NotebookLM CLI Expert

This skill provides comprehensive guidance for using the nlm CLI to automate Google NotebookLM workflows.

Quick Reference

nlm --help              # List all commands
nlm <command> --help    # Help for specific command
nlm --ai                # Full AI-optimized documentation
nlm --version           # Check installed version

Critical Rules (Read First!)

Always authenticate first: Run nlm login before any operations
Sessions expire in ~20 minutes: Re-run nlm login if commands start failing
--confirm is REQUIRED: All generation and delete commands need --confirm or -y
Research requires --notebook-id: The flag is mandatory, not positional
Capture IDs from output: Create/start commands return IDs needed for subsequent operations
Use aliases: Simplify long UUIDs with nlm alias set <name> <uuid>
⚠️ ALWAYS ASK USER BEFORE DELETE: Before executing ANY delete command, ask the user for explicit confirmation. Deletions are irreversible. Show what will be deleted and warn about permanent data loss.
Check aliases before creating: Run nlm alias list before creating a new alias to avoid conflicts with existing names.
DO NOT launch REPL: Never use nlm chat start - it opens an interactive REPL that AI tools cannot control. Use nlm notebook query for one-shot Q&A instead.
Choose output format wisely: Default output (no flags) is compact and token-efficient—use it for status checks. Use --quiet to capture IDs for piping. Only use --json when you need to parse specific fields programmatically.

Workflow Decision Tree

Use this to determine the right sequence of commands:

User wants to...
│
├─► Work with NotebookLM for the first time
│   └─► nlm login → nlm notebook create "Title"
│
├─► Add content to a notebook
│   ├─► From a URL/webpage → nlm source add <nb-id> --url "https://..."
│   ├─► From YouTube → nlm source add <nb-id> --url "https://youtube.com/..."
│   ├─► From pasted text → nlm source add <nb-id> --text "content" --title "Title"
│   ├─► From Google Drive → nlm source add <nb-id> --drive <doc-id> --type doc
│   └─► Discover new sources → nlm research start "query" --notebook-id <nb-id>
│
├─► Generate content from sources
│   ├─► Podcast/Audio → nlm audio create <nb-id> --confirm
│   ├─► Written summary → nlm report create <nb-id> --confirm
│   ├─► Study materials → nlm quiz/flashcards create <nb-id> --confirm
│   ├─► Visual content → nlm mindmap/slides/infographic create <nb-id> --confirm
│   ├─► Video → nlm video create <nb-id> --confirm
│   └─► Extract data → nlm data-table create <nb-id> "description" --confirm
│
├─► Ask questions about sources
│   └─► nlm notebook query <nb-id> "question"
│       (Use --conversation-id for follow-ups)
│       ⚠️ Do NOT use `nlm chat start` - it's a REPL for humans only
│
├─► Check generation status
│   └─► nlm studio status <nb-id>
│
└─► Manage/cleanup
    ├─► List notebooks → nlm notebook list
    ├─► List sources → nlm source list <nb-id>
    ├─► Delete source → nlm source delete <source-id> --confirm
    └─► Delete notebook → nlm notebook delete <nb-id> --confirm

Command Categories

1. Authentication

nlm login                    # Launch Chrome, extract cookies (primary method)
nlm login --check            # Validate current session
nlm login --profile work     # Use named profile for multiple accounts
nlm auth status              # Check if authenticated
nlm auth list                # List all profiles

Session lifetime: ~20 minutes. Re-authenticate when commands fail with auth errors.

