linkwarden-mcp

MCP server for self-hosted Linkwarden: ask your AI about bookmarks, collections, and tags.

What is Linkwarden?

Linkwarden is a self-hosted, open-source bookmark manager. You collect, organize, annotate, and preserve webpages in one place, with full-page archives so content stays readable after the original page disappears. It also supports collaboration and public sharing.

This project wires the Linkwarden HTTP API into the Model Context Protocol so Cursor, Claude, VS Code Copilot, and other MCP hosts can query your live library in natural language.

Useful Linkwarden links:

• Documentation
• GitHub
• Cloud
• Demo
• Self-hosting setup

What this server does

Default is read-only. You get:

• 18 read tools - discovery (list_resources), six core reads (search, get, preserved content, collections, tags, overview), and eleven triage/hygiene workflows
• Task tools (opt-in) - intent-shaped writes such as save_link, smart_save_link, organise_links, create_collection, apply_triage_plan (register when matching write scopes are set)
• Delete tools (opt-in) - delete_links, delete_tags, merge_tags, delete_collection (register only under delete scopes; never implied by write)
• Hard denylist - tokens, session, auth, user admin (except GET /api/v1/users/me), migration, and whole-instance preservation stay blocked even when writes are on

Transport is stdio. No HTTP server. No global install required if you use uv / uvx.

Branding / icons

Four surfaces (keep them in sync when the mark changes):

1. stdio hosts (Cursor, Claude Desktop via mcp.json): serverInfo.icons from server_icons() — embedded data URI from src/linkwarden_mcp/assets/icon.png, plus HTTPS fallback docs/icon-512.png (https://raw.githubusercontent.com/flumpiey/linkwarden-mcp/main/docs/icon-512.png). website_url is https://linkwarden.app/.
2. Cursor plugin: .cursor-plugin/plugin.json logo → docs/linkwarden-icon.svg.
3. Claude Desktop Extension: mcpb/icon.png (packed with npx @anthropic-ai/mcpb pack mcpb).
4. Claude.ai remote connectors: Claude.ai ignores serverInfo.icons and uses the root-domain favicon of the connector URL. If you host a remote MCP later, serve docs/favicon.ico at the registrable domain root (e.g. https://acme.com/favicon.ico for https://mcp.acme.com/...).

server.json registry metadata also points its icons[0].src at the same raw docs/icon-512.png URL.

Requirements

• Python ≥ 3.10 (pulled in automatically by uvx)
• uv (provides uvx)
• A reachable Linkwarden instance: LINKWARDEN_API_URL + LINKWARDEN_API_KEY

Access token

1. Sign in to your Linkwarden instance (self-hosted or Cloud).
2. Open Settings → Access Tokens (or go to /settings/access-tokens).
3. Create a New Access Token, give it a name, and copy the value into LINKWARDEN_API_KEY.
4. Set LINKWARDEN_API_URL to your instance base URL (usually without /api/v1; include /api/v1 only if your deployment requires it), e.g. https://links.example.com or local Docker http://127.0.0.1:3000.

linkwarden-mcp sends the token as Authorization: Bearer …. API overview: API Introduction.

Copy .env.example to .env for local runs — never commit .env. Prefer the Cursor plugin Configure UI for credentials, or a secret manager in production.

Quick start

Run the PyPI package with uvx:

uvx linkwarden-mcp

Paste a client config below, set LINKWARDEN_API_URL / LINKWARDEN_API_KEY, restart the host, then ask: “Find my unread bookmarks about Python” or “What's in my Dev collection?”

From a git clone (dev): uvx --from git+https://github.com/flumpiey/linkwarden-mcp linkwarden-mcp or uv run --directory /path/to/linkwarden-mcp linkwarden-mcp.

Installation

Configs below pull linkwarden-mcp from PyPI. Leave write-scope env vars unset for read-only.

Plugin (Configure UI for URL, key, and scopes): this repo is a Cursor plugin via .cursor-plugin/plugin.json + root mcp.json.

