AniList MCP Server

1# AniList MCP Server
2 
3A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that interfaces with the AniList API, allowing LLM clients to access and interact with anime, manga, character, staff, and user data from AniList.
4 
5## Features
6 
7- Search for anime, manga, characters, staff, and studios
8- Get detailed information about specific anime, manga, characters, and staff members
9- Access user profiles and lists
10- Support for advanced filtering options
11- Retrieve genres and media tags
12- **Dual transport support**: Both HTTP and STDIO transports
13- **Cloud deployment ready**: Support Smithery and other platforms
14 
15## Requirements
16 
17- Node.js 18+
18 
19## Local Installation (STDIO Transport)
20 
211. Add this server to your `mcp.json` / `claude_desktop_config.json`:
22 
23```json
24{
25  "mcpServers": {
26    "anilist": {
27      "command": "npx",
28      "args": ["-y", "anilist-mcp"],
29      "env": {
30        "ANILIST_TOKEN": "your_api_token"
31      }
32    }
33  }
34}
35```
36 
37You may remove the `env` object entirely, if you are not planning to use the AniList Token for operations that require login.
38 
392. Restart your MCP client (e.g., Claude Desktop)
403. Use the tools to interact with AniList
41 
42## Server Deployment (HTTP Transport)
43 
44### Self-Hosting
45Follow the [Local Development](#local-development) instructions to set up the project locally, then run:
46```bash
47pnpm run start:http
48```
49This will start the server on port 8081 by default. You can change the port by setting the `PORT` environment variable.
50 
51### Cloud Deployment
52 
53You can deploy this MCP server to any cloud platform that supports Node.js server applications.
54 
55You can also deploy via MCP platforms like [Smithery](https://smithery.ai/server/@yuna0x0/anilist-mcp).
56 
57## Configuration
58### Environment Variables (STDIO Transport and HTTP Transport server where host provides the config)
59 
60When using the STDIO transport or hosting the HTTP transport server, you can pass configuration via environment variables:
61- `ANILIST_TOKEN`: (Optional) AniList API Token (Only needed for operations that require login)
62 
63> [!CAUTION]
64> If you are hosting the HTTP transport server with token pre-configured, you should protect your endpoint and implement authentication before allowing users to access it. Otherwise, anyone can access your MCP server while using your AniList token.
65 
66### HTTP Headers (HTTP Transport where user provides the config)
67 
68When using the HTTP transport, user can pass configuration via HTTP headers:
69- `Anilist-Token`: (Optional) AniList API Token (Only needed for operations that require login)
70 
71If the user provides the token in the header, while the server also has `ANILIST_TOKEN` set, the header value will take precedence.
72 
73### Get an AniList API Token (Optional)
74 
75To get an API token, follow these steps:
76 
771. Go to [AniList settings](https://anilist.co/settings/developer).
782. Click on "Create New Client".
793. Use this URL as your client's "Redirect URL":
80```
81https://anilist.co/api/v2/oauth/pin
82```
83 
844. Click "Save"
855. Then go to https://anilist.co/api/v2/oauth/authorize?client_id={clientID}&response_type=token, replace the `{clientID}` with the client ID you get. It will ask you to log in and then provide you with the token to use.