2. Notebook Management

nlm notebook list                      # List all notebooks
nlm notebook list --json               # JSON output for parsing
nlm notebook list --quiet              # IDs only (for scripting)
nlm notebook create "Title"            # Create notebook, returns ID
nlm notebook get <id>                  # Get notebook details
nlm notebook describe <id>             # AI-generated summary + suggested topics
nlm notebook query <id> "question"     # One-shot Q&A with sources
nlm notebook rename <id> "New Title"   # Rename notebook
nlm notebook delete <id> --confirm     # PERMANENT deletion

3. Source Management

# Adding sources
nlm source add <nb-id> --url "https://..."           # Web page
nlm source add <nb-id> --url "https://youtube.com/..." # YouTube video
nlm source add <nb-id> --text "content" --title "X"  # Pasted text
nlm source add <nb-id> --drive <doc-id>              # Drive doc (auto-detect type)
nlm source add <nb-id> --drive <doc-id> --type slides # Explicit type

# Listing and viewing
nlm source list <nb-id>                # Table of sources
nlm source list <nb-id> --drive        # Show Drive sources with freshness
nlm source list <nb-id> --drive -S     # Skip freshness checks (faster)
nlm source get <source-id>             # Source metadata
nlm source describe <source-id>        # AI summary + keywords
nlm source content <source-id>         # Raw text content
nlm source content <source-id> -o file.txt  # Export to file

# Drive sync (for stale sources)
nlm source stale <nb-id>               # List outdated Drive sources
nlm source sync <nb-id> --confirm      # Sync all stale sources
nlm source sync <nb-id> --source-ids <ids> --confirm  # Sync specific

# Deletion
nlm source delete <source-id> --confirm

Drive types: doc, slides, sheets, pdf

4. Research (Source Discovery)

Research finds NEW sources from the web or Google Drive:

# Start research (--notebook-id is REQUIRED)
nlm research start "query" --notebook-id <id>              # Fast web (~30s)
nlm research start "query" --notebook-id <id> --mode deep  # Deep web (~5min)
nlm research start "query" --notebook-id <id> --source drive  # Drive search

# Check progress
nlm research status <nb-id>                   # Poll until done (5min max)
nlm research status <nb-id> --max-wait 0      # Single check, no waiting
nlm research status <nb-id> --task-id <tid>   # Check specific task
nlm research status <nb-id> --full            # Full details

# Import discovered sources
nlm research import <nb-id> <task-id>            # Import all
nlm research import <nb-id> <task-id> --indices 0,2,5  # Import specific

Modes: fast (~30s, ~10 sources) | deep (~5min, ~40+ sources, web only)

5. Content Generation (Studio)

All generation commands share these flags:

--confirm or -y: REQUIRED to execute
--source-ids <id1,id2>: Limit to specific sources
--language <code>: BCP-47 code (en, es, fr, de, ja)

# Audio (Podcast)
nlm audio create <id> --confirm
nlm audio create <id> --format deep_dive --length default --confirm
nlm audio create <id> --format brief --focus "key topic" --confirm
# Formats: deep_dive, brief, critique, debate
# Lengths: short, default, long

# Report
nlm report create <id> --confirm
nlm report create <id> --format "Study Guide" --confirm
nlm report create <id> --format "Create Your Own" --prompt "Custom..." --confirm
# Formats: "Briefing Doc", "Study Guide", "Blog Post", "Create Your Own"

# Quiz
nlm quiz create <id> --confirm
nlm quiz create <id> --count 5 --difficulty 3 --confirm
# Count: number of questions (default: 2)
# Difficulty: 1-5 (1=easy, 5=hard)

# Flashcards
nlm flashcards create <id> --confirm
nlm flashcards create <id> --difficulty hard --confirm
# Difficulty: easy, medium, hard

# Mind Map
nlm mindmap create <id> --confirm
nlm mindmap create <id> --title "Topic Overview" --confirm
nlm mindmap list <id>  # List existing mind maps

# Slides
nlm slides create <id> --confirm
nlm slides create <id> --format presenter --length short --confirm
# Formats: detailed, presenter | Lengths: short, default

# Infographic
nlm infographic create <id> --confirm
nlm infographic create <id> --orientation portrait --detail detailed --confirm
# Orientations: landscape, portrait, square
# Detail: concise, standard, detailed

# Video
nlm video create <id> --confirm
nlm video create <id> --format brief --style whiteboard --confirm
# Formats: explainer, brief
# Styles: auto_select, classic, whiteboard, kawaii, anime, watercolor, retro_print, heritage, paper_craft

