex tools 4
search_booksSearch for books by title or author name. Returns book IDs, titles, authors, and download counts.get_bookGet full details for a book by ID. Returns title, author, publication year, language, available formats, and download count.popular_booksGet the most downloaded books ranked by popularity. Returns titles, authors, IDs, and download statistics.books_by_topicBrowse books by subject or topic (e.g., 'science fiction', 'philosophy'). Returns matching titles, authors, and IDs.
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Gutenberg MCP Server
{
"mcpServers": {
"gutenberg-mcp-server": {
"command": "bunx",
"args": [
"@cyanheads/gutenberg-mcp-server@latest"
],
"env": {
"MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE": "YOUR_MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE_HERE",
"MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "YOUR_MCP_LOG_LEVEL_HERE",
"MCP_HTTP_PORT": "YOUR_MCP_HTTP_PORT_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Gutendex
{
"mcpServers": {
"gutendex": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pipeworx/mcp-gutendex"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Gutenberg MCP Server is categorized under Art & Culture and uses a local stdio subprocess. Gutendex belongs to Art & Culture and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Gutenberg MCP Server for art & culture work and Gutendex for art & culture.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
Gutenberg MCP Server has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Gutendex has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add gutenberg-mcp-server and gutendex as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Gutenberg MCP Server has a quality signal of 56/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 3 GitHub stars. Gutendex has 55/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 1 GitHub stars.