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PoetryDB MCP Server

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Classic poetry search and discovery via PoetryDB.

Source code Website Documentation

Install

Add this to your client's MCP configuration (Claude Desktop: claude_desktop_config.json; Cursor: .cursor/mcp.json; VS Code and others use the same "mcpServers" shape).

NPM package mcp-poetry
Claude Code 
claude mcp add poetrydb-mcp-server -e 'POETRYDB_BASE_URL=https://poetrydb.org' -e 'POETRYDB_REQUEST_TIMEOUT_MS=20000' -e 'POETRYDB_REQUEST_RETRIES=2' -- npx -y mcp-poetry@1.0.1
JSON configuration (Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code) 
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "poetrydb-mcp-server": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "mcp-poetry@1.0.1"
            ],
            "env": {
                "POETRYDB_BASE_URL": "https://poetrydb.org",
                "POETRYDB_REQUEST_TIMEOUT_MS": "20000",
                "POETRYDB_REQUEST_RETRIES": "2"
            }
        }
    }
}

Environment variables

  • POETRYDB_BASE_URL Override the PoetryDB API base URL.
  • POETRYDB_REQUEST_TIMEOUT_MS Per-request timeout in milliseconds.
  • POETRYDB_REQUEST_RETRIES Retry count for retryable PoetryDB failures.

Documentation

From the project's README on GitHub, refreshed weekly. Links open on GitHub.

Contents
  1. PoetryDB MCP Server
  2. At a glance
  3. Install
  4. MCP Registry
  5. Claude Desktop
  6. Tools
  7. Example requests
  8. Development
  9. Notes
  10. Attribution

PoetryDB MCP Server

Unofficial MCP server for exploring classic poetry through PoetryDB.

At a glance

MetricValue
Tools12
Categories3
Transportstdio
Authnone
MCP Registry nameio.github.lacausecrypto/poetrydb
npm packagemcp-poetry
Source APIhttps://poetrydb.org
Contentclassic poetry by author, title, line text, and form

Install

npm install -g mcp-poetry

Or from source:

npm install
npm run build

MCP Registry

This server is published to the MCP Registry under:

io.github.lacausecrypto/poetrydb

Claude Desktop

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "poetrydb": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-poetry"]
    }
  }
}

For a local checkout, replace the command with:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "poetrydb": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/mcp-poetrydb/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Tools

Catalog
  • catalog_overview: list categories and available tools
  • catalog_category: show tools for a specific category
  • search_by_author: find poems by author name
  • search_by_title: find a poem by title
  • search_by_lines: search text inside poem lines
  • search_by_linecount: find poems by exact line count
  • search_combined: query multiple PoetryDB fields in one request
  • list_authors: list all available authors
Discovery
  • random_poem: fetch one or more random poems
  • get_sonnets: fetch 14-line poems
  • get_haikus: fetch 3-line poems
  • list_titles: list poem titles

Example requests

Simple
Random poem please.

Expected tool:

random_poem({ "count": 1 })
Browse
Show me the available poets.

Expected tool:

list_authors({})
Find Ozymandias.

Expected tool:

search_by_title({ "title": "Ozymandias" })
Text search
Show me poems containing the word "love".

Expected tool:

search_by_lines({ "text": "love" })
Form-based discovery
Give me 14-line poems by Shakespeare.

Expected tool:

search_combined({ "fields": "author,linecount", "values": "Shakespeare;14" })
More advanced
List Shakespeare results, but only return title and linecount.

Expected tool:

search_by_author({ "author": "Shakespeare", "fields": "title,linecount" })
Multi-step exploration
Start with the catalog, then show me the discovery tools, then give me a sonnet.

Typical tool sequence:

catalog_overview({})
catalog_category({ "category_id": "discovery" })
get_sonnets({})

Development

npm run build
npm run test:ci
npm test
npm pack --dry-run

Environment variables:

  • POETRYDB_BASE_URL
  • POETRYDB_REQUEST_TIMEOUT_MS
  • POETRYDB_REQUEST_RETRIES

Notes

  • No API key is required.
  • This package is not affiliated with PoetryDB.
  • Built for MCP clients that prefer a compact stdio server over a custom PoetryDB integration.
  • MCP Registry identity: io.github.lacausecrypto/poetrydb

Attribution

Additional implementation notes are in documentation.md.

Frequently asked questions

What is PoetryDB MCP Server?

Classic poetry search and discovery via PoetryDB.

How do I install PoetryDB MCP Server?

It runs on your machine. In Claude Code: claude mcp add poetrydb-mcp-server -e 'POETRYDB_BASE_URL=https://poetrydb.org' -e 'POETRYDB_REQUEST_TIMEOUT_MS=20000' -e 'POETRYDB_REQUEST_RETRIES=2' -- npx -y mcp-poetry@1.0.1. For other clients, paste the JSON configuration from this page into their MCP settings.

Does PoetryDB MCP Server need an API key?

Its registry entry lists no required key or secret. Some features may still need an account with the service it connects to.

Is PoetryDB MCP Server open source?

Yes. Its code is on GitHub under the MIT license.

Who maintains PoetryDB MCP Server?

It is published by lacausecrypto. AI.tn lists it but does not maintain or endorse it.

From the official MCP Registry. Listing is not an endorsement: review a server's code and permissions before giving it access to your data.