Notebooklm Management

NotebookLM MCP Management

Tech Stack Target / Version: NotebookLM current web release, Markdown session capture, and URL-tracked research workflows.

Use this skill when research should be grounded in NotebookLM notebooks instead of a generic web search.

• Leverage native parallel subagent dispatch and 200k+ context windows where available.

Current MCP Reality

This repository already targets a real NotebookLM MCP workflow. The concrete tool surface available in this environment includes:

• get_health
• list_notebooks, search_notebooks, select_notebook
• ask_question
• add_notebook, update_notebook, remove_notebook
• list_sessions, reset_session, close_session
• setup_auth, re_auth, cleanup_data

Activation Conditions

Use symptom -> action triggers: when one matches, apply this skill and verify with the protocol below.

• Querying a specific NotebookLM notebook
• Adding a notebook from a share URL
• Managing a notebook library or switching active notebooks
• Recovering authentication or cleaning NotebookLM state
• Continuing a multi-turn research session

Recommended Workflow

1. Call get_health first to confirm authentication and server readiness.
2. Reuse an existing session when the task is the same.
3. Prefer search_notebooks or list_notebooks before asking the user to restate what is already in the library.
4. Use ask_question iteratively in the same session for deep work.
5. Use setup_auth or re_auth only when health indicates auth problems.

Library Management Rules

• Do not add or remove notebooks without explicit user confirmation.
• When adding a notebook, collect URL, description, topics, and use cases first.
• Update metadata instead of creating duplicates when the notebook already exists.

Troubleshooting

• Auth broken: get_health -> re_auth
• Stale browser state: cleanup_data(preserve_library=true) after closing browsers
• Wrong context: reset_session or switch notebooks
• Ambiguous notebook choice: search the library before creating a new one

Cross-Client Portability

This skill is written to stay usable across GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, and Codex.

• GitHub Copilot: keep the folder in a Copilot-visible skill path or wrap the workflow in project instructions when folder discovery is unavailable.
• Claude Code: keep the folder in a local skills directory or a compatible plugin source.
• Codex: install or sync the folder into $CODEX_HOME/skills/notebooklm-management and restart Codex after major changes.

MCP Availability And Fallback

Preferred MCP Server: NotebookLM MCP

• Fallback prompt: "Use the NotebookLM MCP Management skill without MCP. Follow the documented local or manual fallback, show the selected tool surface, and report the verification evidence."
• Use the NotebookLM web UI directly, capture answers in Markdown, and store session notes locally when the MCP server is unavailable.
• Preserve notebook URLs, prompt history, and manual research notes so the workflow remains reproducible.
• Do not claim an MCP operation was used when the active host does not expose it.

Anti-Patterns

• Treating source content as already clean: Formatting automation will happily preserve broken or inconsistent input.
• Skipping an open-file verification pass: Documents and spreadsheets often fail in the destination app, not in the script output.
• Automating irreversible edits without checkpoints: A small mapping mistake can affect an entire workbook or document.

Verification Protocol

Before claiming "skill applied successfully":

1. Pass/fail: The Notebooklm Management workflow names the agent boundary, delegated scope, and expected return artifact.
2. Pass/fail: Context passed to helpers is minimal, task-local, and free of hidden expected answers.
3. Pass/fail: Results are integrated only after evidence, diffs, or citations are checked by the controller.
4. Pressure-test scenario: Run the workflow on two similar tasks that must not share assumptions or leaked context.
5. Success metric: Zero context leakage; every delegated output is independently reviewable.

References & Resources

Documentation

• MCP Tool Reference - Current NotebookLM MCP operations and parameters
• Troubleshooting Guide - Auth recovery, cleanup, and session issues
• Workflows - Library, query, and maintenance workflows

Scripts

• NotebookLM Helper - Local helper for library exports and reporting when MCP access is unavailable
• Scripts README - Quick commands for the helper script

Examples

• simple-query.py - Basic query pattern
• multi-turn-conversation.py - Session reuse pattern
• library-management.py - Library search and organization

Related Skills

• documentation-authoring: Use it when the workflow also needs drafting structured technical or product documents.
• notion-docs: Use it when the workflow also needs Notion page and database publishing workflows.
• pdf: Use it when the workflow also needs PDF extraction, generation, and layout-aware review.
• word-document: Use it when the workflow also needs Word document authoring and formatting workflows.