📄 / / integrations / notebooklm-mcp-cli / src / notebooklm_tools / data / references / command_reference.md

NotebookLM CLI - Complete Command Reference

NotebookLM CLI - Complete Command Reference

This document contains the complete command signatures and all available options for every nlm command.

Global Options
Authentication
Notebook Commands
Source Commands
Research Commands
Generation Commands
Studio Commands
Download Commands
Export Commands
Sharing Commands
Note Commands
Chat Commands
Alias Commands
Config Commands
Organization and Automation
Setup, Skill, and Diagnostics

Global Options

nlm --version, -v      # Show version and exit
nlm --ai               # Output AI-friendly documentation
nlm --install-completion  # Install shell completion
nlm --show-completion  # Show completion script
nlm --help             # Show help and exit

Authentication

Authenticate with NotebookLM using the managed browser auth flow.

nlm login [OPTIONS]

Option	Short	Description
`--profile`	`-p`	Profile name for multiple accounts
`--check`		Validate current credentials without re-authenticating
`--provider`		Auth provider: `builtin` (default) or `openclaw`
`--cdp-url`		CDP endpoint URL for external provider mode (default: `http://127.0.0.1:18800`)
`--manual`	`-m`	Import cookies from file
`--file`	`-f`	Cookie file path for manual mode
`--force`		Replace credentials even if the detected account differs
`--clear`		Clear stored browser/profile state before login
`--wsl`		Use the WSL/Windows-browser authentication path

Note: Each profile gets its own isolated Chrome session, so you can be logged into multiple Google accounts simultaneously.

List all authentication profiles with their associated email addresses.

nlm login profile list

Delete an authentication profile and its credentials.

nlm login profile delete <profile>

Rename an authentication profile.

nlm login profile rename <old-name> <new-name>

Switch the default profile for all commands.

nlm login switch <profile>

Argument	Description
`<profile>`	Profile name to switch to

Example:

nlm login switch work
# Output: ✓ Switched default profile to work
#         Account: jsmith@company.com

Notebook Commands

nlm notebook list

List all notebooks.

nlm notebook list [OPTIONS]

Option	Short	Description
`--json`		Output as JSON
`--quiet`	`-q`	Output IDs only
`--title`		Output as "ID: Title"
`--full`		Show all columns
`--profile`	`-p`	Use specific profile

nlm notebook create

Create a new notebook.

nlm notebook create <title> [OPTIONS]

Option	Short	Description
`--json`	`-j`	Output stable machine-readable result
`--profile`	`-p`	Use specific profile

nlm notebook get

Get notebook details.

nlm notebook get <notebook-id> [OPTIONS]

Option	Short	Description
`--profile`	`-p`	Use specific profile

nlm notebook describe

Get AI-generated notebook summary with suggested topics.

nlm notebook describe <notebook-id> [OPTIONS]

Option	Short	Description
`--profile`	`-p`	Use specific profile

nlm notebook query

Ask a question about notebook sources.

nlm notebook query <notebook-id> <question> [OPTIONS]

Option	Short	Description
`--source-ids`		Limit to specific sources (comma-separated)
`--conversation-id`		Continue existing conversation
`--profile`	`-p`	Use specific profile

nlm notebook rename

Rename a notebook.

nlm notebook rename <notebook-id> <new-title> [OPTIONS]

Option	Short	Description
`--profile`	`-p`	Use specific profile

nlm notebook delete

Delete a notebook permanently.

nlm notebook delete <notebook-id> [OPTIONS]

Option	Description
`--confirm`	Required to confirm deletion
`--profile`	Use specific profile

Source Commands

nlm source list

List sources in a notebook.

nlm source list <notebook-id> [OPTIONS]

Option	Short	Description
`--json`		Output as JSON
`--quiet`	`-q`	Output IDs only
`--url`		Output as "ID: URL"
`--full`		Show all columns (wider URL display)
`--drive`		Show Drive sources with freshness status
`--skip-freshness`	`-S`	Skip freshness checks (faster with --drive)
`--profile`	`-p`	Use specific profile

