NotebookLM Manager

Query orchestration and notebook registry management.

Instructions

Tool Boundaries

Chrome MCP tools (mcp__claude-in-chrome__*) aren't in this skill's allowed tool set — calling them directly will error. All browser interaction goes through the chrome-mcp-query agent via Task. If the agent returns an error, don't attempt Chrome tools yourself.

0. Data Path Resolution (run first)

Read ~/.claude-code-zero/notebooklm-connector/data-path to obtain DATA_DIR. The PreToolUse hook automatically detects install scope (project vs user) and writes the correct path.

• The file contains a single line: the absolute path to the data directory.
• Store this as {DATA_DIR} and use it for ALL subsequent file operations.
• File read error → Tell user to restart the session (hook may not be loaded).

0.1 Config

Read {DATA_DIR}/config.json for user preferences:

• max_followups: Maximum follow-up queries in coverage analysis (default: 3)
• max_query_length: Maximum characters per query sent to NotebookLM (default: 40000)
• language: Preferred response language (null = match user's language)
• auto_coverage: Enable automatic coverage analysis (default: true)

If the file is missing or a field is absent, use defaults above.

1. Query Detection

Extract from user message:

• notebook_id: Which notebook (e.g., "claude-docs")
• question: What to ask

2. Notebook Lookup

Read {DATA_DIR}/library.json to find notebook URL.

• File not found → Re-run Step 0. If still missing, tell user to restart the session.
• Not found → Show "Did you mean?" with similar IDs

3. Chat History

Default: clearHistory: false (keep previous context).

Set clearHistory: true only when the user explicitly requests it (e.g., "clear history and query…", "start fresh on this notebook").

3.5 Input Length Validation

NotebookLM has a server-side character limit on chat input (~45,000–50,000 chars). There is no client-side enforcement — the textarea accepts any length, but the backend silently fails to respond beyond the limit, leaving the agent stuck in a polling loop.

Read max_query_length from config (default: 40000).

If question.length > max_query_length:

1. Condense: Rewrite the question to stay within the limit while preserving intent and key terms.
2. Inform user: Note that the question was condensed and show the shortened version.
3. If the question cannot be meaningfully condensed (e.g., a large code block the user wants analyzed), suggest breaking it into smaller, focused queries.

4. Agent Invocation

Task({
  subagent_type: "notebooklm-connector:chrome-mcp-query",
  prompt: `Execute the workflow: Input parsing → Tab setup → Title extraction → Submit question → Poll response → Output and exit

URL: {url}
Question: {question}
clearHistory: {true/false}

Output the response immediately upon receiving it and exit.`
})

Follow-up queries use the same Task format with the follow-up question. The agent's STEP 1 automatically reuses the existing tab for the same URL.

4.1 Agent Result Parsing

After Task returns, check the agent output:

Chrome Connection Troubleshooting (show to user):

1. Verify Chrome or Edge browser is running
2. Chrome → chrome://extensions → Ensure "Claude in Chrome" extension is enabled
3. In Chrome, click extension icon → Side panel → Click "Connect" button
   • If a login screen appears, sign in with your Claude account (Pro/Max/Team/Enterprise required)
4. In Claude Code: /chrome → Select "Reconnect extension"
5. If this is your first time connecting, restart the browser to register the native messaging host, then repeat steps 3-4
6. Retry the query

5. Coverage Analysis

NotebookLM frequently answers only the first part of multi-topic questions. Without this check, users get incomplete answers and need to re-query manually.

If auto_coverage is false in config, skip to Section 6.

After every successful Task(chrome-mcp-query) return, check coverage before presenting the answer. The PostToolUse hook will also remind you via COVERAGE_REMINDER.

STEP A: ANALYZE

Re-read user's original message. List ALL keywords/topics.

STEP B: VERIFY

Each keyword: ✅ covered / ❌ missing

STEP C: QUERY (if gaps)

Launch follow-up: Task(subagent_type: "notebooklm-connector:chrome-mcp-query", same URL, missing topic question) Follow-ups are cheap — the same Chrome tab is reused. Then return to STEP A.

STEP D: COMPLETE

All covered OR max_followups reached → Synthesize and present (Section 6 format). After limit: AskUserQuestion to confirm whether to continue.

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6. Response Format

**Notebook**: [Title] (`{id}`)

**Answer**: [response]

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**Suggested follow-ups**:
- [question 1]
- [question 2]

If language is set in config, present the answer in that language.

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Commands

See references/commands.md for full command reference.

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Storage

Data is isolated per install scope. The hook resolves the correct path automatically. When ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_DATA} is available, it is used as the base directory. Otherwise falls back to ~/.claude-code-zero/notebooklm-connector/.

{base}/
├── data-path                       # Always at ~/.claude-code-zero/notebooklm-connector/data-path
├── global/data/                    # User-level install (shared across projects)
│   ├── library.json
│   ├── archive.json
│   ├── config.json
│   └── notebooks/{id}.json
└── projects/<md5-hash>/data/       # Project-level install (per-project isolation)
    ├── library.json
    ├── archive.json
    ├── config.json
    └── notebooks/{id}.json

The data-path file is always at ~/.claude-code-zero/notebooklm-connector/data-path (fixed location). Data directory and default files are lazily created on first data-path read.

Migration (automatic):

• data/ → global/data/: Existing flat data layout is moved to the global subdirectory.
• Legacy paths (~/.claude/plugins/..., ~/.claude/claude-code-zero/...) are copied to global/data/.
• ~/.claude-code-zero/ → ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_DATA}/: When the env var becomes available, data is migrated.

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Tool Boundaries

• Use: Read, Write (data dir), Edit (data dir), Task, AskUserQuestion
• Do NOT use: Chrome MCP tools directly (mcp__claude-in-chrome__*)

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References

• references/commands.md — Full command reference
• references/schemas.md — JSON schemas
• references/gotchas.md — Common pitfalls and failure modes