1. Symlink or copy the clone to ~/.cursor/plugins/local/linkwarden-mcp (Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.cursor\plugins\local\linkwarden-mcp).
   • macOS / Linux: ln -s /path/to/linkwarden-mcp ~/.cursor/plugins/local/linkwarden-mcp
   • Windows: Cursor does not follow symlinks for local plugins. Use a junction or copy instead:

     mklink /J "%USERPROFILE%\.cursor\plugins\local\linkwarden-mcp" "E:\Development\linkwarden-mcp"
     

     or:

     robocopy "E:\Development\linkwarden-mcp" "%USERPROFILE%\.cursor\plugins\local\linkwarden-mcp" /E
     

2. Reload the window.
3. Open Plugins → Configure on linkwarden-mcp. Set Linkwarden API URL and Linkwarden API key. Leave Write scopes / Delete scopes empty for read-only, or paste a CSV such as links,collections.
4. Confirm the linkwarden MCP server is enabled under Customize / MCP.

Marketplace listing is a separate submit at cursor.com/marketplace/publish.

Manual mcp.json: project .cursor/mcp.json or user-wide ~/.cursor/mcp.json. Root mcp.json is plugin wiring with ${…} placeholders only — never commit real secrets there.

From PyPI:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linkwarden": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["linkwarden-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "LINKWARDEN_API_URL": "https://links.example.com",
        "LINKWARDEN_API_KEY": "your-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Local editable (dev):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linkwarden": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["run", "--directory", "/path/to/linkwarden-mcp", "linkwarden-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "LINKWARDEN_API_URL": "https://links.example.com",
        "LINKWARDEN_API_KEY": "your-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Optional scoped writes in the env block:

"LINKWARDEN_MCP_WRITE_SCOPES": "links,collections",
"LINKWARDEN_MCP_DELETE_SCOPES": "links"

Restart Cursor after saving. Confirm linkwarden under MCP settings.

Desktop Extension (.mcpb): download mcpb.mcpb from GitHub Releases. Use v0.1.5+ (needs uv on PATH). Launch is uv tool run --python 3.12 linkwarden-mcp. Do not put the PyPI package in mcpb/pyproject.toml dependencies — Claude Desktop syncs that file at install and can fail on system Python 3.13.

1. Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Extensions.
2. Open Advanced settings → Install Extension…
3. Select mcpb.mcpb. Review permissions, enter Linkwarden API URL and Linkwarden API key, then click Install.
4. Leave Write scopes and Delete scopes empty for read-only.
5. Restart Claude Desktop if tools do not appear.

Build your own bundle from a clone:

npx @anthropic-ai/mcpb pack mcpb

On Windows, double-click often does nothing and dragging the file into chat attaches it to the conversation instead of installing it. Use Install Extension… in Settings.

Manual claude_desktop_config.json fallback: edit the Claude Desktop config, then restart the app.

OS	Path
macOS	~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows	%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linkwarden": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["linkwarden-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "LINKWARDEN_API_URL": "https://links.example.com",
        "LINKWARDEN_API_KEY": "your-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Local clone:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linkwarden": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["run", "--directory", "/path/to/linkwarden-mcp", "linkwarden-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "LINKWARDEN_API_URL": "https://links.example.com",
        "LINKWARDEN_API_KEY": "your-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add via CLI:

claude mcp add linkwarden --env LINKWARDEN_API_URL=https://links.example.com --env LINKWARDEN_API_KEY=your-token -- uvx linkwarden-mcp

Or edit ~/.claude.json / project MCP config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linkwarden": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["linkwarden-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "LINKWARDEN_API_URL": "https://links.example.com",
        "LINKWARDEN_API_KEY": "your-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Create .vscode/mcp.json in the project root:

{
  "servers": {
    "linkwarden": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["linkwarden-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "LINKWARDEN_API_URL": "https://links.example.com",
        "LINKWARDEN_API_KEY": "your-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Local editable:

{
  "servers": {
    "linkwarden": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["run", "--directory", "/path/to/linkwarden-mcp", "linkwarden-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "LINKWARDEN_API_URL": "https://links.example.com",
        "LINKWARDEN_API_KEY": "your-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Reload the window. Open Copilot Chat and confirm the linkwarden tools are available.