When freshness is skipped, stale/is_stale is null (unknown), not false (fresh).

nlm source add

Add a source to a notebook.

nlm source add <notebook-id> [OPTIONS]

URL Source: | Option | Description | |--------|-------------| | --url | URL to add; repeat for bulk URL add | | --youtube | Explicit YouTube URL |

Text Source: | Option | Description | |--------|-------------| | --text | Text content to add | | --title | Title for text source |

Drive Source: | Option | Description | |--------|-------------| | --drive | Google Drive document ID | | --type | Drive doc type: doc, slides, sheets, pdf | | --title | Display title |

File Source: | Option | Description | |--------|-------------| | --file | Local path on the machine running nlm | | --wait | Wait until NotebookLM finishes processing | | --wait-timeout | Processing timeout in seconds |

Option	Short	Description
`--profile`	`-p`	Use specific profile

nlm source get

Get source metadata.

nlm source get <source-id> [OPTIONS]

Option	Short	Description
`--profile`	`-p`	Use specific profile

nlm source describe

Get AI-generated source summary with keywords.

nlm source describe <source-id> [OPTIONS]

Option	Short	Description
`--profile`	`-p`	Use specific profile

nlm source content

Get raw text content of a source.

nlm source content <source-id> [OPTIONS]

Option	Short	Description
`--output`	`-o`	Export to file path
`--profile`	`-p`	Use specific profile

nlm source stale

List stale (outdated) Drive sources.

nlm source stale <notebook-id> [OPTIONS]

Option	Short	Description
`--profile`	`-p`	Use specific profile

nlm source sync

Sync Drive sources with latest content.

nlm source sync <notebook-id> [OPTIONS]

Option	Description
`--confirm`	Required to execute sync
`--source-ids`	Specific source IDs to sync (comma-separated)
`--profile`	Use specific profile

nlm source rename

Rename a source.

nlm source rename <source-id> <new-title> [OPTIONS]
nlm rename source <source-id> <new-title> [OPTIONS]  # verb-first alias

Option	Description
`--notebook`	Required - Notebook ID containing the source
`--profile`	Use specific profile

nlm source delete

Delete a source permanently.

nlm source delete <source-id> [OPTIONS]

Option	Description
`--confirm`	Required to confirm deletion
`--profile`	Use specific profile

Research Commands

nlm research start

Start a research task to discover new sources.

nlm research start <query> [OPTIONS]

Option	Description
`--notebook-id`	Existing target notebook ID
`--title`	Create a new destination notebook with this title
`--mode`	`fast` (default, ~30s) or `deep` (~5min, web only)
`--source`	`web` (default) or `drive`
`--force`	Override pending research
`--auto-import`	Poll every 30 seconds for up to 900 seconds, then import completed results (alias: `--wait-and-import`)
`--profile`	Use specific profile

nlm research status

Check research task progress.

nlm research status <notebook-id> [OPTIONS]

Option	Description
`--task-id`	Check specific task (auto-detected if omitted)
`--max-wait`	Max seconds to wait (default: 300, 0=single check)
`--full`	Show full details
`--profile`	Use specific profile

nlm research import

Import discovered sources into notebook.

nlm research import <notebook-id> <task-id> [OPTIONS]

Option	Description
`--indices`	Comma-separated indices of sources to import (default: all)
`--cited-only`	Import only sources cited by the research report (overrides `--indices`)
`--timeout`	Import timeout in seconds (default: 300)
`--profile`	Use specific profile

Generation Commands

All generation commands share --confirm, --source-ids, and --profile. The --language option is available for audio, report, slides, infographic, video, and data-table.

