# Book search plugin for Obsidian A plugin that fetches book metadata. This plugin makes it a breeze to download book metadata from the Web. It generates notes for books you import, using a pre-configured template This plugin uses the Google Books API to download book metadata and cover. Once fetched, it automatically creates a note for the book. This plugin is compatible with the [[Templater plugin for Obsidian]]. ## How to add an API key to bypass rate limits If the plugin fails to fetch book metadata, it might be that you have hit the free API rate limits, and need to add an API key. Here's how to create and use one: - Create a project on [Google Cloud](https://console.cloud.google.com/projectcreate) - Enable the Books API for your project using the [Books API page](https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/library/books.googleapis.com) - Create an API key for your Google Cloud project using the [Google Cloud Credentials](https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/credentials) page - To limit the security risks of losing that key, you can edit it, and click on "Restrict key" under "API restrictions", then select only the "Books API" API - Add the API key to the settings of the Book Search plugin, under "Set API Key" - Once added, click on "Save", then "API Check" ## Maintenance status Checked on 2026-10-09: the last release is 0.7.5 (2024-10-16). No new release in more than 12 months doesn't mean the plugin is broken. Many small plugins are simply done: they do one thing and keep working as long as Obsidian's APIs don't change. It's enabled in my own vault and still loads and works fine on Obsidian 1.14.4. Still, keep an eye on it after major Obsidian updates. ## References - Source code and documentation: https://github.com/anpigon/obsidian-book-search-plugin - Supported template variables: https://github.com/anpigon/obsidian-book-search-plugin?tab=readme-ov-file#template-variables-definitions ## Related - [[Obsidian Starter Kit]] - [[How I manage books and summaries in Obsidian]]