Google has opened an official API for Gemini Notebook — the AI research tool formerly known as NotebookLM — in Public Preview, along with an official remote MCP server. The news appears in Google’s developer documentation, updated between October 29 and November 2, 2026.
The API lets developers create, list and update notebooks and add sources by code: web pages, YouTube videos, plain text and Markdown. Calls go to notebook.googleapis.com and require a Google Cloud project and a user OAuth 2.0 token — there is no API key. The limit is 100 requests per minute per project, and each user can have 100 to 500 notebooks, depending on their Google plan.
What the API does — and what it does not
There is an important limitation: the API generates no content. It does not create audio or video overviews, reports, mind maps, quizzes or slide decks, and it cannot answer questions about your sources. Anyone who needs those features still depends on the Gemini Notebook web app.
MCP server and preview limits
The remote MCP server, at notebook.googleapis.com/mcp, exposes 7 tools that correspond to the REST API methods, using the Streamable HTTP protocol. With it, MCP-compatible AI agents and IDEs can create notebooks and feed sources directly.
There is no charge during the preview. For now, only personal Google accounts are accepted — Google Workspace accounts are not yet supported — and users must have signed in at least once at notebook.google.com.
The enterprise version, the Gemini Notebook Enterprise API, is a separate path: it generates audio overviews and requires a license of $9 per user per month, with a minimum of 15 licenses. The older Podcast API, which generated podcasts from text, has been deprecated for new customers.
Gemini Notebook was renamed on July 16, 2026; before that, the product was called NotebookLM.
Image credit: Gemini Notebook logo, by Google, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources: Google for Developers — Model Context Protocol | Gemini Notebook API; Google for Developers — Notebooks | Gemini Notebook API
Transparency: this article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence, cross-checked against public posts and sources on the internet. Please consult the original sources to confirm the information.
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