Option	Short	Description
`--confirm`	`-y`	Required to execute generation
`--source-ids`		Limit to specific sources (comma-separated)
`--language`		BCP-47 language code where supported, including regional locales such as `es-419`
`--profile`	`-p`	Use specific profile

nlm audio create

Generate audio overview (podcast).

nlm audio create <notebook-id> [OPTIONS]

Option	Values	Default
`--format`	`deep_dive`, `brief`, `critique`, `debate`	`deep_dive`
`--length`	`short`, `default`, `long`	`default`
`--focus`	Focus text/topic

For audio, regional locales can affect the voice accent. NotebookLM has been observed using es/es-ES for Spain Spanish and es-US/es-419 for Latin-American Spanish. NOTEBOOKLM_HL can set the regional default.

nlm report create

Generate written report.

nlm report create <notebook-id> [OPTIONS]

Option	Values	Default
`--format`	`"Briefing Doc"`, `"Study Guide"`, `"Blog Post"`, `"Create Your Own"`	`"Briefing Doc"`
`--prompt`	Custom prompt (required for "Create Your Own")

nlm quiz create

Generate quiz questions.

nlm quiz create <notebook-id> [OPTIONS]

Option	Values	Default
`--count`	Number of questions	2
`--difficulty`	1-5 (1=easy, 5=hard)	2
`--focus`	Focus text/topic

nlm flashcards create

Generate flashcards.

nlm flashcards create <notebook-id> [OPTIONS]

Option	Values	Default
`--difficulty`	`easy`, `medium`, `hard`	`medium`
`--focus`	Focus text/topic

nlm mindmap create

Generate mind map.

nlm mindmap create <notebook-id> [OPTIONS]

Option	Description
`--title`	Display title for the mind map

List mind maps through nlm studio status <notebook-id>.

nlm slides create

Generate slide deck.

nlm slides create <notebook-id> [OPTIONS]

Option	Values	Default
`--format`	`detailed_deck`, `presenter_slides`	`detailed_deck`
`--length`	`short`, `default`	`default`
`--focus`	Focus text/topic

nlm slides revise

Revise one or more slides and create a new deck.

nlm slides revise <artifact-id> --slide "1 Make the title larger" --confirm

--slide is repeatable and uses "<1-based slide number> <instruction>". The original deck is unchanged.

nlm infographic create

Generate infographic.

nlm infographic create <notebook-id> [OPTIONS]

Option	Values	Default
`--orientation`	`landscape`, `portrait`, `square`	`landscape`
`--detail`	`concise`, `standard`, `detailed`	`standard`
`--style`	`auto_select`, `sketch_note`, `professional`, `bento_grid`, `editorial`, `instructional`, `bricks`, `clay`, `anime`, `kawaii`, `scientific`	`auto_select`
`--focus`	Focus text/topic

nlm video create

Generate video overview.

nlm video create <notebook-id> [OPTIONS]

Option	Values	Default
`--format`	`explainer`, `brief`, `cinematic`, `short`	`explainer`
`--style`	`auto_select`, `custom`, `classic`, `whiteboard`, `kawaii`, `anime`, `watercolor`, `retro_print`, `heritage`, `paper_craft` (not for cinematic/short)	`auto_select`
`--style-prompt`	Custom visual style text (requires `--style custom`, or implies it when `--style` omitted)
`--focus`	Focus text/topic

short produces a ~60s vertical video with no visual style picker; English-only for now.

nlm data-table create

Extract structured data as a table.

nlm data-table create <notebook-id> <description> [OPTIONS]

Note: <description> is a required positional argument describing what data to extract.

Studio Commands

nlm studio status

List all generated artifacts in a notebook.

nlm studio status <notebook-id> [OPTIONS]

Option	Description
`--json`	Output as JSON
`--full`	Show all details
`--profile`	Use specific profile

--json --full includes source_ids, allowing each artifact to be traced to the source set used to generate it.

nlm studio delete

Delete a generated artifact.

nlm studio delete <notebook-id> <artifact-id> [OPTIONS]

Option	Description
`--confirm`	Required to confirm deletion
`--profile`	Use specific profile
---

Download Commands

nlm download

Download generated artifacts to local files.

nlm download <type> <notebook-id> [OPTIONS]