Edit ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json (macOS/Linux) or the Windsurf MCP settings UI:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linkwarden": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["linkwarden-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "LINKWARDEN_API_URL": "https://links.example.com",
        "LINKWARDEN_API_KEY": "your-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Windsurf after saving.

Add under context_servers in Zed settings.json (Agent Panel → settings also works):

{
  "context_servers": {
    "linkwarden": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["linkwarden-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "LINKWARDEN_API_URL": "https://links.example.com",
        "LINKWARDEN_API_KEY": "your-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Edit the Cline MCP settings file (cline_mcp_settings.json via the Cline MCP UI):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linkwarden": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["linkwarden-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "LINKWARDEN_API_URL": "https://links.example.com",
        "LINKWARDEN_API_KEY": "your-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

In .continue/config.yaml:

mcpServers:
  - name: linkwarden
    command: uvx
    args:
      - linkwarden-mcp
    env:
      LINKWARDEN_API_URL: https://links.example.com
      LINKWARDEN_API_KEY: your-token

Any host that can spawn a stdio MCP server:

Field	Value
Command	uvx
Args	linkwarden-mcp
Env	LINKWARDEN_API_URL, LINKWARDEN_API_KEY (+ optional write scopes)

uvx linkwarden-mcp

Dev from a clone: uv run --directory /path/to/linkwarden-mcp linkwarden-mcp.

npx only runs npm packages. This is a Python package; use uvx.

Environment

Variable	Required	Notes
LINKWARDEN_API_URL	yes	Base URL (include /api/v1 only if required; typical: https://links.example.com)
LINKWARDEN_API_KEY	yes	Access token from Settings → Access Tokens; sent as Authorization: Bearer; never logged
LINKWARDEN_MCP_WRITE_SCOPES	no	Comma-separated domains for create/update. Empty = no writes.
LINKWARDEN_MCP_DELETE_SCOPES	no	Comma-separated domains for delete only. Never implied by WRITE_SCOPES.
LINKWARDEN_MAX_BULK	no	Max records per bulk op (default 25)
TEST_LINKWARDEN_API_URL	integration only	Live sandbox URL for pytest -m integration
TEST_LINKWARDEN_API_KEY	integration only	Live sandbox token for pytest -m integration

Valid scopes: links, collections, tags, raw. No wildcards (*, all). raw expands effective scopes to all domain scopes (escape hatch).

Recommended (covers most bookmark workflows without every mutating tool):

"LINKWARDEN_MCP_WRITE_SCOPES": "links,collections",
"LINKWARDEN_MCP_DELETE_SCOPES": "links"

Default with no scopes: 18 tools. All three domain scopes in WRITE and DELETE: 31 tools.

Legacy LINKWARDEN_MCP_ALLOW_WRITES / ALLOW_WRITES / LINKWARDEN_MCP_WRITES hard-fail if set. Use the scoped vars instead.

MCP host env (.cursor/mcp.json or Cursor plugin Configure) must match process env / .env or scope behavior drifts.

See .env.example. Never commit .env. Prefer Cursor plugin Configure UI or a secret manager in production.

Write scopes and task tools

When a scope is listed in LINKWARDEN_MCP_WRITE_SCOPES, the server registers task tools for that domain. LINKWARDEN_MCP_DELETE_SCOPES enables delete/merge tools per domain. Call list_resources to inspect read_only, scope lists, and the live boundary string.