# Data Table
nlm data-table create <id> "Extract all dates and events" --confirm
# DESCRIPTION is required as second argument

6. Studio (Artifact Management)

Check and manage generated content:

nlm studio status <nb-id>                          # List all artifacts
nlm studio status <nb-id> --json                   # JSON output
nlm studio delete <nb-id> <artifact-id> --confirm  # Delete artifact

Status values: completed (✓), in_progress (●), failed (✗)

7. Interactive Chat (Human Users Only)

⚠️ AI TOOLS: DO NOT USE nlm chat start - It launches an interactive REPL that cannot be controlled programmatically. Use nlm notebook query for one-shot Q&A instead.

For human users at a terminal:

nlm chat start <nb-id>  # Launch interactive REPL

REPL Commands:

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

Configure chat behavior (works for both REPL and query):

nlm chat configure <id> --goal default
nlm chat configure <id> --goal learning_guide
nlm chat configure <id> --goal custom --prompt "Act as a tutor..."
nlm chat configure <id> --response-length longer  # longer, default, shorter

8. Aliases (UUID Shortcuts)

Simplify long UUIDs:

nlm alias set myproject abc123-def456...  # Create alias (auto-detects type)
nlm alias get myproject                    # Resolve to UUID
nlm alias list                             # List all aliases
nlm alias delete myproject                 # Remove alias

# Use aliases anywhere
nlm notebook get myproject
nlm source list myproject
nlm audio create myproject --confirm

9. Configuration

nlm config show              # Show current config
nlm config get <key>         # Get specific setting
nlm config set <key> <value> # Update setting

Output Formats

Most list commands support multiple formats:

Flag	Description
(none)	Rich table (human-readable)
`--json`	JSON output (for parsing)
`--quiet`	IDs only (for piping)
`--title`	"ID: Title" format
`--url`	"ID: URL" format (sources only)
`--full`	All columns/details

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Research → Podcast Pipeline

nlm notebook create "AI Research 2026"   # Capture ID
nlm alias set ai <notebook-id>
nlm research start "agentic AI trends" --notebook-id ai --mode deep
nlm research status ai --max-wait 300    # Wait up to 5 min
nlm research import ai <task-id>         # Import all sources
nlm audio create ai --format deep_dive --confirm
nlm studio status ai                     # Check generation progress

Pattern 2: Quick Content Ingestion

nlm source add <id> --url "https://example1.com"
nlm source add <id> --url "https://example2.com"
nlm source add <id> --text "My notes..." --title "Notes"
nlm source list <id>

Pattern 3: Study Materials Generation

nlm report create <id> --format "Study Guide" --confirm
nlm quiz create <id> --count 10 --difficulty 3 --confirm
nlm flashcards create <id> --difficulty medium --confirm

Pattern 4: Drive Document Workflow

nlm source add <id> --drive 1KQH3eW0hMBp7WK... --type slides
# ... time passes, document is edited ...
nlm source stale <id>                    # Check freshness
nlm source sync <id> --confirm           # Sync if stale

Error Recovery

Error	Cause	Solution
"Cookies have expired"	Session timeout	`nlm login`
"authentication may have expired"	Session timeout	`nlm login`
"Notebook not found"	Invalid ID	`nlm notebook list`
"Source not found"	Invalid ID	`nlm source list <nb-id>`
"Rate limit exceeded"	Too many calls	Wait 30s, retry
"Research already in progress"	Pending research	Use `--force` or import first
Chrome doesn't launch	Port conflict	Close Chrome, retry

Rate Limiting

Wait between operations to avoid rate limits:

Source operations: 2 seconds
Content generation: 5 seconds
Research operations: 2 seconds
Query operations: 2 seconds

Advanced Reference

For detailed information, see:

references/command_reference.md: Complete command signatures
references/troubleshooting.md: Detailed error handling
references/workflows.md: End-to-end task sequences

nlm-cli-skill