annas-mcp
AI
mcp server
SHOW HN2025
How HN took it
5 positive, 10 neutral or asking, 0 mixed, 7 critical, out of 22 comments about the project. Thread score -0.06.
Idea: 4 for, 1 againstExecution: 0 for, 1 againstPricing: 0 for, 1 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Useful idea and nice project
From 2 comments
What advantage do you get from this being an MCP server rather than simply a command line tool? Genuinely curious, as I'm trying to develop my mental model of when to use one or…
irskep on HNlove this. god bless anna's archive
puppycodes on HN
Objections
Enables copyright infringement and piracy
From 3 comments
> This software does not endorse unauthorized acquisition of copyrighted content and should be regarded solely as a utility. Users are urged to respect the intellectual property…
neilv on HNInteresting project! I’m a little surprised that Claude is willing to call these functions. The demo screenshot is downloading a public domain work, I wonder if it would also…
thorum on HNInsane how HN cheers on piracy nowadays, all because it helps them train their LLMs
snickerdoodle12 on HN
MCP is an unnecessary protocol; a CLI would suffice
From 2 comments
What advantage do you get from this being an MCP server rather than simply a command line tool? Genuinely curious, as I'm trying to develop my mental model of when to use one or…
irskep on HNWhy do people keep building servers for such a silly protocol?
ospider on HN
Anna's Archive paid donation is effectively a subscription
From 1 comment
"Donation". Let's call it what it is - a subscription.
IshKebab on HN
Requests
Add CLI support for search and download
From 2 comments
What advantage do you get from this being an MCP server rather than simply a command line tool? Genuinely curious, as I'm trying to develop my mental model of when to use one or…
irskep on HNUPDATE: Following a suggestion from @irskep, I've added CLI command support for the search and download features. This raised a valid concern - while we're focused on building…
iosifache on HN
Allow overriding endpoint hostnames with env vars for local copies
From 1 comment
Edit: Would you accept a PR to override the search and download endpoint hostnames with env vars? For someone who has their own copy and ES index, it might be helpful to support…
toomuchtodo on HN
Questions
What advantage does MCP give over a command line tool
From 1 comment
What advantage do you get from this being an MCP server rather than simply a command line tool? Genuinely curious, as I'm trying to develop my mental model of when to use one or…
irskep on HN
Can it download a single book without large archives
From 1 comment
My understanding of Anna's Archive is that one has to download large zip files (>10 Gb) containing thousands of books even if one wants only a single book. Am I correct here?…
profsummergig on HN
Would it download copyrighted works like Harry Potter
From 1 comment
Interesting project! I’m a little surprised that Claude is willing to call these functions. The demo screenshot is downloading a public domain work, I wonder if it would also…
thorum on HN
Alternatives named
Anna's Archive website directly
From 2 comments
I've downloaded single books several times recently (annas-archive.org in the browser): ``` - search for book - tap a result - see a list of links to download mirrors (under…
LeratoAustini on HNYou can just go on the website, search for the book you want, and download it. I'd think this is pretty obvious, as if you visit https://annas-archive.org, there are multiple…
stavros on HN
IRC books on Reddit
From 1 comment
You are incorrect in your assumption. Though I would also like you to search for "IRC books reddit". Unlike Anna's Archive, you get high quality books with fast download speeds.
navigate8310 on HN