Show HN: MCP server for searching and downloading documents from Anna's Archive

198 iosifache 63 7/9/2025, 9:06:38 PM github.com ↗
I was looking around for an MCP server that could connect Anna's Archive to Claude Desktop, as I wanted to be able to search and download books directly through the interface.

I couldn't find any public implementations, so ended up building one myself.

What it does?

- It searches Anna's Archive by keywords. - It downloads books from search results. - It works directly in Claude Desktop through MCP.

Check out the repository's README for detailed installation and configuration instructions.

The code is fully open source and builds run on GitHub Actions for transparency.

I figured I'd share, since I couldn't be the only one wanting this functionality!

Comments (63)

iosifache · 6h ago
UPDATE:

Following a suggestion from @irskep, I've added CLI command support for the search and download features.

This raised a valid concern - while we're focused on building MCP servers, we shouldn't overlook whether users already have preferred (T/G)UIs available. When they don't exist, we should consider user experience and make our functionality accessible through multiple interfaces beyond just MCP.

https://github.com/iosifache/annas-mcp/releases/tag/v0.0.2

snickerdoodle12 · 16m ago
Insane how HN cheers on piracy nowadays, all because it helps them train their LLMs
irskep · 15h ago
What advantage do you get from this being an MCP server rather than simply a command line tool? Genuinely curious, as I'm trying to develop my mental model of when to use one or the other.

Lovely project!

iosifache · 15h ago
Cheers, glad you like it!

I justified the hours I invested by thinking I could search, download, and explore books directly from Claude Desktop. While the initial steps are achievable with a CLI tool, the integration opens up new possibilities.

Some general thoughts:

- You’ll find the MCP mental model similar to the API one. - MCP integrations make it easier for non-technical users to access tools that were previously too technical. - An MCP integration implicitly respects a contract, unlike CLIs and GUIs which involve human aspects (aesthetics, information organisation, etc.). - MCP is an excuse for people to democratize data access. I wrote about this aspect here: https://x.com/iosifache/status/1941049600162574676?s=46

And BTW, that’s a good idea! The functionality should probably also be exposed via CLI.

btown · 14h ago
https://neon.com/blog/building-a-cli-client-for-model-contex... might be of interest.

An MCP server provides enough metadata and self-documentation that it's quite straightforward to make a MCP-agnostic CLI client that adapts an arbitrary MCP server into a set of flags that allow you to call its explicit tools with explicit arguments - without ever needing to involve an LLM in the mix! You could even have that CLI tool launch the MCP server as a local subprocess, if you wanted - again, all deterministically.

And if you want to have an SDK in any language under the sun, once you have an MCP outputting reasonable tool descriptions, any LLM could make a best-in-class SDK for you in a heartbeat following that language's best practices.

So it's not unreasonable for someone working on a greenfield project to make an MCP server first nowadays!

iosifache · 8h ago
Agreed on all of this! I'm expecting MCP server creation to be natively supported by API libraries. The abstractions are very similar.
NitpickLawyer · 10m ago
FastAPI -> MCP is like 1 LoC.
aussieguy1234 · 46m ago
MCP gives the AI agent a list of commands and instructions on how/when to use them in a standard way.

A CLI tool, while it can do the same, doesn't do that in a standard way, so if it's a tool not in the agents training set or in its context it won't know how to use the tool.

iosifache · 6h ago
romanovcode · 6h ago
COMMAND LINE: You have to instruct your AI what this tool is and what it should be used for.

MCP: You paste one command to register the MCP and your AI will always know what it is and where/why it should be used.

andrew_lettuce · 37m ago
This is pretty naive based on my experience. I find it hard to get the LLM to consistently use the tools defined, so "always" is doing some questionable lifting here. I've had easy better luck with pretty simple, linear workflows, so telling your LLM to "know use this clip tool to..." Might be more effective than an agent that has a bunch of tools and might use the expected one. YMMV
latexr · 3h ago
> COMMAND LINE: You have to instruct your AI what this tool is and what it should be used for.

Or—and please bear with me, I know this may sound insane—you call the command-line tool yourself, reliably, fast, with little overhead, just like it has worked for decades.

I know, I know, soon most people won’t even know how to unzip their pants without spending unnecessary amounts of electricity and waiting for several seconds for an LLM response, but believe me that just using your hands is a solution worth checking out.

jonasdoesthings · 3h ago
I think the goal of this project is not to simplify the use of Annas Archive for humans (as they could just use the Website anyways), but to allow AI "Agents" to automatically source information out of books while researching without requiring user interaction.

The LLM's default web-browsing tool probably won't or can't download books from AA while looking for information on a subject. This enables it to do so.

T0Bi · 7m ago
Are you sure? From OPs comment:

>I justified the hours I invested by thinking I could search, download, and explore books directly from Claude Desktop.

