Transistor MCP Server

An MCP server for the Transistor.fm API. Manage podcasts, episodes, analytics, transcripts, and webhooks from your AI agent.

[!IMPORTANT] Transistor now ships an official MCP server: mcp.transistor.fm. It's remote (no install), authenticates with OAuth instead of an API key, and is maintained by the Transistor team as the basis for their upcoming API v2. For most people it's the better choice — start there.

With the official server available, this community server is no longer actively maintained. It still works, and it remains useful if you specifically want a local, API-key-based server (for example, in headless or automated environments where an OAuth browser flow is awkward). Bug-fix PRs are welcome; feature requests are better directed at the official server.

Demo: get_episode tool call and response

This MCP server provides tools to interact with the Transistor.fm API, allowing you to manage podcasts, episodes, and view analytics. The data shown in the demo above is sample data, not real account values.

Fork notice: The original server was built by Guido X Jansen (gxjansen/Transistor-MCP). The full-API-parity pass (all documented params, response trimming, search), the get_download_summary and compare_episodes analytics tools, ISO date handling, and transcript support were contributed here and have since been merged upstream. This repository is a packaged, npm-published build (transistor-mcp). The MIT license and original copyright are preserved in LICENSE.

About

Built by Conor Bronsdon for the Chain of Thought podcast production workflow, where it handled episode creation, transcript uploads, and analytics pulls before the official server shipped. Conor hosts Chain of Thought, a show about AI infrastructure and how practitioners actually build with it. More tools for creators live in ai-tools-for-creators. Find Conor on X at @ConorBronsdon.

Companion tools:

substack-mcp: read posts and manage Substack drafts
podcastindex-mcp: search the Podcast Index and track guest appearances
op3-mcp: report downloads, listener geography, and apps from OP3
apple-podcasts-mcp: pull plays, followers, and per-episode listening from Apple Podcasts Connect
gsc-mcp: query search performance, keywords, and sitemaps in Google Search Console
podcast-benchmark: benchmark a show against its peers using only public data

Configuration

Prefer the official server? No install needed. Add it to Claude Code with:

Terminal

claude mcp add --transport http transistor https://mcp.transistor.fm

Then run /mcp to sign in to Transistor. Other MCP clients that support remote servers with OAuth can point at https://mcp.transistor.fm directly.

To run this community server instead, add it to your MCP settings configuration file with your Transistor API key:

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "transistor": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "transistor-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "TRANSISTOR_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Or run from a local clone (after npm install && npm run build):

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "transistor": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["path/to/Transistor-MCP/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "TRANSISTOR_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

get_authenticated_user

Get details of the authenticated user account.

config.json

{
  // No parameters needed
}

authorize_upload

Get a pre-signed URL for uploading an audio file. Use this before creating an episode with a local audio file.

config.json

{
  "filename": string  // Required: Name of the audio file to upload
}

Response includes:

upload_url: Pre-signed S3 URL for uploading the file
content_type: Content type to use when uploading (e.g., "audio/mpeg")
expires_in: Time in seconds until the upload URL expires
audio_url: Final URL to use when creating the episode

list_shows

List all shows in your Transistor.fm account, ordered by updated date (newest first). Returns a paginated list with 10 items per page.

config.json

{
  "page": number,     // Optional, defaults to 0 (first page)
  "per": number,      // Optional, defaults to 10 items per page
  "private": boolean, // Optional: filter for private shows
  "query": string     // Optional: search query
}

Note: All parameters are optional. Calling this endpoint without parameters will return the first page of shows.

list_episodes

List episodes for a specific show.

config.json

{
  "show_id": string,  // Required
  "page": number,     // Optional, defaults to 0
  "per": number,      // Optional, defaults to 10
  "query": string,    // Optional: search query
  "status": string,   // Optional: "published", "draft", or "scheduled"
  "order": string     // Optional: "desc" (newest first) or "asc" (oldest first), defaults to "desc"
}

get_episode

Get detailed information about a specific episode.

config.json

{
  "episode_id": string,           // Required
  "include": string[],           // Optional: array of related resources to include
  "fields": {                    // Optional: sparse fieldsets
    "episode": string[],         // Fields to include for episode
    "show": string[]            // Fields to include for show
  }
}

get_analytics

Get analytics for a show or specific episode. Defaults to the last 14 days if no dates are provided.

config.json

{
  "show_id": string,            // Required
  "episode_id": string,         // Optional: include for episode-specific analytics
  "start_date": string,         // Optional: format "dd-mm-yyyy", required if end_date is provided
  "end_date": string           // Optional: format "dd-mm-yyyy", required if start_date is provided
}

create_episode

Create a new episode.

