Eth Library MCP server

by malkreide·io.github.malkreide/eth-library-mcp·v0.4.0·1 stars

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ETH Library Discovery API

B77/100grade B

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Safety scan

B77/100

full report

Adoption

Growing

1 stars51 downloads/wk

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If you have run it, two minutes of your experience saves the next person an afternoon.

Eth Library tools (6)

write = sends, deletes, buys or posts

Read from the package source without running it. The installed server may list more.

eth_get_resource
Ruft eine einzelne Ressource der ETH-Bibliothek anhand ihrer MMS-ID ab.
eth_library_info
Gibt eine Übersicht über den ETH Library MCP Server zurück.
eth_search_archive
Durchsucht ein spezifisches Archiv oder eine Sammlung der ETH-Bibliothek.
eth_search_by_type
Sucht Ressourcen eines bestimmten Typs (Karten, Bilder, Archive, etc.).
eth_search_education
Kuratierte Suche nach bildungsrelevanten Ressourcen in der ETH-Bibliothek.
eth_search_resources
Durchsucht den Katalog der ETH-Bibliothek mit über 30 Millionen Ressourcen.

Public scan report

scanner v0.1.10 · 2026-10-14 · same rubric, same numbers if you re-run it

2 medium

Code scan19 source files scanned15/25
–Live reliabilityno gateway calls yet and no remote to proben/a
–Tool poisoningtools not inspected (local package is not executed); not countedn/a
Auth qualitylocal package, no credentials required12/15
Maintenancelast push 18 days ago15/15
Maintainer identityregistry namespace matches repository owner; GitHub account older than a year8/10

Findings (2)

mediumsubprocess with shell=Trueexec.shell-true

eth_library_mcp-0.4.0/audits/2026-05-28T142641-Z-eth-library-mcp/verification-results.json: … "No os.system, no subprocess, no shell=True, no eval(), no exec() anywhere in src/ …

mediumeval / new Function usedexec.eval

eth_library_mcp-0.4.0/audits/2026-05-28T142641-Z-eth-library-mcp/verification-results.json: …ystem, no subprocess, no shell=True, no eval(), no exec() anywhere in src/ (grep retu…

Overall 77/100. Components that don't apply are left out of the denominator. Any critical finding is an F.Rubric Appeal a finding JSON

How Eth Library compares

Against every graded MCP server, from our own scans and uptime checks. Updated after each scan run.

Safety score: 77/100; higher than 50% of 48,243 servers
Tools: 6; the typical server has 7
Tools that change things: 0%; typical: 0%. Fewer write tools means less an agent can break
GitHub stars: 1; more than 65% of 28,706 servers
Downloads a week: 51; more than 41% of 12,306 servers with a package

What its tools let an agent do: 6 read

Release history: 2 versions in the registry since 2026-07-31, latest 2026-09-19, typically one every 50 days.

Install Eth Library in Claude Code, Cursor or VS Code

claude mcp add eth-library-mcp -- uvx eth-library-mcp

Add to Cursor

What the publisher says

From the Eth Library repository's README, as published. We do not edit it. Read it on GitHub

🇨🇭 Part of the Swiss Public Data MCP Portfolio

🏛️ eth-library-mcp

🌐 English | Deutsch

MCP server giving AI models direct access to 30M+ resources at ETH Library Zurich – books, maps, images and archival material.

Demo

Overview

eth-library-mcp connects AI assistants like Claude to the largest natural-science library in Switzerland. It exposes full-text search, archive-level queries and resource-type filtering via the ETH Library's Discovery API – all through a single, standardised MCP interface.

6 Tools · 1 API · 2 Resources · 2 Prompts

MCP Protocol Version: 2026-07-28 (via mcp[cli]>=2.0.0,<3).

BUG-02 is resolved — by removing the tool. ethsearchpersons was documented

as "currently non-functional, correct URL to be verified". It has now been verified,

and there is no correct URL: the Persons API is gone from the gateway, not merely

locked. The gateway routes before it checks the API key, so an existing route

answers 401 and a missing one answers 404 — /discovery/v1/resources gives 401,

every /persons/v1/* path gives 404, and so does a deliberately invented Discovery

path used as a control. Offering a capability that cannot exist is the same mistake as

returning an empty result, only louder. The measurement is recorded and dated in

tests/fixtures/api_routes.json.

Anchor demo query: "Find historical documents about Zurich school history in the ETH Library archives."

Features

🔍 Full-text search over 30M+ resources with fields, operators, and facets
📖 Resource details – full metadata via MMS-ID
🗂️ Archive search – ETH University Archives, Max Frisch, Thomas Mann, Graphische Sammlung, Bildarchiv
🏷️ Resource type filter – books, maps, images, archival material and more
🎓 Education search – curated workflow optimised for pedagogy and school history
📋 Server overview – all resource types and archives at a glance
🗣️ Built-in prompts – structured research and education-research workflows
☁️ Dual transport – stdio for Claude Desktop, Streamable HTTP/SSE for cloud deployment

Prerequisites

Python 3.11+
A free API key from developer.library.ethz.ch

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/malkreide/eth-library-mcp.git
cd eth-library-mcp

# Install
pip install -e .

# Or with uv (recommended)
uv pip install -e .

Quickstart

# Set the API key
export ETH_LIBRARY_API_KEY=your_key_here   # macOS / Linux
# $env:ETH_LIBRARY_API_KEY = "your_key_here"  # Windows (PowerShell)

# Start the server (stdio mode for Claude Desktop)
python -m eth_library_mcp.server

Without an API key the server returns a helpful error message with the registration link – no crashes.

Try it immediately in Claude Desktop:

"Find books about Swiss education history in the ETH Library."

"Search the Max Frisch archive for manuscripts about Zurich."

→ More use cases by audience →

Shortened. The full README is on GitHub.

Nothing above is checked by us. What we check is on the safety report.

Eth Library: common questions

Is Eth Library MCP server safe?: Mostly: it is graded B (77/100). Read the Eth Library safety report
How do I install Eth Library?: It runs on your machine. Copy the Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code or Claude Desktop config from the install section.
Does Eth Library need an API key?: Not as far as the registry entry and our scan can tell: no credentials are declared or required.
Is Eth Library maintained?: The last commit was 40 days ago (2026-09-26). The latest release is v0.4.0.
How does Eth Library compare with other MCP servers?: safety score 77/100 (higher than 50% of 48,243 servers); tools 6 (the typical server has 7); tools that change things 0% (typical: 0%. Fewer write tools means less an agent can break). Full comparison.