Although you're right that it can be used for use cases like you're describing.

puppycodes · 16h ago
love this. god bless anna's archive
iosifache · 15h ago
Cheers!
toomuchtodo · 16h ago
Edit: Would you accept a PR to override the search and download endpoint hostnames with env vars? For someone who has their own copy and ES index, it might be helpful to support overriding the public endpoint hostnames (/internal/anna/anna.go#L22-L23).
iosifache · 16h ago
> local copy of this corpus

Are you referring to the JSON index (https://annas-archive.org/faq#api)?

No comments yet

ospider · 4h ago
Why do people keep building servers for such a silly protocol?
zipping1549 · 2h ago
It's easy and has the word AI in it.
chisleu · 2h ago
It's infinitely useful for people who's workflows involve LLM agents.
aussieguy1234 · 42m ago
Let's say you want to use the tool `ssh` and let's imagine ssh has just been released and it's not in the AI agents training set yet.

It won't know in this case how to use the ssh command line tool.

MCP provides a standard way to tell an AI agent how and when to use tools. So if you had an SSH MCP server, you'd simply plug that in, now your AI agent automagically has SSH capabilities.

UncleEntity · 2h ago
People may do things you have no need for or don't agree with.

Welcome to Planet Earth.

xmonkee · 15h ago
I'm an LLM noob, but how feasible it is to make a research agent that can not only download articles, but read and reference them in it's process?
iosifache · 15h ago
It's doable, as you'll also find MCP servers for reading files [1].

Claude Desktop also has a built-in file reader [2], so you can ask it to read the file and process the content (e.g., generate a summary or even a meta-summary [3]).

[1] https://github.com/sylphxltd/pdf-reader-mcp [2] https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers/tree/main/sr... [3] https://x.com/iosifache/status/1942247320302547175

conception · 15h ago
Firecrawl -> Rag -> mcp is the general path
profsummergig · 11h ago
My understanding of Anna's Archive is that one has to download large zip files (>10 Gb) containing thousands of books even if one wants only a single book.

Am I correct here?

Does this MCP server allow one to download just a single book?

I remember once using an IPFS based tool to download a single 200-year-old, out-of-copyright copy of "Last of the Mohicans" from Anna's Archive. It worked, but was very very complicated to figure out how to make it work.

stavros · 3h ago
You can just go on the website, search for the book you want, and download it. I'd think this is pretty obvious, as if you visit https://annas-archive.org, there are multiple search boxes there that lead directly to downloads.
LeratoAustini · 10h ago
I've downloaded single books several times recently (annas-archive.org in the browser):

  - search for book
  - tap a result
  - see a list of links to download mirrors (under 'slow downloads'), tap a link
  - get a countdown timer
  - timer expires, download links appear
  - click a link, book downloads just like any other download
iosifache · 8h ago
The waiting part is nonexistent if you have an active donation (which is also required by this MCP server for API access). The fast downloads mean you request a book and start downloading it immediately.
IshKebab · 7h ago
"Donation". Let's call it what it is - a subscription.

No comments yet

0points · 5h ago
So just 8 or 9 steps to grab a e-book, instead of just letting the LLM recall it from training data... /s
navigate8310 · 9h ago
You are incorrect in your assumption. Though I would also like you to search for "IRC books reddit". Unlike Anna's Archive, you get high quality books with fast download speeds.
johnjames87 · 4h ago
HN now promoting piracy?
eMPee584 · 3h ago
The real crime is an economic system that limits the spread of knowledge and access to other "human rights" by requiring everyone to hustle to survive (and, if possible, increase capital gains for the financial overlords) when we would already be technologically equipped to feed and house well all of mankind, instead of letting thousands of children starve to death each day and restricting access to education so that billions miss out on their intellectual development - a void easily filled with addictive media full of rage and distraction. Pirating books is just a symptom of this wretched system. And it is not enough - RISE, HN! .. towards RBE & beyond..
pjc50 · 22m ago
Ai is dependent on piracy .. and apparently that's fine now.
mandw · 3h ago
I recently downloaded a number of magazines froma now defunct publication from late eighties. No onesells them and annas archive was the only place i found them. its not exclusivly pirating, its a source for a lot of out of print.
mrweasel · 1h ago
It's not piracy if you download the books to train your LLM.... Apparently.
iosifache · 4h ago
neilv · 16h ago
> This software does not endorse unauthorized acquisition of copyrighted content and should be regarded solely as a utility. Users are urged to respect the intellectual property rights of authors and acknowledge the considerable effort invested in document creation.

How sincere is that statement?

iosifache · 16h ago
I just provide a hammer. Users decide whether they're hitting their own nail or the metal one.

The comparison might be loose, but the problem is similar to releasing a browser. Do you prevent users from accessing websites you think are malicious or illegal? Or do you delegate that responsibility?

