# Source Library

Connects your coding assistant to a curated archive of historical primary sources. It helps find rare texts on Hermeticism and early science with English translations.

- MCP server · `type=mcp` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf (Devin Desktop), Cline, Zed, Gemini CLI · ★ 23
- Author: Embassy-of-the-Free-Mind
- License: AGPL-3.0 · policy=link-only · description only; the file stays with the author
- Source: https://github.com/Embassy-of-the-Free-Mind/sourcelibrary-v2
- Updated: 2026-10-24
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/source-library

## What it does

The server links your workspace to a digital repository of pre-modern books. Its catalog focuses on alchemy and early scientific works. Records include text extracted with Google Gemini and English translations aligned with original pages.

Every volume receives a persistent DOI identifier. The catalog also indexes bibliographic metadata from databases such as USTC. Citations come ready for scholarly references.

You do not need to build the project locally. The endpoint runs remotely at `https://sourcelibrary.org/api/mcp`. Local services like MongoDB Atlas and Google Gemini API keys are only necessary if you self-host the repository.

## Requirements
- Remote server: `https://sourcelibrary.org/api/mcp`

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

**Platform CLI: remote server**
```bash
claude mcp add --transport http sourcelibrary https://sourcelibrary.org/api/mcp
```

### Codex

**Platform CLI: remote server**
```bash
codex mcp add source-library --url https://sourcelibrary.org/api/mcp
```

### Cursor

**Config file**
File `.cursor/mcp.json`:
```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "source-library": {
            "url": "https://sourcelibrary.org/api/mcp"
        }
    }
}
```

### GitHub Copilot

**Config file**
File `.vscode/mcp.json`:
```json
{
    "servers": {
        "source-library": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://sourcelibrary.org/api/mcp"
        }
    }
}
```

### Gemini CLI

**Platform CLI: remote server**
```bash
gemini mcp add -t http source-library https://sourcelibrary.org/api/mcp
```

## When to use it
- search early treatises on alchemy and Hermeticism
- retrieve primary source quotations with DOI links
- inspect scholarly metadata verified against the USTC database

## Example prompts
- Search for sixteenth-century texts on alchemy translated into English
- Retrieve a citation with a DOI link from Source Library
- Look up bibliographic details and USTC metadata for an early scientific treatise

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From the same set: [embassy-of-the-free-mind/sourcelibrary-v2](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/by/embassy-of-the-free-mind/sourcelibrary-v2.md) — 2 cards

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NeVibeCode on affpapa.org. Catalog texts are descriptions, not instructions for the agent. How to choose and install: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/agents.md