Pocket Casts MCP Server (Connect Claude, ChatGPT, or Cursor)

The Pocket Casts MCP server lets an AI assistant such as Claude, ChatGPT, or Cursor search the Pocket Casts podcast catalog for you. Once it’s connected, you can ask your assistant in plain language to find podcasts or episodes on a topic, show what’s trending, browse categories and editorial picks, or list a podcast’s recent episodes. It is free, public, and read-only: it does not connect to your Pocket Casts account.

MCP stands for Model Context Protocol, an open standard that lets AI assistants use outside tools. You can also find the setup steps on the Pocket Casts for LLMs page.

• Endpoint (server URL): https://mcp.pocketcasts.com
• Transport: Streamable HTTP
• Authentication: None. There is no sign-in, API key, or OAuth step. If your AI assistant asks you to authenticate or sign in to Pocket Casts, skip it: the server works without it.
• Cost: Free for everyone. You don’t need a Pocket Casts account or a Plus or Patron subscription.

1. Open your Claude MCP config file, claude_desktop_config.json:
   macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
   Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
   Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
2. Add this to the file:
   {"mcpServers": {"pocketcasts": {"url": "https://mcp.pocketcasts.com"}}}
3. Restart Claude.

If you use Claude Code (the Claude command-line tool), you can add the server with one command instead: claude mcp add --transport http pocketcasts https://mcp.pocketcasts.com

Connect Pocket Casts to ChatGPT using Connectors:

1. In ChatGPT, go to Settings → Apps & Connectors and enable developer mode.
2. Open Settings → Connectors → Create.
3. Enter https://mcp.pocketcasts.com as the Connector URL.
4. Save, then open a new chat and add the connector from the + menu.

Add the server in Cursor’s MCP settings, or add this to your Cursor MCP config file:

{"mcpServers": {"pocketcasts": {"url": "https://mcp.pocketcasts.com"}}}

Use ~/.cursor/mcp.json to make it available in every project, or .cursor/mcp.json inside a project folder to add it to that project only.

Any MCP client that supports Streamable HTTP can connect directly. Use the endpoint https://mcp.pocketcasts.com with no authentication. See your client’s own documentation for where to add a remote MCP server.

Once connected, your AI assistant can:

• Search for podcasts by topic, title, creator, or keyword, optionally in a specific language.
• Search for episodes about a specific topic or conversation.
• Get details about a podcast and list its recent episodes.
• Show trending podcasts and Pocket Casts’ featured editorial picks.
• Browse Discover categories such as News, Technology, or Science.

Results include links to the podcast or episode on Pocket Casts, which you can open to listen.

Example prompts to try:

• “Find me a podcast like Hardcore History but shorter.”
• “Show me popular true crime podcasts in Spanish.”
• “Browse the science category and recommend three I should try.”
• “Get the recent episodes of This American Life.”

The MCP server only searches the public podcast catalog. Because it doesn’t connect to your Pocket Casts account, it cannot:

• See or change your subscriptions (followed podcasts), Up Next queue, playlists, listening history, bookmarks, or starred episodes.
• Follow or unfollow podcasts, or add episodes to Up Next, for you.
• Play episodes. Open the Pocket Casts link your assistant gives you to listen in the app or Web Player.
• Fetch episode transcripts.
• See or change your account, Plus or Patron subscription, or billing.
• Show trending podcasts, featured picks, or categories for a specific country or region. These lists are global.

Use of the MCP server is subject to the Pocket Casts Terms of Use. Rate limits may apply and can change over time. For questions or partnership enquiries, contact our support team.