I was hesitant about releasing the MCP server as open source software, but I hope (1) it proves useful for others and (2) people understand that the authors of the books they're reading need money to eat, live, and support their families.

thedevilslawyer · 8h ago
IMO, you're needlessly taking a defensive stand. It's ok to take a forward looking stand on how access to knowledge should be.
9dev · 6h ago
Oh come on. We all know there’s pretty much every novel you’ll find at Barnes&Noble on Anna's Archive as a pirated copy, not just scientific papers. At least be honest; it’s as much a mundane piracy tool as it is a knowledge repository.
thedevilslawyer · 3h ago
I was absolutely saying that. Novels are part of the knowledge too - a scientific paper and a novel have equal weight
9dev · 23m ago
Phrasing "here's a way to pirate novels using an LLM" as "I'm on a mission to grant everyone access to the wealth of humanity's knowledge" is just disingenuous. Sure do novels count as knowledge, but there's a moral difference between making scientific content available to researchers for use in research versus saving money by pirating books.
TylerE · 9h ago
> The comparison might be loose, but the problem is similar to releasing a browser. Do you prevent users from accessing websites you think are malicious or illegal? Or do you delegate that responsibility?

I might liken the situation more to releasing a browser and setting thepiratebay as the homepage.

iosifache · 8h ago
That would imply constantly reminding users of an available action, which isn't the case since the MCP server is just a dormant capability that needs to be triggered.
hereme888 · 14h ago
As sincere as LLM providers not wanting to get sued for the copyrighted content they used.
ASalazarMX · 15h ago
I'd bet you won't find a single string containing "acquire copyrighted content arrr!", so pretty sincere. The software doesn't endorse it.
bigyabai · 16h ago
As sincere as the user takes it.
thorum · 16h ago
Interesting project! I’m a little surprised that Claude is willing to call these functions. The demo screenshot is downloading a public domain work, I wonder if it would also happily go along with requests for Harry Potter or other copyrighted material?
jddj · 16h ago
The ironic universe theory would dictate that LLMs should tell us that downloading and consuming copyrighted material from pirates books is wrong.
jacquesm · 6h ago
Technically, those are already in Claude...
hotstickyballs · 16h ago
Just give the AI something worse that would happen if it doesn’t call these functions.
totetsu · 14h ago
Aren’t they all trained on copyrighted material, and lobbying governments to make that legal? Should copyright law only apply to the plebs?
mhuffman · 3h ago
>Aren’t they all trained on copyrighted material, and lobbying governments to make that legal?

Only for them, not for you.

>Should copyright law only apply to the plebs?

In a practical sense, hasn't that been the case for most laws?

throwaway314155 · 16h ago
Last I checked downloading isn't the issue. It's distributing. Not an expert though.
latexr · 2h ago
I think (also not an expert) that depends on jurisdiction. I.e. in some places you can download but not distribute, while in others you can’t even download. Others still turn a blind eye at both (there’s a reason Russian trackers/teams are so prevalent).
iosifache · 15h ago
> I wonder if it would also happily go along with requests for Harry Potter or other copyrighted material?

There's no way to protect against this. Anna's Archive doesn't include licence information in their data fields. It would be helpful to integrate with another data source that could warn MCP server users when they're attempting potentially risky actions. Please let me know if you have ideas on how to achieve this.

On a related note, please see this reply:

https://news.ycombinator.com/reply?id=44515205

kevindamm · 6h ago
It's worse than you'd expect, there's a sizable subset of works with unknown or uncertain license status.

https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Orphan_works_in_the_United_States

https://martincopenhaver.github.io/files/orphanworks.pdf [PDF]

Estimated 25-50 million books are orphaned works, and their copyright holder may step forward at any time after you've treated it as unlicensed, it's perpetually uncertain (but showing due diligence in finding and contacting the rights holder is considered adequate).

For US works published after 1977 and most works between 1898-1945 the US copyright office has a database:

https://publicrecords.copyright.gov/

but I don't know a good catalog for non-US.

iosifache · 5h ago
Ah, wow, thank you for the links and additional context. This is new information to me.

> Their copyright holder may step forward at any time after you've treated it as unlicensed.

Does this mean that Satoshi can just come and claim that a whole industry is using his/her copyrighted material?

kevindamm · 2h ago
The above is specifically about book copyright on orphaned works.. AFAIK there is no copyrighting of the contents of a blockchain that they could defend (I'm assuming that's what you're referring to). That copyright would hypothetically cover redistribution, which is kind of a necessary aspect of the shared ledger in the first place.

The more appropriate coverage for that would be patents, which protect a process while making its methods public. Since Bitcoin is open and not patented, that isn't a concern either. There are, however, methods of using blockchains that are patented.

Satoshi couldn't come forth and say that all bitcoin is violating a patent, but it's possible that some aspect of other blockchains or some aspect of an application layer built on blockchain is covered by a patent. For more details consult a lawyer specializing in IP law (and btw I'm not a lawyer, in case I accidentally gave that impression).

To complicate things further with patents, be careful about reading patents if you plan on possibly building anything related. If it can be shown that you were aware of a (US) patent that you're violating, then any related suit that comes before you may receive triple the damages that were decided in the case. So, it's very likely that there are some applications violating blockchain-related patents. Someone could suddenly come forward and sue a lot of people who were being willfully ignorant about it.

Hopefully that comes close to answering your question, this space is far too small for all the nuances and I'm not an expert on licenses.

throwaway314155 · 14h ago
Thanks, good context.