Podcastindex vs Podcastindex MCP
A side-by-side look at the Podcastindex and Podcastindex MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Podcastindex for podcasts work as a local process; choose Podcastindex MCP for podcasts over a hosted endpoint. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Podcastindex when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Podcasts domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
search_podcasts, get_podcast, episodes.
Choose Podcastindex MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Podcasts domain.
- You prefer a remote HTTP/SSE transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You have the keys it needs:
PODCASTINDEX_API_KEY, PODCASTINDEX_API_SECRET. - You want tools like
search_by_person, search_by_term, search_by_title.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Podcasts | Podcasts |
| Quality signal | 53/100 · Good | 55/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Remote HTTP/SSE |
| Auth | Not declared | API key required |
| Pricing | Not declared | Free |
| Required env vars | None listed | PODCASTINDEX_API_KEYPODCASTINDEX_API_SECRET |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 0 | 1 |
| Directory activity | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 3 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 4 | 18 |
| Full listing | View Podcastindex | View Podcastindex MCP |
Tools & capabilities
Podcastindex tools 4
search_podcastsPodcast search by term. Find podcasts in the open podcast database by name or keyword. Returns matching podcasts with title, author, description, categories, episode count, and artwork. Example: search_podcasts({ query: "true crime", max: 10 })get_podcastGet full metadata for a single podcast by its Podcast Index feed ID. Returns title, author, description, owner, episode count, categories, language, and artwork. Example: get_podcast({ feed_id: 920666 })episodesList recent episodes for a podcast by its Podcast Index feed ID. Returns episode title, description, publish date, duration, audio URL, and episode/season numbers. Example: episodes({ feed_id: 920666, max: 10 })trendingGet trending podcasts across the open podcast database, ranked by recent activity. Optionally filter by language or category. Returns podcast title, author, categories, artwork, and trend score. Example: trending({ max: 10, lang: "en", cat: "Technology" })
Podcastindex MCP tools 18
search_by_personSearch for episodes where a person appeared as host or guest. Returns matches across all indexed podcasts.search_by_termFull-text search across all podcasts by topic, show name, or keyword.search_by_titleSearch for podcasts by title.podcast_by_feed_urlLook up a podcast by RSS feed URL. Returns feed ID, iTunes ID, categories, last update, and feed health.podcast_by_feed_idLook up a podcast by its Podcast Index feed ID. Returns full metadata.podcast_by_itunes_idLook up a podcast by its Apple Podcasts (iTunes) ID.podcast_by_guidLook up a podcast by its `podcast:guid` tag value.trending_podcastsGet currently trending podcasts, with optional language and category filters.episodes_by_feed_idGet episodes for a specific podcast by feed ID.episode_by_idLook up a single episode by its Podcast Index episode ID.episodes_liveGet episodes that are currently live (actively streaming).recent_episodesGet the most recently published episodes across the entire index.- +6 more on the listing page
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Podcastindex
{
"mcpServers": {
"podcastindex": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pipeworx/mcp-podcastindex"
]
}
}
}
Podcastindex MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"conorbronsdon-podcastindex-mcp": {
"url": "https://mcp.transistor.fm"
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Podcastindex is categorized under Podcasts and uses a local stdio subprocess. Podcastindex MCP belongs to Podcasts and uses a remote HTTP/SSE transport. Pick Podcastindex for podcasts work and Podcastindex MCP for podcasts.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
Podcastindex has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Podcastindex MCP is listed as free. Auth: api key required. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add podcastindex and conorbronsdon-podcastindex-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Podcastindex has a quality signal of 53/100 (Good) with 1 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. Podcastindex MCP has 55/100 (Good) with 3 views, 0 installs and 1 GitHub stars.