NotebookLM Claude Code Skill

Let Claude Code chat directly with NotebookLM for source-grounded answers based exclusively on your uploaded documents

Use this skill to query your Google NotebookLM notebooks directly from Claude Code for source-grounded, citation-backed answers from Gemini. Browser automation, library management, persistent auth. Drastically reduced hallucinations - answers only from your uploaded documents.

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⚠️ Important: Local Claude Code Only

This skill works ONLY with local Claude Code installations, NOT in the web UI.

The web UI runs skills in a sandbox without network access, which this skill requires for browser automation. You must use Claude Code locally on your machine.

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The Problem

When you tell Claude Code to "search through my local documentation", here's what happens:

• Massive token consumption: Searching through documentation means reading multiple files repeatedly
• Inaccurate retrieval: Searches for keywords, misses context and connections between docs
• Hallucinations: When it can't find something, it invents plausible-sounding APIs
• Manual copy-paste: Switching between NotebookLM browser and your editor constantly

The Solution

This Claude Code Skill lets Claude Code chat directly with NotebookLM — Google's source-grounded knowledge base powered by Gemini 2.5 that provides intelligent, synthesized answers exclusively from your uploaded documents.

Your Task → Claude asks NotebookLM → Gemini synthesizes answer → Claude writes correct code

No more copy-paste dance: Claude asks questions directly and gets answers straight back in the CLI.

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Why NotebookLM, Not Local RAG?

Approach	Token Cost	Setup Time	Hallucinations	Answer Quality
Feed docs to Claude	🔴 Very high	Instant	Yes - fills gaps	Variable retrieval
Web search	🟡 Medium	Instant	High - unreliable sources	Hit or miss
Local RAG	🟡 Medium-High	Hours (embeddings, chunking)	Medium - retrieval gaps	Depends on setup
NotebookLM Skill	🟢 Minimal	5 minutes	Minimal - source-grounded only	Expert synthesis

What Makes NotebookLM Superior?

1. Pre-processed by Gemini: Upload docs once, get instant expert knowledge
2. Natural language Q&A: Not just retrieval — actual understanding and synthesis
3. Multi-source correlation: Connects information across 50+ documents
4. Citation-backed: Every answer includes source references
5. No infrastructure: No vector DBs, embeddings, or chunking strategies needed

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Installation

# 1. Create skills directory (if it doesn't exist)
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills

# 2. Clone this repository
cd ~/.claude/skills
git clone https://github.com/PleasePrompto/notebooklm-skill notebooklm

# 3. That's it! Open Claude Code and say:
"What are my skills?"

When you first use the skill, it automatically:

• Creates an isolated Python environment (.venv)
• Installs all dependencies including Google Chrome
• Sets up browser automation with Chrome (not Chromium) for maximum reliability
• Everything stays contained in the skill folder

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Quick Start

1. Check your skills

"What skills do I have?"

2. Authenticate with Google (one-time)

"Set up NotebookLM authentication"

A Chrome window opens → log in with your Google account

3. Create your knowledge base

Go to notebooklm.google.com → Create notebook → Upload your docs:

• 📄 PDFs, Google Docs, markdown files
• 🔗 Websites, GitHub repos
• 🎥 YouTube videos
• 📚 Multiple sources per notebook

Share: ⚙️ Share → Anyone with link → Copy

4. Add to your library

"Add this NotebookLM to my library: [your-link]"

5. Start researching

"What does my React docs say about hooks?"

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How It Works

This is a Claude Code Skill - a local folder containing instructions and scripts that Claude Code can use when needed.

Architecture

~/.claude/skills/notebooklm/
├── SKILL.md              # Instructions for Claude
├── scripts/              # Python automation scripts
│   ├── ask_question.py   # Query NotebookLM
│   ├── notebook_manager.py # Library management
│   └── auth_manager.py   # Google authentication
├── .venv/                # Isolated Python environment (auto-created)
└── data/                 # Local notebook library

When you mention NotebookLM or send a notebook URL, Claude:

1. Loads the skill instructions
2. Runs the appropriate Python script
3. Opens a browser, asks your question
4. Returns the answer directly to you
5. Uses that knowledge to help with your task

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Core Features

• Source-Grounded Responses - NotebookLM significantly reduces hallucinations by answering exclusively from your uploaded documents
• Direct Integration - No copy-paste between browser and editor. Claude asks and receives answers programmatically
• Smart Library Management - Save NotebookLM links with tags and descriptions. Claude auto-selects the right notebook
• Automatic Authentication - One-time Google login, then authentication persists across sessions
• Self-Contained - Everything runs in the skill folder with an isolated Python environment
• Human-Like Automation - Uses realistic typing speeds and interaction patterns to avoid detection

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Common Commands

What you say	What happens
"Set up NotebookLM authentication"	Opens Chrome for Google login
"Add [link] to my NotebookLM library"	Saves notebook with metadata
"Show my NotebookLM notebooks"	Lists all saved notebooks
"Ask my API docs about [topic]"	Queries the relevant notebook
"Use the React notebook"	Sets active notebook
"Clear NotebookLM data"	Fresh start (keeps library)

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Technical Details

Core Technology

• Patchright: Browser automation library (Playwright-based)
• Python: Implementation language for this skill
• Stealth techniques: Human-like typing and interaction patterns

Dependencies

• patchright==1.55.2: Browser automation
• python-dotenv==1.0.0: Environment configuration
• Automatically installed in .venv on first use

Data Storage

~/.claude/skills/notebooklm/data/
├── library.json       - Your notebook library with metadata
├── auth_info.json     - Authentication status info
└── browser_state/     - Browser cookies and session data

Session Model

This skill uses a stateless model:

• Each question opens a fresh browser
• Asks the question, gets the answer
• Closes the browser immediately

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Limitations

Skill-Specific

• Local Claude Code only - Does not work in web UI (sandbox restrictions)
• No session persistence - Each question is independent
• No follow-up context - Can't reference "the previous answer"

NotebookLM

• Rate limits - Free tier has daily query limits
• Manual upload - You must upload docs to NotebookLM first
• Share requirement - Notebooks must be shared publicly

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Troubleshooting

Skill not found

ls ~/.claude/skills/notebooklm/
# Should show: SKILL.md, scripts/, etc.

Authentication issues

Say: "Reset NotebookLM authentication"

Browser crashes

Say: "Clear NotebookLM browser data"

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The Bottom Line

Without this skill: NotebookLM in browser → Copy answer → Paste in Claude → Copy next question → Back to browser...

With this skill: Claude researches directly → Gets answers instantly → Writes correct code

Stop the copy-paste dance. Start getting accurate, grounded answers directly in Claude Code.