Genius

What the Genius MCP server does

Genius MCP server exposes selected Genius API data through MCP tools. It covers song, artist, and album metadata, keyword search, and Genius annotation descriptions. Returned song information can include titles, IDs, artist and album details, release information, pageviews, Genius URLs, and about text. Artist results can include names, follower counts, alternate names, and descriptions.

The service is suited to agents that need to identify music, inspect an artist’s catalog, or assemble metadata for a music-related workflow. It does not provide lyric text because the Genius API does not return it under its licensing model.

How it works

A client can connect to the Pipeworx Genius endpoint at https://gateway.pipeworx.io/genius/mcp, or run the package locally over standard input and output. The gateway route supplies the pack tools and also adds shared Pipeworx meta-tools, including routing and discovery functions. A local process exposes only the Genius pack tools and does not require a Pipeworx account.

Requests use the Genius API at https://api.genius.com. Gateway calls can use the platform credential when no _apiKey argument is supplied. Callers that have their own Genius Client Access Token can provide it through the optional _apiKey parameter; the token is sent as a Bearer authorization value.

Setup and configuration

For a gateway connection, add the MCP URL to a compatible client:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "genius": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/genius/mcp"
    }
  }
}

For a local connection, configure the package as an stdio command:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "genius": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pipeworx/mcp-genius"]
    }
  }
}

The local command can also be started directly with npx -y @pipeworx/mcp-genius. No environment variable is documented as required. A personal token is optional on each tool call, and can be obtained by registering a free Genius Client Access Token.

Tools and capabilities

The Genius MCP server provides four pack-specific tools:

• search(query, limit?) finds songs matching a keyword query and returns metadata hits.
• get_song(id) retrieves song metadata, including title, artist, album, release, pageviews, and about text.
• get_artist(id) retrieves artist details such as name, followers, alternate names, and about text.
• artist_songs(artist_id, limit?) lists an artist’s songs, ordered by popularity.

The gateway also supports plain-language requests through ask_pipeworx, which selects a tool and fills its arguments. Direct HTTP calls are available through the gateway’s tool endpoint for clients that do not use MCP.

Limitations and notes

Lyric text is not returned. The gateway pack endpoint lists shared Pipeworx meta-tools in addition to the four Genius tools, so its tool count is larger than the local package’s count. The full Pipeworx gateway exposes all catalog packs directly, while ask_pipeworx can route to other sources from either gateway URL. The project is released under the MIT license.