config.json

{
  "show_id": string,               // Required
  "title": string,                 // Required
  "audio_url": string,             // Required
  "summary": string,               // Optional
  "description": string,           // Optional: may contain HTML
  "transcript_text": string,       // Optional: full episode transcript
  "author": string,               // Optional
  "explicit": boolean,            // Optional
  "image_url": string,            // Optional: episode artwork
  "keywords": string,             // Optional: comma-separated list
  "number": number,               // Optional: episode number
  "season_number": number,        // Optional
  "type": string,                // Optional: "full", "trailer", or "bonus"
  "alternate_url": string,       // Optional: override share_url
  "video_url": string,           // Optional: YouTube URL
  "email_notifications": boolean, // Optional: override show setting
  "increment_number": boolean     // Optional: auto-set next episode number
}

update_episode

Update an existing episode.

config.json

{
  "episode_id": string,           // Required
  "title": string,               // Optional
  "summary": string,             // Optional
  "description": string,         // Optional: may contain HTML
  "transcript_text": string,     // Optional: full episode transcript
  "author": string,             // Optional
  "explicit": boolean,          // Optional
  "image_url": string,          // Optional: episode artwork
  "keywords": string,           // Optional: comma-separated list
  "number": number,             // Optional: episode number
  "season_number": number,      // Optional
  "type": string,              // Optional: "full", "trailer", or "bonus"
  "alternate_url": string,     // Optional: override share_url
  "video_url": string,         // Optional: YouTube URL
  "email_notifications": boolean // Optional: override show setting
}

get_all_episode_analytics

Get analytics for all episodes of a show. Defaults to the last 7 days if no dates are provided.

config.json

{
  "show_id": string,            // Required
  "start_date": string,         // Optional: format "dd-mm-yyyy", required if end_date is provided
  "end_date": string           // Optional: format "dd-mm-yyyy", required if start_date is provided
}

list_webhooks

List all webhooks for a show.

config.json

{
  "show_id": string            // Required
}

subscribe_webhook

Subscribe to a webhook for a show.

config.json

{
  "event_name": string,        // Required: e.g., "episode_created"
  "show_id": string,          // Required
  "url": string              // Required: URL to receive webhook events
}

unsubscribe_webhook

Unsubscribe from a webhook.

config.json

{
  "webhook_id": string        // Required
}

Typed errors

Tool calls that fail against the Transistor.fm API return a status-specific, human-readable message via isError: true rather than a generic Axios error. Internally, TransistorApiClient maps every HTTP failure — authentication (401/403), rate limiting (429), validation (400), not found (404), and server errors (5xx) — to a typed error class in a single response interceptor (see src/errors.ts), so the message you see always names the failure mode and, for auth errors, points at the TRANSISTOR_API_KEY environment variable.

Important Notes

API requests are rate-limited to 10 requests per 10 seconds (as prescribed by the (https://developers.transistor.fm/#:~:text=API%20requests%20are%20rate%2Dlimited,to%20use%20the%20API%20again.)[Transistor API reference])
Dates must be in "dd-mm-yyyy" format
Page numbers start at 0
All endpoints support:
- Sparse fieldsets: Specify which fields to return using fields[resource_type][]
- Including related resources: Use include[] to fetch related resources in a single request
Include arrays use the format ["resource_name"]
Fields objects specify which fields to return for each resource type
All tools return data in JSONAPI format with proper relationships and metadata

Example Usage

List shows:

server.ts

// List first page of shows (default behavior)
const result = await use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "transistor",
  tool_name: "list_shows",
  arguments: {}
});

// List shows with pagination and filtering
const resultWithParams = await use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "transistor",
  tool_name: "list_shows",
  arguments: {
    page: 1,
    per: 20,
    private: true,
    query: "podcast"
  }
});

Get episode details:

server.ts

const result = await use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "transistor",
  tool_name: "get_episode",
  arguments: {
    episode_id: "123456",
    include: ["show"],
    fields: {
      episode: ["title", "summary", "description"],
      show: ["title"]
    }
  }
});

Get show analytics:

server.ts

// Get analytics for the last 14 days (default behavior)
const result = await use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "transistor",
  tool_name: "get_analytics",
  arguments: {
    show_id: "123456"
  }
});

// Get analytics for a specific date range
const resultWithDates = await use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "transistor",
  tool_name: "get_analytics",
  arguments: {
    show_id: "123456",
    start_date: "01-01-2024",
    end_date: "31-01-2024"
  }
});

// Get analytics for a specific episode
const episodeAnalytics = await use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "transistor",
  tool_name: "get_analytics",
  arguments: {
    show_id: "123456",
    episode_id: "789012",
    start_date: "01-01-2024",
    end_date: "31-01-2024"
  }
});

Update episode:

server.ts

const result = await use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "transistor",
  tool_name: "update_episode",
  arguments: {
    episode_id: "123456",
    title: "Updated Episode Title",
    summary: "New episode summary",
    description: "New detailed description",
    season_number: 2,
    episode_number: 5
  }
});

