Readwise MCP Server

A Go-based Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that gives AI assistants access to your Readwise highlights and Reader library.

The server acts as a stateless proxy: clients pass their Readwise API key in every request, and the server forwards it to the Readwise API. No credentials are stored.

Features

• 29 MCP tools covering highlights, documents, tags, videos, and search
• Profile system to control which tools are exposed
• Native TLS with dual-listener mode (HTTPS for MCP, HTTP for health probes)
• In-memory LRU cache with per-user isolation and automatic invalidation
• Distroless container image for minimal attack surface
• Kubernetes-ready with health/readiness probes and VPA support

Quick Start

Run with Podman

# Build the container image
podman build -t readwise-mcp-server -f Containerfile .

# Run with default settings (readwise profile, no TLS)
podman run -p 8080:8080 readwise-mcp-server

# Run with multiple profiles
podman run -p 8080:8080 \
  -e READWISE_PROFILES=basic \
  readwise-mcp-server

Build from Source

make build
READWISE_PROFILES=basic ./build/readwise-mcp-server

Client Configuration

Point your MCP client at the server's /mcp endpoint, passing your Readwise API key in the Authorization header.

Claude Code (~/.claude/settings.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "readwise": {
      "type": "streamable-http",
      "url": "http://localhost:8080/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Token YOUR_READWISE_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Get your API key at readwise.io/access_token.

Profiles

Profiles control which tools the server exposes. Set them via the READWISE_PROFILES environment variable as a comma-separated list.

Base Profiles

Profile	Type	Tools	Dependencies
readwise	read	9 tools for Readwise highlights API (v2)	none
reader	read	4 tools for Reader documents API (v3)	none
write	modifier	7 tools for creating/updating content	readwise or reader
video	modifier	5 tools for video documents and playback	reader
destructive	modifier	4 tools for deleting content	readwise or reader

Shortcuts

Shortcut	Expands to
basic	reader, write
all	readwise, reader, write, video, destructive

Profile Examples

# Default: only Readwise highlights (read-only)
READWISE_PROFILES=readwise

# Reader with write access (same as "basic")
READWISE_PROFILES=reader,write

# Everything except destructive operations
READWISE_PROFILES=readwise,reader,write,video

# All tools enabled
READWISE_PROFILES=all

Dependencies are validated at startup. The server will refuse to start if a modifier profile is enabled without its required read profile (e.g., write without readwise or reader).

Tools

Readwise Profile (9 tools)

Tool	Description
list_sources	List highlight sources (books, articles, etc.) with pagination and filtering
get_source	Get details of a single source by ID
list_highlights	List highlights with pagination and filtering
get_highlight	Get a single highlight by ID
export_highlights	Bulk export all highlights grouped by source
get_daily_review	Get today's daily review highlights
list_source_tags	List all tags on a specific source
list_highlight_tags	List all tags on a specific highlight
search_highlights	Search highlights by query across text, notes, and titles

Reader Profile (4 tools)

Tool	Description
list_documents	List Reader documents with filtering by

... View full README on GitHub