article

README

AniList MCP Server

A 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.

Features

Search for anime, manga, characters, staff, and studios
Get detailed information about specific anime, manga, characters, and staff members
Access user profiles and lists
Support for advanced filtering options
Retrieve genres and media tags
Dual transport support: Both HTTP and STDIO transports
Cloud deployment ready: Support Smithery and other platforms

Requirements

Node.js 18+

Local Installation (STDIO Transport)

Add this server to your mcp.json / claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "anilist": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "anilist-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "ANILIST_TOKEN": "your_api_token"
      }
    }
  }
}

You may remove the env object entirely, if you are not planning to use the AniList Token for operations that require login.

Restart your MCP client (e.g., Claude Desktop)
Use the tools to interact with AniList

Server Deployment (HTTP Transport)

Self-Hosting

Follow the Local Development instructions to set up the project locally, then run:

pnpm run start:http

This will start the server on port 8081 by default. You can change the port by setting the PORT environment variable.

Cloud Deployment

You can deploy this MCP server to any cloud platform that supports Node.js server applications.

You can also deploy via MCP platforms like Smithery.

Configuration

Environment Variables (STDIO Transport and HTTP Transport server where host provides the config)

When using the STDIO transport or hosting the HTTP transport server, you can pass configuration via environment variables:

ANILIST_TOKEN: (Optional) AniList API Token (Only needed for operations that require login)

[!CAUTION] 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.

HTTP Headers (HTTP Transport where user provides the config)

When using the HTTP transport, user can pass configuration via HTTP headers:

Anilist-Token: (Optional) AniList API Token (Only needed for operations that require login)

If the user provides the token in the header, while the server also has ANILIST_TOKEN set, the header value will take precedence.

Get an AniList API Token (Optional)

To get an API token, follow these steps:

Go to AniList settings.
Click on "Create New Client".
Use this URL as your client's "Redirect URL":

https://anilist.co/api/v2/oauth/pin

Click "Save"
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.
Copy the generated token and use it in your .env file or environment variables.

Available Tools

Misc Tools

get_genres: Get all available genres on AniList
get_media_tags: Get all available media tags on AniList
get_site_statistics: Get AniList site statistics over the last seven days
get_studio: Get information about a studio by its AniList ID or name
favourite_studio: [Requires Login] Favourite or unfavourite a studio by its ID

Activity Tools

delete_activity: [Requires Login] Delete the current authorized user's activity post
get_activity: Get a specific AniList activity by its ID
get_user_activity: Fetch activities from a user
post_message_activity: [Requires Login] Post a new message activity or update an existing one
post_text_activity: [Requires Login] Post a new text activity or update an existing one

List Tools

get_user_anime_list: Get a user's anime list
get_user_manga_list: Get a user's manga list
add_list_entry: [Requires Login] Add an entry to the authorized user's list
remove_list_entry: [Requires Login] Remove an entry from the authorized user's list
update_list_entry: [Requires Login] Update an entry on the authorized user's list

Media Tools

get_anime: Get detailed information about an anime by its AniList ID
get_manga: Get detailed information about a manga by its AniList ID
favourite_anime: [Requires Login] Favourite or unfavourite an anime by its ID
favourite_manga: [Requires Login] Favourite or unfavourite a manga by its ID

People Tools

get_character: Get information about a character by their AniList ID
get_staff: Get information about staff member by their AniList ID
favourite_character: [Requires Login] Favourite or unfavourite a character by its ID
favourite_staff: [Requires Login] Favourite or unfavourite a staff member by their ID
get_todays_birthday_characters: Get all characters whose birthday is today
get_todays_birthday_staff: Get all staff members whose birthday is today

Recommendation Tools

get_recommendation: Get an AniList recommendation by its ID
get_recommendations_for_media: Get AniList recommendations for a specific media

Search Tools

search_activity: Search for activities on AniList
search_anime: Search for anime with query term and filters
search_manga: Search for manga with query term and filters
search_character: Search for characters based on a query term
search_staff: Search for staff members based on a query term
search_studio: Search for studios based on a query term
search_user: Search for users on AniList

Thread Tools

get_thread: Get a specific thread by its AniList ID
get_thread_comments: Get comments for a specific thread
delete_thread: [Requires Login] Delete a thread by its ID

get_user_profile: Get a user's AniList profile
get_user_stats: Get a user's AniList statistics
get_full_user_info: Get a user's complete profile and stats information
get_user_recent_activity: Get recent activity from a user
get_authorized_user: [Requires Login] Get profile information of the currently authorized user
follow_user: [Requires Login] Follow or unfollow a user by their ID
update_user: [Requires Login] Update user settings

Example Usage

Basic Anime Search

Can you search for anime similar to "Bocchi the Rock!"?

Get Character Info

Can you tell me about the character Hitori Gotou? Use the AniList tools to find information.

Compare Studio Works

What anime has Studio Ghibli produced? Can you list their most popular works?

Local Development

This project uses pnpm as its package manager.

Clone the repository and install dependencies:

git clone https://github.com/yuna0x0/anilist-mcp.git
cd anilist-mcp
pnpm install

Configuration (Optional)

Create a .env file by copying the example:

cp env.example .env

Edit the .env file and add your AniList API token:

ANILIST_TOKEN=your_api_token

Debugging with MCP Inspector

You can use the MCP Inspector to test and debug the AniList MCP server:

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector -e ANILIST_TOKEN=your_api_token npx anilist-mcp

# Use this instead when Local Development
pnpm run inspector

Then open your browser to the provided URL (usually http://localhost:6274) to access the MCP Inspector interface. From there, you can:

Connect to your running AniList MCP server
Browse available tools
Run tools with custom parameters
View the responses

This is particularly useful for testing your setup before connecting it to MCP clients like Claude Desktop.

Docker

Pull from GitHub Container Registry:

docker pull ghcr.io/yuna0x0/anilist-mcp

Docker build (Local Development):

docker build -t ghcr.io/yuna0x0/anilist-mcp .

Docker multi-platform build (Local Development):

docker buildx build --platform linux/amd64,linux/arm64 -t ghcr.io/yuna0x0/anilist-mcp .

MCP Bundles (MCPB)

To create an MCP Bundle for this server, run:

pnpm run pack:mcpb

Security Notice

This 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.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

anilist-mcp