# Listen Notes MCP > Listen Notes MCP Server searches and retrieves podcast and episode metadata directly from the Listen Notes Podcast API. It lets your AI agent find specific episodes by keyword, check what's trending in audio content, or pull genre lists to guide research. Stop clicking through search results; just ask your agent for the data you need. ## Overview - **Category:** knowledge-management - **Price:** Free - **Tags:** podcast-search, metadata, audio-content, discovery, trending-topics ## Description Listen Notes MCP Server hooks your AI client directly into the Listen Notes Podcast API. Your agent can dig up podcast and episode metadata fast, letting you skip clicking through endless search results. You'll get all the data you need right when you ask for it. **Searching Podcasts or Episodes:** Run a keyword query across the entire database using `search_podcasts_or_episodes` to find any relevant podcasts or individual episodes. You can also check what's hot right now by pulling the list of most recent, trending search terms with `get_trending_podcast_searches`. To narrow your focus before you even start searching, use `list_podcast_genres` to get a complete rundown of all available podcast genres for filtering. **Finding Content:** The system lets you pull together lists of high-quality content. You can retrieve expert-defined collections and recommended podcasts via `get_curated_podcasts`. When you want popular stuff, `get_best_podcasts` gives you a list of top shows, and it even lets you filter those best picks by genre ID. **Viewing Show Details:** Need the full rundown on an entire show? `get_podcast_details` pulls all the comprehensive metadata for a whole podcast series, including its complete listing of available episodes. Once you've got the show details, `get_episode_details` fetches every piece of data for one specific episode using its unique ID; that includes descriptions, links, and any transcripts they got. Your agent handles all this deep-dive work: it can take a general keyword search to find an episode, then pull up the full show details to see what came out after that episode, or check the trending searches to see what other people are talking about. It keeps you in control of your research flow. ## Tools ### get_best_podcasts Retrieves a list of top podcasts, allowing you to filter by genre ID if needed. ### get_curated_podcasts Pulls pre-selected lists of recommended and high-quality podcasts from the platform. ### list_podcast_genres Lists all podcast genres available in the Listen Notes database for reference and filtering. ### get_episode_details Fetches complete metadata for one specific podcast episode using its unique identifier. ### get_podcast_details Retrieves all available information and the full list of episodes for a given podcast show. ### search_podcasts_or_episodes Searches the entire database of podcasts and episodes using a general keyword query (q). ### get_trending_podcast_searches Gets a list of the most recent search terms that are currently popular among users. ## Prompt Examples **Prompt:** ``` Search for podcast episodes about 'Quantum Computing'. ``` **Response:** ``` I've searched Listen Notes and found several episodes about Quantum Computing, including 'The Future of Tech' by Science Daily and 'Quantum Explainer' by CodeCast. ``` **Prompt:** ``` What are the trending searches on Listen Notes right now? ``` **Response:** ``` The top trending searches include 'Elections 2024', 'AI safety', 'Mental Health', and 'Productivity Hacks'. Would you like to explore results for any of these? ``` **Prompt:** ``` Get details for the podcast with ID '987654321'. ``` **Response:** ``` I've retrieved the details for the podcast 'Tech Talks'. It is published by 'Innovative Media' and has 150 episodes. The latest episode was published yesterday. ``` ## Capabilities ### Search for Podcasts or Episodes Run a keyword search across the entire Listen Notes database to find relevant podcasts or individual episodes. ### Identify Trending Topics Get a list of the most recent and currently trending search terms in podcasting. ### List Available Genres Retrieve all current podcast genres available for filtering and browsing. ### View Best-in-Genre Podcasts Get a list of highly rated or popular podcasts, optionally filtered by genre ID. ### Retrieve Curated Lists Access expert-defined lists of recommended podcasts and content collections. ### Fetch Full Episode Metadata Get all available data—including descriptions, links, and transcripts—for one specific podcast episode. ### View Podcast Show Details Retrieve comprehensive metadata about an entire show, along with its full list of episodes. ## Use Cases ### Academic Deep Dive on a Niche Topic A student needs sources on 'Biomimicry in Architecture.' They ask their agent to run `search_podcasts_or_episodes('Biomimicry')`. The server returns 12 relevant episodes. Then, the student runs `get_episode_details` on the top three results to pull full transcripts and use them for a paper. ### Monitoring Competitor Buzz A marketing professional wants to know what's hot right now in their industry. They