Content Management - NotebookLM MCP

Add sources and generate audio overviews (podcasts)

Overview

The Content Management module enables you to:

Add Sources - Upload documents, URLs, text, YouTube videos to notebooks
Delete Sources - Remove sources from notebooks
Generate Audio Overview - Create podcast-style audio discussions (REAL NotebookLM feature)
Download Audio - Save generated audio files locally
Create Notes - Add user-created annotations to notebooks
List Content - View sources and generated content

Important: What We Actually Support

REAL NotebookLM Features (fully integrated):

Audio Overview generation — NotebookLM's actual podcast feature
Video generation — brief + explainer with 6 visual styles (classroom, documentary, animated, corporate, cinematic, minimalist)
Infographic generation — horizontal and vertical layouts
Report / Presentation / Data Table — text-based content returned in the API response
Download artifacts — WAV audio, MP4 video, PNG infographics
Source management — add files, URLs, text, YouTube videos, Google Drive
Q&A with citations — DOM-extracted source names and excerpts

Prompt-based content (use ask_question directly):

For content types that NotebookLM doesn't expose as first-class studio outputs — briefing docs, study guides, FAQ, timelines, tables of contents — call ask_question with a custom prompt (e.g. "Create a study guide from these sources"). These are regular chat responses, not separate NotebookLM integrations.

Quick Start

Add a URL Source

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/content/sources \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "source_type": "url",
    "url": "https://example.com/article"
  }'

Generate Audio Overview

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/content/generate \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content_type": "audio_overview",
    "custom_instructions": "Focus on practical tips"
  }'

Download Audio

curl "http://localhost:3000/content/download?content_type=audio_overview"

Source Types

Type	Description	Required Field
`file`	Local file upload	`file_path`
`url`	Web page URL	`url`
`text`	Plain text / pasted content	`text`
`youtube`	YouTube video URL	`url`
`google_drive`	Google Drive document link	`url`

Examples

Upload a local file:

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/content/sources \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "source_type": "file",
    "file_path": "/path/to/document.pdf",
    "title": "My PDF Document"
  }'

Add pasted text:

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/content/sources \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "source_type": "text",
    "text": "Your document content here...",
    "title": "Research Notes"
  }'

Add YouTube video:

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/content/sources \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "source_type": "youtube",
    "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
  }'

Deleting Sources

Remove sources from notebooks using the delete endpoint.

Delete by ID

curl -X DELETE "http://localhost:3000/content/sources/source-123"

Delete by Name

curl -X DELETE "http://localhost:3000/content/sources?source_name=My%20Document"

Response:

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "success": true,
    "sourceId": "source-123",
    "sourceName": "My Document"
  }
}

Notes:

Use list_content first to find source IDs and names
Source names support partial matching (case-insensitive)
This action is irreversible - sources are permanently deleted

Audio Overview (Podcast)

The audio overview creates a podcast-style discussion between two AI hosts about your notebook content. This is a REAL NotebookLM feature that generates actual audio.

Generate Audio

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/content/generate \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content_type": "audio_overview",
    "custom_instructions": "Focus on key concepts for beginners, use simple language"
  }'

Custom Instructions Ideas:

"Focus on practical applications"
"Emphasize the historical context"
"Make it accessible to students"
"Highlight the key takeaways"

Note: Audio generation takes 5-10 minutes. The API will wait for completion.

Download Audio

# Get audio file
curl "http://localhost:3000/content/download?content_type=audio_overview"

# Save to specific path
curl "http://localhost:3000/content/download?content_type=audio_overview&output_path=/downloads/podcast.mp3"

Response:

{
  "success": true,
  "filePath": "/downloads/podcast.wav",
  "mimeType": "audio/wav"
}

Create Notes

Notes are user-created annotations that appear in the NotebookLM Studio panel. They allow you to save research findings, summaries, key insights, or any custom content alongside your sources.

Create a Note

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/content/notes \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "title": "Key Findings Summary",
    "content": "## Main Points\n\n1. First important finding\n2. Second key insight\n3. Conclusion and next steps"
  }'

Response:

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "success": true,
    "noteTitle": "Key Findings Summary",
    "status": "created"
  }
}

Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`title`	string	Yes	Title of the note
`content`	string	Yes	Content/body of the note (supports markdown)
`notebook_url`	string	No	Target notebook URL
`session_id`	string	No	Reuse existing session

Use Cases:

Save research summaries from NotebookLM conversations
Create custom annotations for specific sections
Store key quotes and references
Build a structured outline from notebook content

MCP Tool Usage

If using Claude Code or Claude Desktop:

create_note(title="My Research Note", content="Key findings from the analysis...")

