PodcastIndex MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for the PodcastIndex.org API. Search podcasts, discover trending shows, find episodes, explore Value4Value monetization, and more.

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🚧 Dev Branch: MCP Apps Support

This branch extends the PodcastIndex MCP server to support MCP Apps — the new feature in the MCP ecosystem.

Vision

Explore how podcast discovery and interaction could be delivered as a full MCP App experience rather than just a tool/server integration. This project aims to be an early mover on MCP Apps and demonstrate the pattern for others building in the ecosystem.

Goals

• Build on the existing Podcast Index MCP server codebase
• Implement MCP Apps support for rich podcast discovery UX
• Enable interactive podcast browsing, search, and playback control as an app experience
• Serve as a reference implementation for the MCP Apps pattern

Dev Tooling

This branch is built and managed using:

• claude-flow — Multi-agent orchestration framework
• beads — Issue tracking and project management

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Features

• 25+ MCP Tools covering all major PodcastIndex API endpoints
• Search - Find podcasts by term, title, or person (hosts/guests)
• Podcasts - Get details by feed ID, URL, iTunes ID, GUID, or browse trending/dead feeds
• Episodes - Fetch by feed, episode ID, GUID, or discover live/random episodes
• Recent - Get recently updated episodes, feeds, and new feeds
• Value4Value - Explore podcast monetization info (no auth required)
• Stats & Categories - Current index statistics and category listings
• Hub Notifications - PubSubHubbub notifications

Quick Start

Get API Credentials (Free)

1. Visit https://api.podcastindex.org/
2. Create a free account
3. Generate your API Key and Secret

Install for Claude Desktop

Add to your Claude Desktop configuration file:

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "podcastindex": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "github:cclawton/podcastindex-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "PODCASTINDEX_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here",
        "PODCASTINDEX_API_SECRET": "your-api-secret-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

This installs directly from GitHub - no npm registry needed.

Restart Claude Desktop after adding the configuration.

Install from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/cclawton/podcastindex-mcp-server.git
cd podcastindex-mcp-server

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build
npm run build

# Set environment variables
export PODCASTINDEX_API_KEY="your-api-key"
export PODCASTINDEX_API_SECRET="your-api-secret"

# Run
npm start

For Claude Desktop with local installation:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "podcastindex": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/podcastindex-mcp-server/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "PODCASTINDEX_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here",
        "PODCASTINDEX_API_SECRET": "your-api-secret-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

Search Tools

Tool	Description
podcast_search_byterm	Search podcasts across title, author, owner, and description
podcast_search_bytitle	Search podcasts by title only
podcast_search_byperson	Find episodes featuring a specific person
podcast_search_music	Search for music podcasts

Podcast Tools

Tool	Description
podcast_get_byfeedid	Get podcast by PodcastIndex feed ID
podcast_get_byfeedurl	Get podcast by feed URL
podcast_get_byitunesid	Get podcast by iTunes/Apple Podcasts ID
podcast_get_byguid	Get podcast by GUID
podcast_get_trending	Get trending podcasts (filter by language/category)
podcast_get_dead	Get list of dead/inactive podcast feeds

Episode Tools

Tool	Description
episodes_get_byfeedid	Get episodes by podcast feed ID
episodes_get_byfeedurl	Get episodes by podcast feed URL
episodes_get_byid	Get a single episode by ID
episodes_get_byguid	Get episode by GUID
episodes_get_live	Get currently live streaming episodes
episodes_get_random	Get random episodes

Recent Content Tools

Tool	Description
recent_episodes	Get recently updated episodes
recent_feeds	Get recently updated podcast feeds
recent_newfeeds	Get newly added podcast feeds

Value4Value Tools (No Auth Required)

Tool	Description
value_get_byfeedid	Get Value4Value info by feed ID
value_get_byfeedurl	Get Value4Value info by feed URL
value_get_bypodcastguid	Get Value4Value info by podcast GUID

Stats & Categories

Tool	Description
stats_current	Get current PodcastIndex statistics
categories_list	List all podcast categories

Hub Notifications (No Auth Required)

Tool	Description
hub_pubnotify	Send PubSubHubbub notification

Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Description
PODCASTINDEX_API_KEY	Yes*	Your PodcastIndex API key
PODCASTINDEX_API_SECRET	Yes*	Your PodcastIndex API secret
PODCASTINDEX_USER_AGENT	No	Custom user agent (default: "PodcastIndexMCPServer/1.0.0")

*Required for authenticated endpoints. Value4Value and Hub tools work without credentials.

Example Usage in Claude

Once configured, you can ask Claude things like:

• "Search for podcasts about AI and machine learning"
• "What are the trending podcasts right now?"
• "Find episodes featuring Joe Rogan"
• "Get the Value4Value information for podcast ID 920666"
• "Show me recently updated podcast feeds"
• "What are all the podcast categories available?"

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build TypeScript
npm run build

# Watch mode for development
npm run dev

# Clean build artifacts
npm run clean

Requirements

• Node.js 18.0.0 or higher
• npm 9.0.0 or higher

License

MIT

Links

• PodcastIndex.org
• PodcastIndex API Documentation
• Get Free API Credentials
• Model Context Protocol