first call `get_trending_podcast_searches` to see the top 5 keywords. Then, they run `search_podcasts_or_episodes` on one of those terms, like 'Web3 Ethics', to gauge current public interest. ### Finding High-Quality Content Quickly A podcasting client needs a new show idea. They first use `list_podcast_genres` to see available categories. Then they call `get_best_podcasts(genre_id=123)` to get a vetted list, ensuring the recommendations are high quality right out of the gate. ### Assessing an Entire Show's Scope A user likes one episode and wants to know more about the whole show. They use `get_podcast_details` on the show ID, which immediately provides the publisher info and a full list of all past episodes for background research. ## Benefits - Stop guessing what to search for. Use `get_trending_podcast_searches` first, then narrow down the results with genre lists from `list_podcast_genres`. This directs your research immediately. - Need deep data on one source? Instead of reading snippets, call `get_episode_details`. You get all the metadata—descriptions, transcripts, audio links—in one go. - When you're doing competitive analysis, use `search_podcasts_or_episodes` with specific competitor keywords. It finds mentions even if they aren't in a 'best of' list. - If you need general ideas but don't know where to start, pull together lists using `get_curated_podcasts` or check the top contenders via `get_best_podcasts` (if you provide a genre ID). - Avoid sifting through thousands of show pages. Use `get_podcast_details` once you identify a promising show to get its full episode history and publisher info instantly. - It's all about speed. Your agent handles the API calls for `search_podcasts_or_episodes`, giving you structured data immediately, not just links. ## How It Works The bottom line is, you tell your agent what you need—a topic, a genre, or a trend—and it runs the right API calls to get the raw data back. 1. Subscribe to this server and enter your Listen Notes API Key (X-ListenAPI-Key). 2. Connect your preferred AI client (Claude, Cursor, etc.) to the MCP endpoint. 3. Directly ask your agent: 'Find me an episode about X' or 'What are the top trending podcast topics?' ## Frequently Asked Questions **How do I find out what topics are currently trending using get_trending_podcast_searches?** You simply ask your agent: 'What are the top podcast trends right now?' The tool runs `get_trending_podcast_searches` and returns a list of keywords (e.g., 'AI Safety', 'Elections 2024'). You can then use one of those terms in other searches. **What's the difference between get_podcast_details and search_podcasts_or_episodes?** Use `get_podcast_details` when you know the specific podcast ID and want its full history, including all episodes. Use `search_podcasts_or_episodes` when you only have a keyword (like 'history') and need to search across potentially thousands of titles. **Can I find metadata for an episode without knowing the show ID?** Not directly. You must first use `search_podcasts_or_episodes` with keywords to locate the correct podcast, then use `get_podcast_details` to get the main show ID, and finally pass that information to `get_episode_details`. **Do I need get_curated_podcasts for general discovery?** No. If you're starting from scratch, running `list_podcast_genres` gives you the full scope of available categories, which is better than relying only on curated lists. **What do I need to authenticate my agent before using `search_podcasts_or_episodes`?** You must provide a valid Listen Notes API Key. This key needs to be passed in the request headers or environment variables for your AI client to make calls successfully. You won't be able to run any queries without it. **If I use `get_episode_details` with an ID that doesn't exist, how does the system handle the error?** The API returns a standard HTTP error code (like 404). Your agent should check this status code first. This prevents your client from trying to read metadata data that isn't there. **Before calling `get_best_podcasts`, how do I get the list of valid genre IDs?** You run `list_podcast_genres`. This tool provides a full catalog of available genres and their specific ID numbers. You then use those IDs to narrow down your search when optimizing with `get_best_podcasts`. **Are there limits on how many times I can call `search_podcasts_or_episodes` in a short time?** Yes, the API enforces usage quotas. If your workflow requires many searches, you should implement a small delay between calls or consider batching requests to avoid hitting rate limits. **Can I filter searches by audio length?** The current tools support text queries and basic sorting. For advanced filtering like audio length, you can append parameters to the search string or use specific episode details tools. **How do I find the ID of a specific genre?** Use the `list_podcast_genres` tool. It returns a full mapping of genre names to their unique numerical IDs. **Does this server provide audio download links?** Yes, the `get_episode_details` tool retrieves the metadata including available audio stream URLs and the official website links.