Available types: audio, video, report, mind-map, slide-deck, infographic, quiz, flashcards, data-table

Option	Description
`--id`	Specific artifact ID (uses latest if omitted)
`--format`	Output format for quiz/flashcards: `json`, `markdown`, `html`
`--output`	Output file path

Examples:

nlm download audio <nb-id> --output podcast.mp3
nlm download video <nb-id> --output video.mp4
nlm download report <nb-id> --output report.md
nlm download quiz <nb-id> --output quiz.html --format html
nlm download flashcards <nb-id> --output cards.json --format json

Export Commands

nlm export

Export artifacts to Google Docs or Sheets.

nlm export <type> <notebook-id> <artifact-id> [OPTIONS]

Available types: docs, sheets

Option	Description
`--title`	Title for the exported document
`--profile`	Use specific profile

Examples:

nlm export sheets <nb-id> <artifact-id> --title "Data Table Export"
nlm export docs <nb-id> <artifact-id> --title "My Report"

Get current sharing settings for a notebook.

nlm share status <notebook-id> [OPTIONS]

Option	Description
`--profile`	Use specific profile

Enable or disable public link sharing.

nlm share public <notebook-id> [OPTIONS]

Option	Description
`--off`	Disable public sharing (default: enable)
`--profile`	Use specific profile

Examples:

nlm share public <nb-id>         # Enable public link
nlm share public <nb-id> --off   # Disable public link

Invite a collaborator by email.

nlm share invite <notebook-id> <email> [OPTIONS]

Option	Description
`--role`	`viewer` (default) or `editor`
`--profile`	Use specific profile

Examples:

nlm share invite <nb-id> user@example.com
nlm share invite <nb-id> user@example.com --role editor

Note Commands

nlm note create

Create a note in a notebook.

nlm note create <notebook-id> [OPTIONS]

Option	Description
`--content`	Note content (required)
`--title`	Note title
`--profile`	Use specific profile

nlm note list

List all notes in a notebook.

nlm note list <notebook-id> [OPTIONS]

Option	Description
`--json`	Output as JSON
`--profile`	Use specific profile

nlm note update

Update an existing note.

nlm note update <notebook-id> <note-id> [OPTIONS]

Option	Description
`--content`	New content
`--title`	New title
`--profile`	Use specific profile

nlm note delete

Delete a note permanently.

nlm note delete <notebook-id> <note-id> [OPTIONS]

Option	Description
`--confirm`	Required to confirm deletion
`--profile`	Use specific profile

Chat Commands

nlm chat start

Start interactive chat REPL session.

nlm chat start <notebook-id> [OPTIONS]

Option	Short	Description
`--profile`	`-p`	Use specific profile

REPL Commands: - /sources - List available sources - /clear - Reset conversation context - /help - Show available commands - /exit - Exit the REPL

nlm chat configure

Configure chat behavior for a notebook.

nlm chat configure <notebook-id> [OPTIONS]

Option	Description
`--goal`	`default`, `learning_guide`, `custom`
`--prompt`	Custom system prompt (required when goal is `custom`)
`--response-length`	`default`, `longer`, `shorter`
`--profile`	Use specific profile

Alias Commands

nlm alias set

Create or update an alias for a NotebookLM ID.

nlm alias set <name> <id>

Type is auto-detected. Notebook and source IDs are verified automatically.

nlm alias get

Resolve an alias to its UUID.

nlm alias get <name>

nlm alias list

List all aliases.

nlm alias list

nlm alias delete

Delete an alias.

nlm alias delete <name>

Config Commands

nlm config show

Display current configuration.

nlm config show [OPTIONS]

Option	Description
`--json`	Output as JSON instead of TOML

nlm config get

Get a specific configuration value.

nlm config get <key>

nlm config set

Set a configuration value.

nlm config set <key> <value>

Available Configuration Keys:

Key	Default	Description
`output.format`	`table`	Default output format (table, json)
`output.color`	`true`	Enable colored output
`output.short_ids`	`true`	Show shortened IDs
`auth.browser`	`auto`	Preferred browser for login (auto, chrome, arc, brave, edge, chromium, vivaldi, opera). Falls back to auto if preferred browser is not found.
`auth.default_profile`	`default`	Profile to use when `--profile` not specified. Note: The MCP Server always uses the active default profile. Changing this setting will instantaneously switch the MCP server's Google account.

