# conorbronsdon/podcastindex-mcp [Health: Active]

**Category:** 🎙️ Podcasts  
**Repository:** https://github.com/conorbronsdon/podcastindex-mcp  
**GitHub Stars:** 1  
**Views:** 3  
**Installs:** 0  
**Upvotes:** 0  
**Directory Page:** https://allmcps.com/mcp/conorbronsdon-podcastindex-mcp

## Description
Search the Podcast Index: podcasts, episodes, guest appearances by person, trending shows, and feed health.

## Tools
Capabilities this server exposes over MCP:

- **search_by_person** — Search for episodes where a person appeared as host or guest. Returns matches across all indexed podcasts.
- **search_by_term** — Full-text search across all podcasts by topic, show name, or keyword.
- **search_by_title** — Search for podcasts by title.
- **podcast_by_feed_url** — Look up a podcast by RSS feed URL. Returns feed ID, iTunes ID, categories, last update, and feed health.
- **podcast_by_feed_id** — Look up a podcast by its Podcast Index feed ID. Returns full metadata.
- **podcast_by_itunes_id** — Look up a podcast by its Apple Podcasts (iTunes) ID.
- **podcast_by_guid** — Look up a podcast by its `podcast:guid` tag value.
- **trending_podcasts** — Get currently trending podcasts, with optional language and category filters.
- **episodes_by_feed_id** — Get episodes for a specific podcast by feed ID.
- **episode_by_id** — Look up a single episode by its Podcast Index episode ID.
- **episodes_live** — Get episodes that are currently live (actively streaming).
- **recent_episodes** — Get the most recently published episodes across the entire index.
- **recent_feeds** — Get the most recently updated podcast feeds across the index.
- **recent_new_feeds** — Get podcast feeds newly added to the index.
- **value_by_feed_id** — Get value4value (lightning payment) info for a podcast by feed ID.
- **value_by_feed_url** — Get value4value (lightning payment) info for a podcast by feed URL.
- **categories_list** — Get the full list of Podcast Index categories and their IDs.
- **stats_current** — Get current aggregate statistics for the Podcast Index.

## Claude Desktop Quick Installation
Remote MCP endpoint (confidence: high). Install path detected from listing signals. Add as a URL/SSE server in your client:

```json
"mcpServers": {
  "podcastindex-mcp": {
    "url": "https://mcp.transistor.fm"
  }
}
```

## Documentation

## What conorbronsdon/podcastindex-mcp MCP server does

conorbronsdon/podcastindex-mcp MCP server exposes the Podcast Index API through read-only MCP tools. It can find episodes featuring a particular person, search indexed podcasts by topic or keyword, and locate shows by title. It also resolves podcasts through RSS feed URLs, Podcast Index feed IDs, Apple Podcasts IDs, or `podcast:guid` values.

The server covers discovery and inspection tasks across the index. Agents can retrieve a podcast's metadata, categories, update information, and feed health; list episodes for a feed; inspect an individual episode; and find currently live, recently published, recently updated, or newly added content. Additional tools return trending podcasts, category IDs, value4value payment details, and current aggregate Podcast Index statistics.

## How it works

Each MCP tool is a thin wrapper around a Podcast Index API operation. The server communicates over the standard local process configuration shown for MCP clients, while the API supplies the underlying podcast and episode data. All exposed tools are marked read-only, so calls do not change podcasts, feeds, episodes, or account data.

Search tools support different discovery paths: `search_by_person` finds appearances where someone was a host or guest, `search_by_term` performs full-text discovery, and `search_by_title` searches podcast names. Lookup tools accept identifiers appropriate to the selected endpoint, including feed URL, feed ID, iTunes ID, GUID, or episode ID.

API failures are returned as MCP error responses. Internally, the project distinguishes authentication, rate-limit, validation, not-found, and server failures so error messages can identify the type of problem rather than reporting only a generic API failure.

## Setup and configuration

Running conorbronsdon/podcastindex-mcp requires Node.js 18 or newer and free Podcast Index API credentials. The repository setup flow is:

1. Clone the repository.
2. Run `npm install`.
3. Run `npm run build`.
4. Start the compiled `build/index.js` from the MCP client's server configuration.

Set these environment variables in the client configuration:

- `PODCASTINDEX_API_KEY`
- `PODCASTINDEX_API_SECRET`

Both launch the built Node.js entry point and pass the credentials through the server environment.

## Tools and capabilities

The available tool groups include:

- Person, term, and title search across indexed podcasts.
- Podcast lookup by feed URL, feed ID, Apple Podcasts ID, or GUID.
- Trending podcasts with optional language and category filters.
- Episode lists by feed, individual episode lookup, and live episode discovery.
- Recent episodes, recently updated feeds, and newly indexed feeds.
- Value4value information by feed ID or feed URL.
- Podcast Index category listings and current aggregate statistics.

These capabilities fit research workflows such as locating guest appearances, finding shows by subject, checking whether a feed is healthy, reviewing a show's recent episodes, or examining current directory trends. They do not provide publishing, editing, or analytics-management operations.

## Limitations and notes

conorbronsdon/podcastindex-mcp MCP server depends on the availability, coverage, rate limits, and response behavior of the Podcast Index API. API credentials are required even though the project uses the free API access described in its prerequisites. Results shown in the repository's demonstration are sample data, not guaranteed live responses.

The server is intentionally read-only. It cannot publish episodes, modify feed metadata, manage podcast accounts, or provide platform-specific listener analytics. The repository is an independent project and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the Podcast Index.

_Full upstream README: https://allmcps.com/mcp/conorbronsdon-podcastindex-mcp/readme_