NotebookLM Skill

NotebookLM CLI & MCP Expert

This skill provides comprehensive guidance for using NotebookLM via both the nlm CLI and MCP tools.

Tool Detection (CRITICAL - Read First!)

ALWAYS check which tools are available before proceeding:

1. Check for MCP tools: Look for tools starting with mcp__notebooklm-mcp__* or mcp_notebooklm_* 2. If BOTH MCP tools AND CLI are available: ASK the user which they prefer to use before proceeding 3. If only MCP tools are available: Use them directly (refer to tool docstrings for parameters) 4. If only CLI is available: Use nlm CLI commands via Bash

Decision Logic:

has_mcp_tools = check_available_tools()  # Look for mcp__notebooklm-mcp__* or mcp_notebooklm_*
has_cli = check_bash_available()  # Can run nlm commands
if has_mcp_tools and has_cli:
    # ASK USER: "I can use either MCP tools or the nlm CLI. Which do you prefer?"
    user_preference = ask_user()
else if has_mcp_tools:
    # Use MCP tools directly
    mcp__notebooklm-mcp__notebook_list()
else:
    # Use CLI via Bash
    bash("nlm notebook list")

This skill documents BOTH approaches. Choose the appropriate one based on tool availability and user preference.

Quick Reference

Run nlm --ai to get comprehensive AI-optimized documentation - this provides a complete view of all CLI capabilities.

nlm --help              # List all commands
nlm  --help    # Help for specific command
nlm --ai                # Full AI-optimized documentation (RECOMMENDED)
nlm --version           # Check installed version

Critical Rules (Read First!)

1. Always authenticate first: Run nlm login before any operations 2. Sessions expire in ~20 minutes: Re-run nlm login if commands start failing 3. ⚠️ ALWAYS ASK USER BEFORE DELETE: Before executing ANY delete command, ask the user for explicit confirmation. Deletions are irreversible. Show what will be deleted and warn about permanent data loss. 4. --confirm is REQUIRED: All generation and delete commands need --confirm or -y (CLI) or confirm=True (MCP) 5. Research requires --notebook-id: The flag is mandatory, not positional 6. Capture IDs from output: Create/start commands return IDs needed for subsequent operations 7. Use aliases: Simplify long UUIDs with nlm alias set 8. Check aliases before creating: Run nlm alias list before creating a new alias to avoid conflicts with existing names. 9. DO NOT launch REPL: Never use nlm chat start - it opens an interactive REPL that AI tools cannot control. Use nlm notebook query for one-shot Q&A instead. 10. Choose output format wisely: Default output (no flags) is compact and token-efficient—use it for status checks. Use --quiet to capture IDs for piping. Only use --json when you need to parse specific fields programmatically. 11. Use --help when unsure: Run nlm --help to see available options and flags for any command.

Workflow Decision Tree

Use this to determine the right sequence of commands:

User wants to...
│
├─► Work with NotebookLM for the first time
│   └─► nlm login → nlm notebook create "Title"
│
├─► Add content to a notebook
│   ├─► From a URL/webpage → nlm source add  --url "https://..."
│   ├─► From YouTube → nlm source add  --url "https://youtube.com/..."
│   ├─► From pasted text → nlm source add  --text "content" --title "Title"
│   ├─► From Google Drive → nlm source add  --drive  --type doc
│   └─► Discover new sources → nlm research start "query" --notebook-id 
│
├─► Generate content from sources
│   ├─► Podcast/Audio → nlm audio create  --confirm
│   ├─► Written summary → nlm report create  --confirm
│   ├─► Study materials → nlm quiz/flashcards create  --confirm
│   ├─► Visual content → nlm mindmap/slides/infographic create  --confirm
│   ├─► Video → nlm video create  --confirm
│   └─► Extract data → nlm data-table create  "description" --confirm
│
├─► Ask questions about sources
│   └─► nlm notebook query  "question"
│       (Use --conversation-id for follow-ups)
│       ⚠️ Do NOT use nlm chat start - it's a REPL for humans only
│
├─► Check generation status
│   └─► nlm studio status 
│
└─► Manage/cleanup
    ├─► List notebooks → nlm notebook list
    ├─► List sources → nlm source list 
    ├─► Delete source → nlm source delete  --confirm
    └─► Delete notebook → nlm notebook delete  --confirm

Command Categories

1. Authentication

#### MCP Authentication

If using MCP tools and encountering authentication errors:

# Run the CLI authentication (works for both CLI and MCP)
nlm login
Then reload tokens in MCP
mcp__notebooklm-mcp__refresh_auth()

Or manually save cookies via MCP (fallback):

# Extract cookies from Chrome DevTools and save
mcp__notebooklm-mcp__save_auth_tokens(cookies="")

#### CLI Authentication

Multi-Profile Support: Each profile gets its own isolated browser session (supports Chrome, Arc, Brave, Edge, Chromium, and more), so you can be logged into multiple Google accounts simultaneously.
Session lifetime: ~20 minutes. Re-authenticate when commands fail with auth errors.
Switching MCP Accounts: The MCP server always uses the active default profile. If you need to switch which Google account the MCP server is communicating with, you MUST use the CLI: run nlm login switch . Your next MCP tool call will instantly use the new account.
Note: Both MCP and CLI share the same authentication backend, so authenticating with one works for both.
2. Notebook Management
#### MCP Tools
Use tools: notebook_list, notebook_create, notebook_get, notebook_describe, notebook_query, notebook_rename, notebook_delete. All accept notebook_id parameter. Delete requires confirm=True.
#### CLI Commands

