Pocket Casts MCP Server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that connects to the Pocket Casts podcast app, allowing AI assistants to search, browse, and manage your podcast library.

Note: This uses the unofficial Pocket Casts API. There is no official public API — this server relies on reverse-engineered endpoints used by community projects.

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• A Pocket Casts account (email & password)

Installation

Remote (npx — no clone required)

Run the server directly without installing anything locally:

npx pocketcasts-mcp

Claude Desktop

Add to your config file:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pocketcasts": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "pocketcasts-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "POCKETCASTS_EMAIL": "your@email.com",
        "POCKETCASTS_PASSWORD": "your-password"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Code

claude mcp add pocketcasts \
  -e POCKETCASTS_EMAIL=your@email.com \
  -e POCKETCASTS_PASSWORD=your-password \
  -s user \
  -- npx -y pocketcasts-mcp

The -s user flag makes the server available across all your projects. Omit it to scope to the current project only.

Global install (alternative)

Install once, then reference the command directly:

npm install -g pocketcasts-mcp

Then use pocketcasts-mcp as the command instead of npx -y pocketcasts-mcp in the configs above.

---

Local (from source)

Clone and build the server yourself:

git clone https://github.com/essoen/PocketCasts-mcp.git
cd PocketCasts-mcp
npm install
npm run build

Claude Desktop

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pocketcasts": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/PocketCasts-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "POCKETCASTS_EMAIL": "your@email.com",
        "POCKETCASTS_PASSWORD": "your-password"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Code

claude mcp add pocketcasts \
  -e POCKETCASTS_EMAIL=your@email.com \
  -e POCKETCASTS_PASSWORD=your-password \
  -s user \
  -- node /absolute/path/to/PocketCasts-mcp/dist/index.js

Cursor / VS Code

Add to .cursor/mcp.json or .vscode/mcp.json in your project:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pocketcasts": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/PocketCasts-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "POCKETCASTS_EMAIL": "your@email.com",
        "POCKETCASTS_PASSWORD": "your-password"
      }
    }
  }
}

Or with npx (no local clone needed):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pocketcasts": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "pocketcasts-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "POCKETCASTS_EMAIL": "your@email.com",
        "POCKETCASTS_PASSWORD": "your-password"
      }
    }
  }
}

---

Configuration

The server requires two environment variables:

Variable	Description
POCKETCASTS_EMAIL	Your Pocket Casts account email
POCKETCASTS_PASSWORD	Your Pocket Casts account password

These can be set via:

• The env block in your MCP client config (recommended)
• Your shell profile (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, etc.)
• A .env file in your project (if your MCP client supports it)

Security: Never commit files containing your credentials to version control. If using a .env file, ensure it is listed in .gitignore. Avoid storing passwords in config files that may be synced or backed up to cloud services.

Available Tools

Discovery

Tool	Description
search_podcasts	Search for podcasts by keyword or title
get_top_charts	Get top-ranked podcasts
get_trending	Get currently trending podcasts
get_featured	Get featured podcasts

Library

Tool	Description
get_subscriptions	List all subscribed podcasts

Episodes

Tool	Description
get_podcast_episodes	List episodes for a podcast (sorted newest or oldest)
get_episode_notes	Get show notes for an episode
get_new_releases	Get new episodes from subscriptions
get_in_progress	Get partially-listened episodes
get_starred	Get starred/favorited episodes
get_history	Get listening history (most recent 100)

Playback Management

Tool	Description
update_playing_status	Mark episode as unplayed, in_progress, or completed
update_played_position	Set playback resume position (in seconds)
update_starred	Star or unstar an episode

Development

git clone https://github.com/essoen/PocketCasts-mcp.git
cd PocketCasts-mcp
npm install
npm run build
npm start

API Reference

This server uses the unofficial Pocket Casts API at api.pocketcasts.com. Endpoints were reverse-engineered by the community. See furgoose/Pocket-Casts for the original documentation.

License

MIT