WSL Usage Guide

This guide explains how to use the NotebookLM MCP Server with Claude Code from WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux).

Architecture Overview

Due to browser requirements (Playwright needs Chrome), the HTTP server must run on Windows. Claude Code in WSL communicates with it through a stdio-HTTP proxy.

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                         WINDOWS                                  │
│  ┌─────────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────────────────┐     │
│  │  HTTP Server        │    │       Chrome Browser        │     │
│  │  (node.exe)         │◄──►│   (Playwright-controlled)   │     │
│  │  localhost:3000     │    │                             │     │
│  └─────────────────────┘    └─────────────────────────────┘     │
│            ▲                                                     │
└────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
             │ HTTP (localhost:3000)
┌────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│            │                  WSL                                │
│  ┌─────────┴───────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│  │  Claude Code                                                ││
│  │  └── stdio-http-proxy.js (node.exe)                         ││
│  │      - Translates MCP stdio ←→ HTTP calls                   ││
│  │      - Points to localhost:3000                             ││
│  └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Quick Start

1. Start the HTTP Server on Windows

CRITICAL: The HTTP server MUST run on Windows, NOT in WSL

Open a Windows terminal (PowerShell or CMD, not WSL):

cd D:\path\to\notebooklm-mcp
npm run start:http

Verification: The logs must show Windows paths:

Chrome Profile: C:\Users\...\AppData\Local\notebooklm-mcp\Data\chrome_profile
Listening on 127.0.0.1:3000

If you see /opt/google/chrome/chrome in error messages, the server is running under WSL, not Windows!

2. Configure MCP in Your Project

Create .mcp.json in your project root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notebooklm": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "node.exe",
      "args": ["D:\\Claude\\notebooklm-mcp-http\\dist\\stdio-http-proxy.js"],
      "env": {
        "NOTEBOOKLM_HTTP_URL": "http://localhost:3000"
      }
    }
  }
}

Important: Use stdio-http-proxy.js (NOT index.js)

3. Enable the MCP Server

The first time you use it, Claude Code needs to trust the .mcp.json servers. Either:

Restart Claude Code and accept when prompted
Or manually add to ~/.claude.json in your project section:

"enabledMcpjsonServers": ["notebooklm"],
"hasTrustDialogAccepted": true,

4. Verify Configuration

# In Claude Code, run:
/mcp

You should see notebooklm listed and connected.

5. Authenticate (First Time)

Ask Claude to authenticate:

"Log me in to NotebookLM"

This opens Chrome on Windows for Google authentication.

Available MCP Tools

Tool	Description
`ask_question`	Ask a question to a notebook
`list_notebooks`	List all available notebooks
`get_health`	Check server health status
`search_notebooks`	Search notebooks by keyword
`get_notebook`	Get details of a specific notebook
`add_notebook`	Add a new notebook to the library
`activate_notebook`	Set a notebook as the default

Example usage:

mcp__notebooklm__ask_question(question="...", notebook_id="my-notebook")

Troubleshooting

Error: "Chrome not found at /opt/google/chrome/chrome"

Cause: The HTTP server is running under WSL instead of Windows.

Solution:

# From Windows (not WSL):
taskkill /F /IM node.exe
cd D:\path\to\notebooklm-mcp
npm run start:http

Check which process is listening on port 3000

netstat -ano | findstr :3000

If multiple processes are listed, there may be conflicts. Kill the unwanted ones:

taskkill /F /PID <pid_to_kill>

Test that the server works (from Windows)

curl http://localhost:3000/health

Should return: {"success":true,"data":{"status":"ok",...}}

MCP shows "Not connected"

Ensure the HTTP server is running on Windows
Restart Claude Code after starting the HTTP server
Check that .mcp.json uses stdio-http-proxy.js (not index.js)

Port 3000 already in use

Kill all node processes and restart:

taskkill /F /IM node.exe
cd D:\path\to\notebooklm-mcp
npm run start:http

Authentication expired

Ask Claude: "Check NotebookLM health" or "Re-authenticate to NotebookLM"

Chrome profile locked

Close all Chrome windows and restart:

taskkill /IM chrome.exe /F

Then restart the HTTP server.

Configuration Reference

Project-Level Config (`.mcp.json`)

Shareable via git, stored in project root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notebooklm": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "node.exe",
      "args": ["D:\\Claude\\notebooklm-mcp-http\\dist\\stdio-http-proxy.js"],
      "env": {
        "NOTEBOOKLM_HTTP_URL": "http://localhost:3000"
      }
    }
  }
}

Local Config (`~/.claude.json`)

Private to you, per-project settings in the projects section:

"/mnt/d/Claude/your-project": {
  "mcpServers": {
    "notebooklm": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "node.exe",
      "args": ["D:\\Claude\\notebooklm-mcp-http\\dist\\stdio-http-proxy.js"],
      "env": {
        "NOTEBOOKLM_HTTP_URL": "http://localhost:3000"
      }
    }
  }
}

Key Points

Use node.exe (Windows) not node (Linux)
Use Windows paths with double backslashes: D:\\Claude\\...
Use stdio-http-proxy.js to connect to the HTTP server
The HTTP server must be started separately on Windows
The .mcp.json servers must be enabled via enabledMcpjsonServers

The server stores authentication and data in:

Windows: C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\notebooklm-mcp\Data\
WSL symlink: ~/.local/share/notebooklm-mcp → Windows path

This symlink ensures both environments share the same authentication state.