3. Source Management
#### MCP Tools
Use source_add with these source_type values:
url - Web page or YouTube URL (url param)
text - Pasted content (text + title params)
file - Local file upload (file_path param)
drive - Google Drive doc (document_id + doc_type params)
Other tools: source_list_drive, source_describe, source_get_content, source_rename, source_sync_drive (requires confirm=True), source_delete (requires confirm=True).
#### CLI Commands

Drive types: doc, slides, sheets, pdf
4. Research (Source Discovery)
Research finds NEW sources from the web or Google Drive.
#### MCP Tools
Use research_start with:
source: web or drive
mode: fast (~30s) or deep (~5min, web only)
Workflow: research_start → poll research_status → research_import
#### CLI Commands

Modes: fast (~30s, ~10 sources) | deep (~5min, ~40+ sources, web only)
5. Content Generation (Studio)
#### MCP Tools (Unified Creation)
Use studio_create with artifact_type and type-specific options. All require confirm=True.
| artifact_type | Key Options |
|--------------|-------------|
| audio | audio_format: deep_dive/brief/critique/debate, audio_length: short/default/long |
| video | video_format: explainer/brief, visual_style: auto_select/classic/whiteboard/kawaii/anime/watercolor/retro_print/heritage/paper_craft |
| report | report_format: Briefing Doc/Study Guide/Blog Post/Create Your Own, custom_prompt |
| quiz | question_count, difficulty: easy/medium/hard |
| flashcards | difficulty: easy/medium/hard |
| mind_map | title |
| slide_deck | slide_format: detailed_deck/presenter_slides, slide_length: short/default |
| infographic | orientation: landscape/portrait/square, detail_level: concise/standard/detailed, infographic_style: auto_select/sketch_note/professional/bento_grid/editorial/instructional/bricks/clay/anime/kawaii/scientific |
| data_table | description (REQUIRED) |
Common options: source_ids, language (BCP-47 code), focus_prompt
Revise Slides: Use studio_revise to revise individual slides in an existing slide deck.
Requires artifact_id (from studio_status) and slide_instructions
Creates a NEW artifact — the original is not modified
Slide numbers are 1-based (slide 1 = first slide)
Poll studio_status after calling to check when the new deck is ready
#### CLI Commands
All generation commands share these flags:
--confirm or -y: REQUIRED to execute
--source-ids : Limit to specific sources
--language : BCP-47 code (en, es, fr, de, ja)

6. Studio (Artifact Management)
#### MCP Tools
Use studio_status to check progress (or rename with action="rename"). Use download_artifact with artifact_type and output_path. Use export_artifact with export_type: docs/sheets. Delete with studio_delete (requires confirm=True).
#### CLI Commands

Status values: completed (✓), in_progress (●), failed (✗)
Prompt Extraction: The studio_status tool returns a custom_instructions field for each artifact. This contains the original focus prompt or custom instructions used to generate that artifact (e.g., the prompt for a "Create Your Own" report, or the focus topic for an Audio Overview). This is useful for retrieving the exact prompt that generated a successful artifact.
Renaming Resources
#### Rename a Source
MCP Tool: source_rename(notebook_id, source_id, new_title)
CLI:

#### Rename a Studio Artifact
#### MCP Tools
Use studio_status with action="rename", artifact_id, and new_title.
#### CLI Commands

Server Info (Version Check)
#### MCP Tools
Use server_info to get version and check for updates:

#### CLI Commands

7. Chat Configuration and Notes
#### MCP Tools
Use chat_configure with goal: default/learning_guide/custom. Use note with action: create/list/update/delete. Delete requires confirm=True.
#### CLI Commands
> ⚠️ AI TOOLS: DO NOT USE nlm chat start - It launches an interactive REPL that cannot be controlled programmatically. Use nlm notebook query for one-shot Q&A instead.
For human users at a terminal:

REPL Commands:
/sources - List available sources
/clear - Reset conversation context
/help - Show commands
/exit - Exit REPL
Configure chat behavior (works for both REPL and query):

Notes management:

8. Notebook Sharing
#### MCP Tools
Use notebook_share_status to check, notebook_share_public to enable/disable public link, notebook_share_invite with email and role: viewer/editor.
#### CLI Commands

9. Aliases (UUID Shortcuts)
Simplify long UUIDs:

10. Configuration
CLI-only commands for managing settings:

Available Settings:
| Key | Default | Description |
|-----|---------|-------------|
| output.format | table | Default output format (table, json) |
| output.color | true | Enable colored output |
| output.short_ids | true | Show shortened IDs |
| auth.browser | auto | Preferred browser for login (auto, chrome, arc, brave, edge, chromium, vivaldi, opera) |
| auth.default_profile | default | Profile to use when --profile not specified |
11. Skill Management
Manage the NotebookLM skill installation for various AI assistants:

Verb-first aliases: nlm update skill, nlm list skills, nlm install skill
Output Formats
Most list commands support multiple formats:
| Flag | Description |
|------|-------------|
| (none) | Rich table (human-readable) |
| --json | JSON output (for parsing) |
| --quiet | IDs only (for piping) |
| --title | "ID: Title" format |
| --url | "ID: URL" format (sources only) |
| --full | All columns/details |
Common Patterns
Pattern 1: Research → Podcast Pipeline

Pattern 2: Quick Content Ingestion

Pattern 3: Study Materials Generation

Pattern 4: Drive Document Workflow