866. Copy the generated token and use it in your `.env` file or environment variables.
87 
88## Available Tools
89 
90### Misc Tools
91- **get_genres**: Get all available genres on AniList
92- **get_media_tags**: Get all available media tags on AniList
93- **get_site_statistics**: Get AniList site statistics over the last seven days
94- **get_studio**: Get information about a studio by its AniList ID or name
95- **favourite_studio**: [Requires Login] Favourite or unfavourite a studio by its ID
96 
97### Activity Tools
98- **delete_activity**: [Requires Login] Delete the current authorized user's activity post
99- **get_activity**: Get a specific AniList activity by its ID
100- **get_user_activity**: Fetch activities from a user
101- **post_message_activity**: [Requires Login] Post a new message activity or update an existing one
102- **post_text_activity**: [Requires Login] Post a new text activity or update an existing one
103 
104### List Tools
105- **get_user_anime_list**: Get a user's anime list
106- **get_user_manga_list**: Get a user's manga list
107- **add_list_entry**: [Requires Login] Add an entry to the authorized user's list
108- **remove_list_entry**: [Requires Login] Remove an entry from the authorized user's list
109- **update_list_entry**: [Requires Login] Update an entry on the authorized user's list
110 
111### Media Tools
112- **get_anime**: Get detailed information about an anime by its AniList ID
113- **get_manga**: Get detailed information about a manga by its AniList ID
114- **favourite_anime**: [Requires Login] Favourite or unfavourite an anime by its ID
115- **favourite_manga**: [Requires Login] Favourite or unfavourite a manga by its ID
116 
117### People Tools
118- **get_character**: Get information about a character by their AniList ID
119- **get_staff**: Get information about staff member by their AniList ID
120- **favourite_character**: [Requires Login] Favourite or unfavourite a character by its ID
121- **favourite_staff**: [Requires Login] Favourite or unfavourite a staff member by their ID
122- **get_todays_birthday_characters**: Get all characters whose birthday is today
123- **get_todays_birthday_staff**: Get all staff members whose birthday is today
124 
125### Recommendation Tools
126- **get_recommendation**: Get an AniList recommendation by its ID
127- **get_recommendations_for_media**: Get AniList recommendations for a specific media
128 
129### Search Tools
130- **search_activity**: Search for activities on AniList
131- **search_anime**: Search for anime with query term and filters
132- **search_manga**: Search for manga with query term and filters
133- **search_character**: Search for characters based on a query term
134- **search_staff**: Search for staff members based on a query term
135- **search_studio**: Search for studios based on a query term
136- **search_user**: Search for users on AniList
137 
138### Thread Tools
139- **get_thread**: Get a specific thread by its AniList ID
140- **get_thread_comments**: Get comments for a specific thread
141- **delete_thread**: [Requires Login] Delete a thread by its ID
142 
143### User Tools
144- **get_user_profile**: Get a user's AniList profile
145- **get_user_stats**: Get a user's AniList statistics
146- **get_full_user_info**: Get a user's complete profile and stats information
147- **get_user_recent_activity**: Get recent activity from a user
148- **get_authorized_user**: [Requires Login] Get profile information of the currently authorized user
149- **follow_user**: [Requires Login] Follow or unfollow a user by their ID
150- **update_user**: [Requires Login] Update user settings
151 
152## Example Usage
153 
154### Basic Anime Search
155 
156```
157Can you search for anime similar to "Bocchi the Rock!"?
158```
159 
160### Get Character Info
161 
162```
163Can you tell me about the character Hitori Gotou? Use the AniList tools to find information.
164```
165 
166### Compare Studio Works
167 
168```
169What anime has Studio Ghibli produced? Can you list their most popular works?
170```
171 
172## Local Development
173 
174This project uses [pnpm](https://pnpm.io) as its package manager.
175 
176Clone the repository and install dependencies:
177 
178```bash
179git clone https://github.com/yuna0x0/anilist-mcp.git
180cd anilist-mcp
181pnpm install
182```
183 
184### Configuration (Optional)
185 
1861. Create a `.env` file by copying the example:
187```bash
188cp env.example .env
189```
190 
1912. Edit the `.env` file and add your AniList API token:
192```
193ANILIST_TOKEN=your_api_token
194```
195 
196## Debugging with MCP Inspector
197 
198You can use the MCP Inspector to test and debug the AniList MCP server:
199 
200```bash
201npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector -e ANILIST_TOKEN=your_api_token npx anilist-mcp
202 
203# Use this instead when Local Development
204pnpm run inspector
205```
206 
207Then open your browser to the provided URL (usually http://localhost:6274) to access the MCP Inspector interface. From there, you can:
208 
2091. Connect to your running AniList MCP server
2102. Browse available tools
2113. Run tools with custom parameters
2124. View the responses
213 
214This is particularly useful for testing your setup before connecting it to MCP clients like Claude Desktop.
215 
216## Docker
217 
218Pull from GitHub Container Registry:
219```bash
220docker pull ghcr.io/yuna0x0/anilist-mcp
221```
222 
223Docker build (Local Development):
224```bash
225docker build -t ghcr.io/yuna0x0/anilist-mcp .
226```
227 
228Docker multi-platform build (Local Development):
229```bash
230docker buildx build --platform linux/amd64,linux/arm64 -t ghcr.io/yuna0x0/anilist-mcp .
231```
232 
233## MCP Bundles (MCPB)
234 
235To create an MCP Bundle for this server, run:
236```bash
237pnpm run pack:mcpb
238```
239 
240## Security Notice
241 
242This MCP server accepts your AniList API token in the .env file, environment variable or HTTP header. Keep this information secure and never commit it to version control.
243 
244## License
245 
246This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for details.
247