Turn any topic, article, YouTube video, or PDF into a two-host podcast (or a mind map, quiz, flashcards, infographic, slide deck) using Google NotebookLM — all driven from Claude Code, 100% on your own machine. Nothing is uploaded to a server, no website to host, no account for anyone else to access.
New here? Read this whole page once. It takes 5 minutes and the Safety section matters. You do not need to know how to code.
⚠️ Claude Code only — this does NOT work in Cowork or claude.ai (web). The skill runs a tool on your own computer (and uses your own browser login), so it needs Claude Code on your Mac. The cloud apps (Cowork / claude.ai) can't reach your machine, so the skill will load there but its commands will fail. Install and use it in Claude Code.
- "Make a podcast about the history of coffee."
- "Turn this YouTube video into a podcast: <link>."
- "Make a quiz from this PDF."
- "Every morning, make me a short podcast about running." (optional daily mode — see Part 2)
You can choose the output (podcast / overview / mind map / flashcards / quiz / infographic / slides), the language (English, Bahasa Indonesia, French, Portuguese, Mandarin), and the rough length (short / default / long).
This tool logs into Google NotebookLM as you and saves that login on your computer only. A few honest points:
- Use a dedicated Google account, not your main one. Making a new free Gmail takes 2 minutes. Why it matters is in the FAQ — short version: if your computer is ever compromised, a throwaway account costs you nothing.
- It stays on your computer. The login is stored at
~/.notebooklm/with owner-only permissions, and this tool has no internet-facing part — no tunnel, no public link, no server. Please keep it that way; do not follow any guide that tells you to "expose it to the cloud" or "add a tunnel." - It's an unofficial tool. The bit that talks to NotebookLM (
notebooklm-py) is community software, not made by Google. Google could change NotebookLM and temporarily break it, and heavy automated use could, in rare cases, get an account limited. At one-podcast-a-day this risk is low — but it's why we suggest a dedicated account. - You're in control. You can sign out (
notebooklm logout), delete~/.notebooklm/, or revoke access at your Google security page anytime.
See the FAQ at the bottom for more.
Put the notebooklm-local folder into your Claude Code skills folder:
~/.claude/skills/notebooklm-local/
(If you got a .skill file, your Claude Code can install it directly; if you got a folder, just copy it into the path above.)
Open Claude Code and say:
"Set up notebooklm"
Claude will install the small notebooklm-py program for you (it runs scripts/install.sh). You don't type the commands — Claude does. It needs a recent Python; if yours is too old, Claude will tell you the one line to run.
Claude will ask you to run one command yourself, because logging into Google needs a real browser window:
notebooklm login --browser chrome
A Chrome window opens → sign in with your dedicated Google account → it saves automatically and closes. That's it.
Just ask Claude in plain language:
"Make a short podcast in Bahasa Indonesia about why slow running makes you faster."
Claude does the rest and gives you an .mp3. 🎧
If you want a fresh podcast made for you on a schedule (e.g. a daily running show), there's a small system in scripts/daily-system/ that keeps a list of topics you plan ahead, makes one a day from the next topic, and tops the list back up when it runs low. It's designed to be cheap on Claude usage — the daily job barely uses Claude, and the heavier "plan more topics" job only runs about once a week. Optional; skip it if you just want Part 1.
Two ways to run it — pick what suits you:
- Local (no accounts needed). The topic list is a plain file (
queue.json) on your computer; a small script makes today's podcast from it. Zero extra setup, zero daily Claude usage, nothing connected. This is the simplest path and the original design. - With Notion (a visual, editable calendar). Keep the topic list in a Notion database instead. The planner writes each topic's sources into Notion so you can see them — and add or swap in your own links before that topic runs. Each morning Claude reads the next row (including your edits) and makes it. Costs a little Claude usage per day (just reading one row + marking it done).
You don't need Notion at all — if you don't have an account or don't want to connect one, the local mode does everything. Full instructions for both are in scripts/daily-system/README.md.
Notion has an official Claude connector — use that rather than pasting API keys around.
Google Sheets is planned for a future version, not this one. There's no official Google connector that can write to a sheet (Google's Drive connector is read-only), so it would need a third-party tool (
github.com/xing5/mcp-google-sheets, not made by Google). We're holding it for a later release. For now: use Notion, or stay fully local withqueue.json.
Where does my Google login go? Is it sent anywhere?
Nowhere. It's saved only on your computer at ~/.notebooklm/, readable only by your user account. This tool has no server and no internet-facing part.
Why a dedicated Google account instead of my main one? Two reasons. (1) The saved login is a "session" for that account — using a throwaway account means that even in a worst case (your laptop is stolen/compromised), your real email, Drive, and photos aren't in scope. (2) This is an unofficial tool; in the rare case Google limits the account for automated use, you'd rather that be a spare. Making a new free Gmail takes 2 minutes.
Is this allowed by Google? Could my account get banned? It automates the NotebookLM website through an unofficial interface, which lightly bumps Google's terms. At personal volumes (a podcast a day) the practical risk is low, but it's non-zero — which is exactly why we recommend a dedicated account. Your call, your risk.
Does anything get exposed to the internet? Can other people use it? No. It's local-only by design. If any guide tells you to add a "tunnel," "Cloudflare," "ngrok," or "make it work in the cloud" — don't. That would put a tool that controls a Google login onto the public internet. We deliberately left that out.
Do I need Notion or any account for the daily system?
No. The local mode keeps your topic list in a plain queue.json file on your computer — no account, nothing connected, zero daily Claude usage. Notion is an optional upgrade if you'd like a visual, editable calendar.
What about Google Sheets? Planned for a future version, not this one. There's no official Google connector that can write to a sheet (the Drive connector is read-only), so it would need a third-party tool (xing5/mcp-google-sheets, not made by Google). We're holding it for a later release. For now, use Notion (official connector) or stay fully local.
Will this burn through my Claude usage/tokens? Single requests ("make a podcast about X") are light. The optional daily system is built specifically to be cheap — the daily job barely uses Claude, and only the weekly "plan more topics" step is heavier. Good for Pro plans.
Do I need to keep my computer on? For one-off requests, no — just run them when you want. For the optional scheduled daily mode, yes: your Mac needs to be awake when the job is set to run (there's no cloud copy — that's the trade for keeping everything private and local).
How do I remove it / revoke access?
Sign out with notebooklm logout, delete the folder ~/.notebooklm/, and/or remove the device at myaccount.google.com/security. To remove the skill, delete ~/.claude/skills/notebooklm-local/.
It stopped working / a command fails.
NotebookLM is unofficial, so Google occasionally changes things. Check for a newer version of notebooklm-py, and see the Troubleshooting table in SKILL.md.
- NotebookLM — Google product: notebooklm.google.com
notebooklm-py— the community CLI this skill wraps: github.com/teng-lin/notebooklm-py- Notion connector — official (via Claude connectors), for the optional Notion topic calendar
- Google Sheets MCP (third-party, planned for a future version) — github.com/xing5/mcp-google-sheets (not made by Google; held for a later release)
At the time of this demo (June 2026) we reviewed the third-party tools above for safety and security and were comfortable using them. Software changes over time — verify current versions yourself before installing. Everything here runs on your own machine; all use is at your own risk and responsibility.