To create the symlink (if not already done):

rm -rf ~/.local/share/notebooklm-mcp
ln -sf /mnt/c/Users/<user>/AppData/Local/notebooklm-mcp/Data ~/.local/share/notebooklm-mcp

Helper Scripts (Windows)

The project includes PowerShell scripts for managing the server:

# Start server with auto-restart
.\scripts\start-server.ps1

# Stop server
.\scripts\stop-server.ps1

# Check server status
.\scripts\check-server.ps1

Run in Background (Hidden Window)

Start-Process powershell -ArgumentList "-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File D:\path\to\notebooklm-mcp\scripts\start-server.ps1" -WindowStyle Hidden

Open Task Scheduler (taskschd.msc)
Create Basic Task: "NotebookLM MCP Server"
Trigger: "When I log on"
Action: Start a program
- Program: powershell.exe
- Arguments: -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -WindowStyle Hidden -File "D:\path\to\notebooklm-mcp\scripts\start-server.ps1"
Check "Open Properties dialog" and set "Run whether user is logged on or not"

Authentication Procedure (TOTP/2FA)

If authentication expires, follow this procedure from Windows:

Step 1: Kill existing processes

taskkill /F /IM chrome.exe
taskkill /F /IM node.exe

Step 2: Run accounts test with visible browser

cd D:\path\to\notebooklm-mcp
npm run accounts test account-XXXXXXXXXXXXX -- --show

This will:

Open Chrome with the account profile
Auto-login with email/password/TOTP
Navigate to NotebookLM home page
Save authentication state

Note: "TOTP input field not found" is OK if Google skips 2FA (trusted device).

Step 3: Sync profile to main location

# From PowerShell or WSL:
copy C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\notebooklm-mcp\Data\accounts\account-XXXXXXXXXXXXX\browser_state\* C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\notebooklm-mcp\Data\browser_state\

Or from WSL:

cp /mnt/c/Users/USERNAME/AppData/Local/notebooklm-mcp/Data/accounts/account-*/browser_state/* /mnt/c/Users/USERNAME/AppData/Local/notebooklm-mcp/Data/browser_state/

Step 4: Start HTTP server

cd D:\path\to\notebooklm-mcp
npm run start:http

Quick Test Commands (from WSL)

# Start server on Windows (from WSL)
cmd.exe /c "cd /d D:\\Claude\\notebooklm-mcp-http && start /B node dist/http-wrapper.js"

# Check health (from WSL via Windows curl)
cmd.exe /c "curl http://localhost:3000/health"

# Ask a question
cmd.exe /c 'curl -s -X POST http://localhost:3000/ask -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d "{\"question\": \"Test\", \"notebook_id\": \"notebook-1\"}"'

Available Notebooks

ID	Name	URL	Topics
notebook-1	Example Notebook 1	`xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx`	topic1, topic2
notebook-2	Example Notebook 2	`yyyyyyyy-yyyy-yyyy-yyyy-yyyyyyyyyyyy`	topic3, topic4

Note: Replace these with your actual notebook UUIDs from NotebookLM.

IMPORTANT: Never Run Under WSL

The HTTP server must ALWAYS run on Windows native, never under WSL.

Why?

Playwright/Chrome requires Windows Chrome, not Linux Chrome
WSL Chrome path (/opt/google/chrome/chrome) doesn't exist
Running under WSL will cause: Chromium distribution 'chrome' is not found

How to verify the server is on Windows:

The startup logs should show Windows paths: C:\Users\...\AppData\...
Run .\scripts\check-server.ps1 from PowerShell

Architecture Overview​

Quick Start​

1. Start the HTTP Server on Windows​

2. Configure MCP in Your Project​

3. Enable the MCP Server​

4. Verify Configuration​

5. Authenticate (First Time)​

Available MCP Tools​

Troubleshooting​

Error: "Chrome not found at /opt/google/chrome/chrome"​

Check which process is listening on port 3000​

Test that the server works (from Windows)​

MCP shows "Not connected"​

Port 3000 already in use​

Authentication expired​

Chrome profile locked​

Configuration Reference​

Project-Level Config (.mcp.json)​

Local Config (~/.claude.json)​

Key Points​

Data Sharing Between WSL and Windows​

Helper Scripts (Windows)​

Run in Background (Hidden Window)​

Windows Task Scheduler (Auto-start on Login)​

Authentication Procedure (TOTP/2FA)​

Step 1: Kill existing processes​

Step 2: Run accounts test with visible browser​

Step 3: Sync profile to main location​

Step 4: Start HTTP server​

Quick Test Commands (from WSL)​

Available Notebooks​

IMPORTANT: Never Run Under WSL​