Example: Set default profile to avoid typing --profile for every command:

# Preferred method (simpler)
nlm login switch work

# Alternative method (via config)
nlm config set auth.default_profile work

Organization and Automation

Labels

nlm label auto <notebook-id>
nlm label list <notebook-id>
nlm label reorganize <notebook-id> --confirm
nlm label create <notebook-id> "Research"
nlm label rename <notebook-id> <label-id> "New Name"
nlm label emoji <notebook-id> <label-id> "📚"
nlm label move <notebook-id> <source-id> <label-id>
nlm label delete <notebook-id> <label-id> --confirm

Full reorganization and deletion are destructive label operations. Sources are preserved when labels are deleted.

Tags and cross-notebook query

nlm tag add <notebook-id> --tags "ai,research"
nlm tag remove <notebook-id> --tags "ai"
nlm tag list
nlm tag select "ai research"
nlm cross query "Compare approaches" --notebooks "id1,id2"
nlm cross query "Summarize" --tags "ai,research"
nlm cross query "Everything" --all

Batch operations

nlm batch query "Summarize" --notebooks "id1,id2"
nlm batch add-source "https://example.com" --notebooks "id1,id2"
nlm batch create "Project A, Project B"
nlm batch delete --notebooks "id1,id2" --confirm
nlm batch studio audio --tags "research"

Pipelines

nlm pipeline list
nlm pipeline run ingest-and-podcast --notebook <id> --input-url "https://..."
nlm pipeline run research-and-report --notebook <id> --input-url "https://..."
nlm pipeline run multi-format --notebook <id>
nlm pipeline create my-pipeline --file pipeline.yaml

Run nlm <family> <command> --help for selector and profile options.

Setup, Skill, and Diagnostics

nlm setup list
nlm setup add <tool>
nlm setup remove <tool>

nlm skill list
nlm skill install <tool> [--level user|project]
nlm skill update [tool]
nlm skill uninstall <tool>
nlm skill show

nlm doctor
nlm doctor --verbose

Verb-first aliases are also available for common operations, including nlm create, nlm list, nlm get, nlm add, nlm rename, nlm delete, nlm status, nlm describe, nlm query, nlm sync, nlm download, nlm install skill, and nlm update skill.

NotebookLM CLI - Complete Command Reference

Table of Contents

Global Options

Authentication

nlm login

nlm login profile list

nlm login profile delete

nlm login profile rename

nlm login switch

Notebook Commands

nlm notebook list

nlm notebook create

nlm notebook get

nlm notebook describe

nlm notebook query

nlm notebook rename

nlm notebook delete

Source Commands

nlm source list

nlm source add

nlm source get

nlm source describe

nlm source content

nlm source stale

nlm source sync

nlm source rename

nlm source delete

Research Commands

nlm research start

nlm research status

nlm research import

Generation Commands

nlm audio create

nlm report create

nlm quiz create

nlm flashcards create

nlm mindmap create

nlm slides create

nlm slides revise

nlm infographic create

nlm video create

nlm data-table create

Studio Commands

nlm studio status

nlm studio delete

Download Commands

nlm download

Export Commands

nlm export

Sharing Commands

nlm share status

nlm share public

nlm share invite

Note Commands

nlm note create

nlm note list

nlm note update

nlm note delete

Chat Commands

nlm chat start

nlm chat configure

Alias Commands

nlm alias set

nlm alias get

nlm alias list

nlm alias delete

Config Commands

nlm config show

nlm config get

nlm config set

Organization and Automation

Labels

Tags and cross-notebook query

Batch operations

Pipelines

Setup, Skill, and Diagnostics