RedNote MCP - Xiaohongshu Content Search Tool

Overview

RedNote MCP is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for searching and retrieving content from Xiaohongshu (Red Book) platform. It provides intelligent content extraction with automatic login management and parallel processing capabilities.

Features

• Smart Search: Keyword-based content search on Xiaohongshu
• Auto Login: Automatic cookie management and login handling
• Parallel Processing: Efficient concurrent content retrieval
• Rich Data Extraction:
  • Note titles and content
  • Author information and descriptions
  • Interaction metrics (likes, favorites, comments)
  • Images and hashtags
  • Direct note links

Technical Stack

• Runtime: Node.js with TypeScript
• Browser Automation: Playwright
• Protocol: Model Context Protocol (MCP) SDK
• Validation: Zod schema validation
• Package Manager: pnpm

Data Structure

interface RedBookNote {
  title: string;        // Note title
  content: string;      // Note content
  author: string;       // Author name
  authorDesc?: string;  // Author description
  link: string;         // Note URL
  likes?: number;       // Like count
  collects?: number;    // Favorite count
  comments?: number;    // Comment count
  tags?: string[];      // Hashtag list
  images?: string[];    // Image URLs (WebP format)
}

Installation

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• pnpm package manager

Setup

1. Clone the repository:

git clone <repository-url>
cd rednote-mcp

2. Install dependencies:

pnpm install

3. Install Playwright browsers:

pnpm exec playwright install

4. Build the project:

pnpm build

Usage

Running the MCP Server

pnpm start

Development Mode

pnpm dev

Testing

pnpm test

MCP Client Configuration

Claude Desktop

Add the following configuration to your Claude Desktop config file:

Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rednote-mcp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "C:\\ABSOLUTE\\PATH\\TO\\rednote-mcp\\build\\index.js"
      ]
    }
  }
}

For macOS/Linux users:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rednote-mcp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/absolute/path/to/rednote-mcp/build/index.js"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Replace the path with your actual project directory.

Other MCP Clients

For other MCP-compatible clients, use the built server file:

node build/index.js

Tool Usage

Once configured, you can use the search tool in your MCP client:

Search for "food recommendation" on Xiaohongshu

The tool will return structured data including titles, content, author information, and images.

Important Notes

• First Run: Manual login to Xiaohongshu is required on first use
• Performance: Initial searches may take 30-60 seconds due to browser startup and content loading
• Rate Limiting: Concurrent requests are limited to 3 to avoid platform restrictions
• Image Format: Images are provided in WebP format
• Cookie Management: Login state is automatically saved and reused

Development

Project Structure

rednote-mcp/
├── src/
│   ├── index.ts          # MCP server entry point
│   └── xiaohongshu.ts    # Core scraping logic
├── cookies/              # Auto-generated cookie storage
├── results/              # Optional: saved search results
├── build/                # Compiled JavaScript output
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
└── README.md

Available Scripts

• pnpm build - Build TypeScript to JavaScript
• pnpm start - Run the built MCP server
• pnpm dev - Development mode with auto-reload
• pnpm test - Run tests (if available)
• pnpm clean - Clean build directory

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Login Required: If you see login prompts, delete the cookies/ directory and restart
2. Timeout Errors: Increase the MCP client timeout settings
3. Browser Not Found: Run pnpm exec playwright install to install browsers
4. Permission Errors: Ensure the project directory has proper read/write permissions

Debug Mode

Set environment variable for verbose logging:

DEBUG=1 pnpm start

License

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

Disclaimer

This tool is for educational and research purposes. Please respect Xiaohongshu's terms of service and rate limits when using this tool.