Listing Content

View all sources and generated content in a notebook:

curl http://localhost:3000/content

Response:

{
  "success": true,
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "source-1",
      "name": "Introduction.pdf",
      "type": "document",
      "status": "ready"
    },
    {
      "id": "source-2",
      "name": "https://example.com",
      "type": "url",
      "status": "ready"
    }
  ],
  "generatedContent": [
    {
      "id": "audio-overview",
      "type": "audio_overview",
      "name": "Audio Overview",
      "status": "ready",
      "createdAt": "2025-12-24T10:30:00Z"
    }
  ],
  "sourceCount": 2,
  "hasAudioOverview": true
}

MCP Tool Usage

If using Claude Code or Claude Desktop:

Add Source

add_source(source_type="url", url="https://example.com")

Delete Source

delete_source(source_name="My Document")

delete_source(source_id="source-123")

Generate Audio

generate_content(content_type="audio_overview", custom_instructions="Focus on key points")

List Content

list_content()

Download Audio

download_content(content_type="audio_overview", output_path="/path/to/save.mp3")

Workflow Example

Research Workflow

Add multiple sources:

# Add primary source
curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/content/sources \
  -d '{"source_type":"url","url":"https://research-paper.com"}'

# Add supporting document
curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/content/sources \
  -d '{"source_type":"file","file_path":"/docs/notes.pdf"}'

Generate audio overview:

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/content/generate \
  -d '{"content_type":"audio_overview","custom_instructions":"Summarize key findings for researchers"}'

Download for offline listening:

curl "http://localhost:3000/content/download?content_type=audio_overview&output_path=research.mp3"

Error Handling

Common Errors

Error	Cause	Solution
"Source type required"	Missing `source_type`	Add the `source_type` parameter
"File not found"	Invalid `file_path`	Check file path exists
"Audio not ready"	Audio still generating	Wait and retry
"No sources in notebook"	Empty notebook	Add sources first

Timeout Handling

Audio generation can take 5-10 minutes. The API will wait up to 10 minutes for completion. For long operations, consider:

Using session_id to maintain context
Polling list_content to check status
Setting appropriate client timeouts

Best Practices

Add sources before generating audio - Ensure your notebook has sources before attempting to generate audio.
Use custom instructions - Tailor the audio by providing clear custom instructions.
Reuse sessions - Pass session_id to avoid creating new browser sessions for each request.
Check content list - Use list_content to verify what's already generated before creating duplicates.
Handle timeouts gracefully - Audio generation is slow; implement appropriate retry logic.

Version History

Version	Changes
1.5.x	2026 UI selectors, re-added video/infographic/presentation/report/data_table
1.4.2	Removed fake content generation (FAQ, etc.) — re-added later as real studio outputs
1.4.0	Added content management module
1.3.7	Source citation extraction

Complete Content Management Documentation!

Overview​

Important: What We Actually Support​

Quick Start​

Add a URL Source​

Generate Audio Overview​

Download Audio​

Source Types​

Examples​

Deleting Sources​

Delete by ID​

Delete by Name​

Audio Overview (Podcast)​

Generate Audio​

Download Audio​

Create Notes​

Create a Note​

MCP Tool Usage​

Listing Content​

MCP Tool Usage​

Add Source​

Delete Source​

Generate Audio​

List Content​

Download Audio​

Workflow Example​

Research Workflow​

Error Handling​

Common Errors​

Timeout Handling​

Best Practices​

Version History​

Overview

Important: What We Actually Support

Quick Start

Add a URL Source

Generate Audio Overview

Download Audio

Source Types

Examples

Deleting Sources

Delete by ID

Delete by Name

Audio Overview (Podcast)

Generate Audio

Download Audio

Create Notes

Create a Note

MCP Tool Usage

Listing Content

MCP Tool Usage

Add Source

Delete Source

Generate Audio

List Content

Download Audio

Workflow Example

Research Workflow

Error Handling

Common Errors

Timeout Handling

Best Practices

Version History