Linkwarden MCP

io.github.flumpieyPublished by GitHub account flumpieyv0.1.6Updated Oct 28, 2026

Read-first Linkwarden bookmarks MCP with opt-in write, delete, and collection tools.

VerifiedSTDIODesktop onlyProductivity & WorkflowKnowledge & Memory

Overview

AI-generated overview

Read-first MCP server for a self-hosted Linkwarden bookmark library, letting an assistant search, read and triage links, collections and tags, with opt-in…

What you can do
  • Search, read and inspect links, including preserved page text and full metadata
  • List collections and tags with link counts, plus a library overview of totals, empty collections and unused tags
  • Triage and hygiene: find unsorted or duplicate links, suggest collections and tags, compare collection overlap, review structure
  • Save, organise, retag and queue archiving of links, and create collections, once write scopes are enabled
  • Delete links, tags and collections or merge tags, only when matching delete scopes are set
When to use it
Useful when you keep bookmarks in a Linkwarden instance and want an assistant to answer questions about them or help clean up an unsorted inbox. Read-only by default, so it also suits cautious users who only want querying until they deliberately enable writes.
Requirements
A local Python runtime with uv/uvx (Python 3.10 or newer) and a reachable Linkwarden instance. Set LINKWARDEN_API_URL to the instance base URL and LINKWARDEN_API_KEY to an access token created in Linkwarden settings. Optional LINKWARDEN_MCP_WRITE_SCOPES and LINKWARDEN_MCP_DELETE_SCOPES control which mutating tools are registered. stdio transport only.
Before you install
LINKWARDEN_API_KEY is a bearer token granting access to your library; keep it out of committed config files and prefer a secret manager. Enabling write or delete scopes exposes tools that change or remove data, including destructive tag merges and collection deletion; bulk workflows default to dry_run=true, so review plans before setting dry_run=false. Delete scopes are never implied by write scopes. One process serves one instance URL.

Installation

In SourceWeft

  1. Open Linkwarden MCP in the dashboard and add it to a workspace.
  2. Enable the server for the chats that should use its tools.

Desktop only via STDIO. STDIO servers start a local process, so they need the SourceWeft desktop host.

Other MCP clients

Follow the launch instructions in the repository.

README

[Linkwarden]

linkwarden-mcp

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

[License: MIT] [Python] [MCP] [CI] [PyPI]

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:

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:

bash
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.

Cursor

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

json
{  "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):

json
{  "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:

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

Restart Cursor after saving. Confirm linkwarden under MCP settings.

Claude Desktop

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:

bash
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.

OSPath
macOS~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
json
{  "mcpServers": {    "linkwarden": {      "command": "uvx",      "args": ["linkwarden-mcp"],      "env": {        "LINKWARDEN_API_URL": "https://links.example.com",        "LINKWARDEN_API_KEY": "your-token"      }    }  }}

Local clone:

json
{  "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"      }    }  }}
Claude Code

Add via CLI:

bash
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:

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

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

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

Local editable:

json
{  "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.

Windsurf

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

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

Restart Windsurf after saving.

Zed

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

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

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

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

In .continue/config.yaml:

yaml
mcpServers:  - name: linkwarden    command: uvx    args:      - linkwarden-mcp    env:      LINKWARDEN_API_URL: https://links.example.com      LINKWARDEN_API_KEY: your-token
Generic / any stdio MCP host

Any host that can spawn a stdio MCP server:

FieldValue
Commanduvx
Argslinkwarden-mcp
EnvLINKWARDEN_API_URL, LINKWARDEN_API_KEY (+ optional write scopes)
bash
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

VariableRequiredNotes
LINKWARDEN_API_URLyesBase URL (include /api/v1 only if required; typical: https://links.example.com)
LINKWARDEN_API_KEYyesAccess token from Settings → Access Tokens; sent as Authorization: Bearer; never logged
LINKWARDEN_MCP_WRITE_SCOPESnoComma-separated domains for create/update. Empty = no writes.
LINKWARDEN_MCP_DELETE_SCOPESnoComma-separated domains for delete only. Never implied by WRITE_SCOPES.
LINKWARDEN_MAX_BULKnoMax records per bulk op (default 25)
TEST_LINKWARDEN_API_URLintegration onlyLive sandbox URL for pytest -m integration
TEST_LINKWARDEN_API_KEYintegration onlyLive 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):

json
"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.

