icebear0828 NotebookLM
Automate Google NotebookLM via CLI. Generate audio podcasts, reports, slides, quizzes, videos, infographics, data tables, flashcards, analyze content, manage notebooks, and chat.
Setup
npm i notebooklm-client
npx notebooklm export-session # One-time: opens Chrome, log in to Google
npx notebooklm list --transport auto # Verify
When This Skill Activates
Recognize requests like:
- "Create a podcast about [topic]"
- "Research [topic] in depth"
- "Summarize this URL"
- "Generate a report / study guide / blog post"
- "Generate flashcards / slides / quiz"
- "Create an infographic / data table / video"
- "Chat with my notebook"
- "What notebooks do I have?"
- "Add this PDF to my [company/topic] notebook"
- "Attach this URL to notebook X"
CLI Commands
All commands use --transport auto for headless mode.
| Task | Command |
|---|---|
| List notebooks | npx notebooklm list --transport auto |
| Notebook details | npx notebooklm detail <id> --transport auto |
| Add source to existing notebook | npx notebooklm source add <id> --transport auto --file ./paper.pdf |
| Add URL to existing notebook | npx notebooklm source add <id> --transport auto --url "https://..." |
| Delete notebooks | npx notebooklm delete <id...> --transport auto |
| Chat | npx notebooklm chat <id> --transport auto --question "..." |
| Podcast from URL | npx notebooklm audio --transport auto --url "https://..." -o /tmp/audio -l en |
| Podcast (debate, short) | npx notebooklm audio --transport auto --topic "AI" -o /tmp/audio --format debate --length short |
| Report (study guide) | npx notebooklm report --transport auto --url "https://..." -o /tmp/report --template study_guide |
| Report (custom) | npx notebooklm report --transport auto --url "https://..." -o /tmp/report --template custom --instructions "Write a SWOT analysis" |
| Slides | npx notebooklm slides --transport auto --url "https://..." -o /tmp/slides --format presenter |
| Video | npx notebooklm video --transport auto --url "https://..." -o /tmp/video --format explainer --style whiteboard |
| Quiz | npx notebooklm quiz --transport auto --url "https://..." -o /tmp/quiz --difficulty medium |
| Flashcards | npx notebooklm flashcards --transport auto --url "https://..." -o /tmp/flashcards |
| Infographic | npx notebooklm infographic --transport auto --url "https://..." -o /tmp/infographic --style professional |
| Data table | npx notebooklm data-table --transport auto --url "https://..." -o /tmp/table --instructions "Compare by category" |
| Analyze content | npx notebooklm analyze --transport auto --url "https://..." --question "Summarize" |
| Diagnose issues | npx notebooklm diagnose |
| Import session | npx notebooklm import-session <file-or-json> |
Source options (shared by all generation commands)
--url <url> Source URL
--text <text> Source text
--file <path> Local file (pdf, txt, md, docx, csv, pptx, epub, mp3, wav, etc.)
--topic <topic> Research topic (web search)
--research-mode <mode> fast | deep (default: fast)
Generation command options
| Command | Key options |
|---|---|
audio |
--format (deep_dive/brief/critique/debate), --length (short/default/long), --instructions, -l, --keep-notebook |
report |
--template (briefing_doc/study_guide/blog_post/custom), --instructions, -l |
video |
--format (explainer/brief/cinematic), --style (auto/classic/whiteboard/kawaii/anime/watercolor/retro_print), --instructions, -l |
quiz |
--instructions, --quantity (fewer/standard), --difficulty (easy/medium/hard) |
flashcards |
--instructions, --quantity, --difficulty |
infographic |
--orientation (landscape/portrait/square), --detail (concise/standard/detailed), --style (sketch_note/professional/bento_grid), --instructions, -l |
slides |
--format (detailed/presenter), --length (default/short), --instructions, -l |
data-table |
--instructions (describe table structure), -l |
All generation commands require -o, --output <dir>.
Multi-Account
npx notebooklm --home ~/.notebooklm-work list --transport auto
# or
NOTEBOOKLM_HOME=~/.notebooklm-work npx notebooklm list --transport auto
Autonomy Rules
Run automatically: list, detail, diagnose
Ask before running: generation commands (long-running, creates notebook), source add (modifies user's notebook), delete (irreversible)
Common Workflows
Quick podcast from URL
npx notebooklm audio --transport auto --url "https://example.com/article" -o ./output -l en
Research a topic (deep, debate format)
npx notebooklm audio --transport auto --topic "quantum computing" --research-mode deep -o ./output --format debate
Generate a study guide
npx notebooklm report --transport auto --url "https://example.com/paper.pdf" -o ./output --template study_guide --instructions "Focus on key formulas"
Generate slides from a topic
npx notebooklm slides --transport auto --topic "machine learning basics" -o ./output --format presenter --length short
Quiz from an article
npx notebooklm quiz --transport auto --url "https://example.com/article" -o ./output --difficulty hard --quantity standard
Analyze and ask questions
npx notebooklm analyze --transport auto --url "https://example.com/paper.pdf" --question "What are the key findings?"
Chat with existing notebook
npx notebooklm list --transport auto
npx notebooklm chat <notebook-id> --transport auto --question "Summarize the main points"
Add new material to an existing notebook
npx notebooklm source add <notebook-id> --transport auto --file ./new-report.pdf
npx notebooklm source add <notebook-id> --transport auto --url "https://static.cninfo.com.cn/finalpage/2026-04-16/1225107391.PDF"
Use this when the user wants to extend a long-running topic/company notebook with a fresh document rather than creating a new throwaway notebook.
Error Handling
| Error | Action |
|---|---|
| "No session available" | npx notebooklm export-session |
| "Session expired" | Auto-refreshes; if fails, re-export |
| "Quota exceeded" | Daily limit hit — wait or upgrade |
| "Rate limited" | Wait a few minutes, retry |
| "Audio download returned login page" | Re-run npx notebooklm export-session to refresh cookies |
Known Limits
- Audio generation takes 5-10 minutes
- Daily generation limits exist per type (audio, video, slides, etc.) — no API to check remaining
- Studio types are dynamic — Google may add/remove types anytime
- Session auto-refreshes; re-export if auth errors persist
- Download requires re-export after update — if you updated notebooklm-client, re-run
export-sessionto get domain-scoped cookies for CDN downloads