MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Calibre Metadata Retrieval from WorldCat and Goodreads

FacetiousKnave · 01-02-2026, 03:09 PM

As of late 2024, OCLC fully decommissioned WorldCat Metadata API v1.x and
transitioned to v2.0, which strictly requires OAuth2 credentials often
limited to member institutions.

Similarly, Goodreads no longer have a public API.

However, Calibre’s internal 'Download Metadata' feature still successfully retrieves records from both WorldCat and Goodreads.

I am looking for the specific technical mechanism Calibre uses to bypass
these restrictions, since I myself would like to build a plugin with a similar functionality.

Regards.

01-02-2026, 03:09 PM	#1
FacetiousKnave Unconscionable Posts: 90 Karma: 25000 Join Date: Sep 2022 Location: Helsinki Device: Kindle	Calibre Metadata Retrieval from WorldCat and Goodreads As of late 2024, OCLC fully decommissioned WorldCat Metadata API v1.x and transitioned to v2.0, which strictly requires OAuth2 credentials often limited to member institutions. Similarly, Goodreads no longer have a public API. However, Calibre’s internal 'Download Metadata' feature still successfully retrieves records from both WorldCat and Goodreads. I am looking for the specific technical mechanism Calibre uses to bypass these restrictions, since I myself would like to build a plugin with a similar functionality. Regards.