Get all episode analytics:

server.ts

// Get analytics for all episodes for the last 7 days (default behavior)
const result = await use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "transistor",
  tool_name: "get_all_episode_analytics",
  arguments: {
    show_id: "123456"
  }
});

// Get analytics for all episodes for a specific date range
const resultWithDates = await use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "transistor",
  tool_name: "get_all_episode_analytics",
  arguments: {
    show_id: "123456",
    start_date: "01-01-2024",
    end_date: "31-01-2024"
  }
});

Manage webhooks:

server.ts

// List webhooks
const webhooks = await use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "transistor",
  tool_name: "list_webhooks",
  arguments: {
    show_id: "123456"
  }
});

// Subscribe to webhook
const subscription = await use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "transistor",
  tool_name: "subscribe_webhook",
  arguments: {
    event_name: "episode_created",
    show_id: "123456",
    url: "https://your-webhook-endpoint.com/hook"
  }
});

// Unsubscribe from webhook
const unsubscribe = await use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "transistor",
  tool_name: "unsubscribe_webhook",
  arguments: {
    webhook_id: "webhook123"
  }
});

Get authenticated user:

server.ts

const result = await use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "transistor",
  tool_name: "get_authenticated_user",
  arguments: {}
});

Authorize audio file upload:

server.ts

// First, get a pre-signed upload URL
const auth = await use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "transistor",
  tool_name: "authorize_upload",
  arguments: {
    filename: "my-episode.mp3"
  }
});

// Then use the returned upload_url to upload your file via PUT request
// Finally, use the returned audio_url when creating your episode:
const episode = await use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "transistor",
  tool_name: "create_episode",
  arguments: {
    show_id: "123456",
    title: "My New Episode",
    audio_url: auth.data.attributes.audio_url
  }
});

publish_episode

Publish, schedule, or unpublish an episode.

config.json

{
  "episode_id": string,          // Required
  "status": string,              // Required: "published", "scheduled", or "draft"
  "published_at": string         // Optional: date/time in the podcast's time zone (required for "scheduled")
}

get_show

Get details of a single show.

config.json

{
  "show_id": string              // Required
}

update_show

Update a show's metadata.

config.json

{
  "show_id": string,             // Required
  "author": string,              // Optional
  "category": string,            // Optional: primary podcast category
  "copyright": string,           // Optional
  "description": string,         // Optional
  "explicit": boolean,           // Optional
  "image_url": string,           // Optional: show artwork URL
  "keywords": string,            // Optional: comma-separated
  "language": string,            // Optional: e.g. "en"
  "owner_email": string,         // Optional
  "secondary_category": string,  // Optional
  "show_type": string,           // Optional: "episodic" or "serial"
  "title": string,               // Optional
  "time_zone": string,           // Optional
  "website": string              // Optional
}

list_subscribers

List subscribers for a private podcast.

config.json

{
  "show_id": string,             // Required
  "page": number,                // Optional
  "per": number,                 // Optional
  "query": string                // Optional: search filter
}

get_subscriber

Get details of a single subscriber.

config.json

{
  "subscriber_id": string        // Required
}

create_subscriber

Add a subscriber to a private podcast.

config.json

{
  "show_id": string,             // Required
  "email": string,               // Required
  "skip_welcome_email": boolean  // Optional (default false)
}

create_subscribers_batch

Add multiple subscribers at once.

config.json

{
  "show_id": string,             // Required
  "emails": string[],            // Required: array of email addresses
  "skip_welcome_email": boolean  // Optional (default false)
}

update_subscriber

Update a subscriber's email address.

config.json

{
  "subscriber_id": string,       // Required
  "email": string                // Required: new email address
}

delete_subscriber

Delete a subscriber by ID or by show + email.

config.json

{
  "subscriber_id": string,       // Optional: delete by subscriber ID
  "show_id": string,             // Optional: use with email instead of subscriber_id
  "email": string                // Optional: use with show_id instead of subscriber_id
}

Contributing

This server is in maintenance mode now that the official Transistor MCP exists. Bug reports and bug-fix PRs are still welcome: open an issue with the tool name and the request you were trying to make, or fork the repo, run npm install && npm run build, and open a PR describing what changed and why. New-feature requests are better directed at the official server, which Transistor is actively developing.

Disclaimer

All views, opinions, and statements expressed on this account are solely my own and are made in my personal capacity. They do not reflect, and should not be construed as reflecting, the views, positions, or policies of Modular. This account is not affiliated with, authorized by, or endorsed by Modular in any way.

License

MIT. This is a fork of gxjansen/Transistor-MCP; the original copyright by Guido X Jansen is preserved in LICENSE.