Podcasting 2.0 RSS Data MCP Server

A FastMCP server that parses Podcasting 2.0 RSS feeds and provides access to episode data through MCP tools.

Features

This MCP server provides four main tools:

1. List Shows - Returns a list of available podcast shows

2. Search Episodes - Search episodes by show, date range, hosts, or text content

3. Get Episode - Retrieve detailed information about a specific episode

4. Get Transcript - Fetch episode transcripts when available

Installation

This project uses the uv package manager for Python dependency management.

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10 or higher

• uv package manager

Install uv (if not already installed)

Clone and Setup

Usage

Running the Server

To start the MCP server:

Or alternatively:

MCP Tools

1. List Shows

Returns an array of available podcast show names.

Returns: Array of show names (e.g., ["Linux Unplugged", "This Week in Bitcoin", ...])

2. Search Episodes

Search for episodes using various criteria. At least one parameter must be provided.

Parameters:

• show_name (optional): Filter by specific show

• since_date (optional): Episodes published on or after this date (YYYY-MM-DD or ISO format)

• before_date (optional): Episodes published before this date (YYYY-MM-DD or ISO format)

• hosts (optional): Array of host names to filter by

• text_search (optional): Search text in episode titles and descriptions

Returns: Array of episode objects with metadata

3. Get Episode

Retrieve detailed information about a specific episode.

Parameters:

• show_name (required): Name of the show

• episode_number (required): Episode number

Returns: Episode object with full metadata including:

• Title and description

• Publication date

• Host information

• Audio file URLs

• Transcript URL (if available)

• Duration

• Hosts

4. Get Transcript

Fetch the transcript content for an episode.

Parameters:

• show_name (required): Name of the show

• episode_number (required): Episode number

Returns: Object containing transcript text or error message

Configuration

Adding New Feeds

To add or modify RSS feeds, edit the FEEDS dictionary in podcast_mcp/server.py:

Podcast 2.0 Namespace Support

This server supports Podcast 2.0 namespace elements including:

• <podcast:person> for host information

• <podcast:transcript> for transcript URLs

• Standard RSS elements for titles, descriptions, and enclosures

Development

Setting up Development Environment

Project Structure

Error Handling

The server includes comprehensive error handling:

• Invalid search parameters return error messages

• Network failures when fetching feeds are logged

• Missing episodes or transcripts return appropriate error responses

• Malformed RSS feeds are handled gracefully

Dependencies

• fastmcp: FastMCP framework for building MCP servers

• lxml: High-performance XML parsing with full Podcast 2.0 namespace support

• requests: HTTP client for fetching feeds and transcripts

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Contributing

1. Fork the repository

2. Create a feature branch

3. Make your changes

4. Add tests for new functionality

5. Run the test suite and linting

6. Submit a pull request

Support

For issues and questions, please open an issue on the GitHub repository.