ToolScopesPurpose
save_linkWRITE linksSave a URL into a collection (by name)
smart_save_linkWRITE linksSave with optional heuristic collection/tags
organise_linksWRITE linksMove or retag multiple links
update_linkWRITE linksUpdate link fields (read-modify-write)
queue_archiveWRITE linksQueue preservation (async; not immediate)
apply_triage_planWRITE linksApply [{link_id, collection?, tags?}]; default dry_run=true
bulk_sort_by_rulesWRITE linksMatch domain_pattern rules then organise; default dry_run=true
create_collectionWRITE collectionsCreate a collection (optional parent)
auto_tag_by_domainWRITE links + tagsApply domain→tag rules; default dry_run=true
delete_linksDELETE linksDelete multiple links
delete_tagsDELETE tagsDelete tags by id or name
merge_tagsDELETE tagsMerge tags into a new name (destructive)
delete_collectionDELETE collectionsDelete a collection after user chooses delete/move/cancel for its links (elicitation or on_links)

Example with recommended scopes only:

json
"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).

ToolPurpose
list_resourcesDiscovery; reports read_only + live write/delete scopes
search_linksSearch by query, collection, tag, or pin status
get_linkFull metadata for one link
read_link_contentPreserved plain text (textContent or archive fallback)
list_collectionsCollections with link counts
list_tagsTags with link counts
get_library_overviewTotals, empty collections, unused tags
suggest_collection_for_urlHeuristic collection suggestions for a URL
suggest_tags_for_linkSuggest existing-library tags (never invents names)
find_unsorted_linksList unsorted links (default collection: Unorganized)
triage_linksPropose collection/tags for link ids (no writes)
find_duplicate_linksGroup links with the same normalized URL
recommend_collection_for_linksConsensus collection for a batch of links
suggest_links_for_collectionFind links elsewhere that likely belong
analyze_collection_overlapCompare two collections for shared domains/tags/URLs
suggest_collection_structureHygiene: empty, near-duplicate names, overcrowded
align_tags_with_similar_linksTags used on similar-domain links
get_sorting_dashboardOne-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.

PatternRequiresNotes
Link create/update/organise/archiveWRITE linksIncludes workflow writers with dry_run defaults
Collection createWRITE collectionsOptional parent by name
Domain auto-tagWRITE links + tagsOnly existing tag names
Deletes / tag mergematching DELETE scopeDestructive; 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

bash
uv sync --extra devnpm install          # installs lefthook + commitlint; registers git hooksuv run linkwarden-mcp

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

bash
uv run ruff check src testsuv run pytest

Git hooks (lefthook)

Hook / commandWhat it runs
pre-commitruff check + full pytest (mocked suite)
commit-msgcommitlint Conventional Commits
npm run pre-publishensure 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:

bash
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.

Source: README.md at commit e389df4

Tools

0
SourceWeft has not started this package in its sandbox yet, so its tools are not known.

Version history

1
  1. v0.1.6LatestSep 16, 2026

Score

50% of the applicable checks met

How complete this listing is, computed from the registry entry, the endpoint and public sources. Not a rating of the server and not a statement that it is safe or working today: reachability is a dated check, and no installs or reviews go into the score.

  • Reached in the last 30 days25 pts

    Keep the endpoint answering the MCP handshake; SourceWeft probes it every 30 days.

  • Auth declared10 pts

    Declare the credential headers in the registry entry, or keep the endpoint answering the probe so its auth can be classified.

  • Tools listed15 pts

    Answer tools/list without a credential, or ship a package that starts in a sandbox without one.

  • DescriptionRequired15 pts
  • Logo10 pts
  • Documentation15 pts
  • License10 pts