Tool	Scopes	Purpose
save_link	WRITE links	Save a URL into a collection (by name)
smart_save_link	WRITE links	Save with optional heuristic collection/tags
organise_links	WRITE links	Move or retag multiple links
update_link	WRITE links	Update link fields (read-modify-write)
queue_archive	WRITE links	Queue preservation (async; not immediate)
apply_triage_plan	WRITE links	Apply [{link_id, collection?, tags?}]; default dry_run=true
bulk_sort_by_rules	WRITE links	Match domain_pattern rules then organise; default dry_run=true
create_collection	WRITE collections	Create a collection (optional parent)
auto_tag_by_domain	WRITE links + tags	Apply domain→tag rules; default dry_run=true
delete_links	DELETE links	Delete multiple links
delete_tags	DELETE tags	Delete tags by id or name
merge_tags	DELETE tags	Merge tags into a new name (destructive)
delete_collection	DELETE collections	Delete a collection after user chooses delete/move/cancel for its links (elicitation or on_links)

Example with recommended scopes only:

"LINKWARDEN_MCP_WRITE_SCOPES": "links,collections",
"LINKWARDEN_MCP_DELETE_SCOPES": "links"

Denylist (always blocked): /api/v1/tokens, /api/v1/session, /api/v1/auth, /api/v1/users/** (except GET /api/v1/users/me), migration, and whole-instance preservation worker actions.

Tools

Read tools

Always registered (18 total).

Tool	Purpose
list_resources	Discovery; reports read_only + live write/delete scopes
search_links	Search by query, collection, tag, or pin status
get_link	Full metadata for one link
read_link_content	Preserved plain text (textContent or archive fallback)
list_collections	Collections with link counts
list_tags	Tags with link counts
get_library_overview	Totals, empty collections, unused tags
suggest_collection_for_url	Heuristic collection suggestions for a URL
suggest_tags_for_link	Suggest existing-library tags (never invents names)
find_unsorted_links	List unsorted links (default collection: Unorganized)
triage_links	Propose collection/tags for link ids (no writes)
find_duplicate_links	Group links with the same normalized URL
recommend_collection_for_links	Consensus collection for a batch of links
suggest_links_for_collection	Find links elsewhere that likely belong
analyze_collection_overlap	Compare two collections for shared domains/tags/URLs
suggest_collection_structure	Hygiene: empty, near-duplicate names, overcrowded
align_tags_with_similar_links	Tags used on similar-domain links
get_sorting_dashboard	One-shot triage: unsorted, duplicates, empty, largest

Write tools

Registered only when matching scopes are set (see table above). Prefer smart_save_link / triage tools over raw field edits when you are sorting an inbox.

Pattern	Requires	Notes
Link create/update/organise/archive	WRITE links	Includes workflow writers with dry_run defaults
Collection create	WRITE collections	Optional parent by name
Domain auto-tag	WRITE links + tags	Only existing tag names
Deletes / tag merge	matching DELETE scope	Destructive; confirm ids first

Agent Skill

Companion skill: skills/linkwarden-bookmarks/SKILL.md.

The Cursor plugin discovers this skill from skills/. Without the plugin, copy or symlink that folder into your agent skills path. It tells the model to call list_resources first, verify after writes, and which workflow tools to prefer.

Development

uv sync --extra dev
npm install          # installs lefthook + commitlint; registers git hooks
uv run linkwarden-mcp

Offline tests only (respx). No live Linkwarden required:

uv run ruff check src tests
uv run pytest

Git hooks (lefthook)

Hook / command	What it runs
pre-commit	ruff check + full pytest (mocked suite)
commit-msg	commitlint Conventional Commits
npm run pre-publish	ensure build/twine → ruff → pytest → sdist contents → python -m build → twine check → npx @anthropic-ai/mcpb pack mcpb

Commit messages must follow Conventional Commits, e.g. feat(api): add delete_links tool.

Run the local publish gate before tagging a release:

npm run pre-publish

GitHub Actions matrix: Python 3.10 and 3.12.

Caveats

• One process ↔ one LINKWARDEN_API_URL. Multi-instance routing is out of scope.
• Multi-user / team disambiguation on a shared instance is unverified. Do not claim multi-tenant support until validated against a live shared library.
• Collection/tag suggestions are heuristic and library-local; they do not invent new tag names.
• Bulk mutating workflows default to dry_run=true; set dry_run=false only after you review the plan.
• ChatGPT Apps need a hosted HTTP MCP endpoint. This package is stdio-only.

License

MIT. See LICENSE.