scrivener-mcp — Claude Code MCP server: what it does, how to install
Hooks a Scrivener 3 project into your AI client so the agent reads, edits and searches the manuscript without exports.
claude mcp add scrivener-mcp -- npx -y scrivener-mcpWhat scrivener-mcp does
The server works on a .scriv project directly from your assistant: it opens documents, edits them, searches the text and keeps track of what happened earlier in the session. Project memory, keyword lookup and fixed analysis run without any model at all. The project has to be open first, which is how nearly every task begins.
It ships as a Node.js stdio server, so npx is enough. A helper, npx scrivener-setup, scans for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, LM Studio, BoltAI and Raycast, writes their configs and confirms the server comes up. On macOS a paid app does the same one-click job for $4.99 across up to three Macs and reconnects after your client updates — no Node.js involved.
Drafting feedback, text generation and semantic search need a provider key from Anthropic, OpenAI or OpenRouter. Set several and the server falls back to the next one when an account errors out. Indexing happens locally; only interpreting a semantic_search query leaves the machine. Clients that support sampling can route chat features through their own model instead.
Based on AGPL-3.0 code and aimed at Scrivener 3 on macOS, Windows and Linux.
What it helps with
- pull a chapter out of
.scrivand get pacing notes - locate every scene a character walks into
- edit a document in place without launching Scrivener
- follow plot threads across a long manuscript
- carry project context from one session to the next
Example prompts for the agent
- Open
Novel.scrivand tell me where chapter 12 starts to drag. - List every scene with Mia and flag anything that contradicts chapter 4.
- Tighten the closing paragraph of chapter 7 without losing the narrator's voice.
How to install scrivener-mcp
Platform CLI
claude mcp add scrivener-mcp -- npx -y scrivener-mcpPlatform CLI
codex mcp add scrivener-mcp -- npx -y scrivener-mcpConfig file
{
"mcpServers": {
"scrivener-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"scrivener-mcp"
]
}
}
}Config file
{
"servers": {
"scrivener-mcp": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"scrivener-mcp"
]
}
}
}Platform CLI
gemini mcp add scrivener-mcp npx -y scrivener-mcpStep by step, with commands for each platform: How to add an MCP server to Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI and more
Questions about scrivener-mcp
How do I install scrivener-mcp in Claude Code?
Run claude mcp add scrivener-mcp -- npx -y scrivener-mcp, then restart Claude Code or type /mcp. For other clients, npx scrivener-setup finds their configs and verifies the server starts.
What does scrivener-mcp do?
It gives an assistant access to a Scrivener 3 project: reading and editing documents, searching the text, and analysing a manuscript, including characters and plot threads.
Do I need an API key?
Not for document management, keyword search or project memory. Writing analysis, generation and semantic search need an Anthropic, OpenAI or OpenRouter key unless your client supports sampling.
