OpenSubtitles MCP Server

A TypeScript/Node.js-based MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for OpenSubtitles API integration. This server provides subtitle search and download functionality with a freemium model, using the Kong gateway at api.opensubtitles.com for all API management.

Features

Comprehensive Search: Search subtitles using all OpenSubtitles API parameters (title, IMDB ID, TMDB ID, file hash, etc.)
Multiple Download Formats: Support for SRT, ASS, and VTT subtitle formats
File Hash Calculation: Calculate OpenSubtitles hash for exact movie file matching
Rate Limiting: Integrated with Kong gateway for proper rate limiting
Freemium Model: Unlimited search, downloads limited by API key status

Installation & Usage

The OpenSubtitles MCP Server supports two modes:

1. HTTP Mode (Recommended for Server Deployment)

Run as a web server on port 1620:

# Install dependencies
npm install
npm run build

# Start HTTP server
npm start
# or
PORT=1620 MCP_MODE=http node dist/index.js

Access points:

Health Check: http://localhost:1620/health
API Info: http://localhost:1620/
MCP Endpoint: http://localhost:1620/sse (Server-Sent Events)

2. Stdio Mode (For Claude Desktop)

Quick Start with npx

npx @opensubtitles/mcp-server

Install via mcp-get

npx @michaellatman/mcp-get@latest install @opensubtitles/mcp-server

Claude Desktop Integration

Add to your Claude Desktop configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "opensubtitles": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@opensubtitles/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_MODE": "stdio",
        "OPENSUBTITLES_USER_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

MCP Tools

1. search_subtitles

Search for subtitles with comprehensive parameter support:

Parameters:

query (string): Text search query
imdb_id (number): IMDB ID for exact matching
tmdb_id (number): TMDB ID for exact matching
parent_imdb_id (number): Parent IMDB ID for TV series
parent_tmdb_id (number): Parent TMDB ID for TV series
season_number (number): Season number for TV episodes
episode_number (number): Episode number for TV episodes
year (number): Release year
moviehash (string): OpenSubtitles file hash for exact matching
moviebytesize (number): File size in bytes for hash matching
languages (string): Comma-separated language codes (e.g., 'en,es,fr')
machine_translated (string): Include machine translated subtitles
ai_translated (string): Include AI translated subtitles
hearing_impaired (string): Include hearing impaired subtitles
foreign_parts_only (string): Include foreign parts only
trusted_sources (string): Only trusted sources
order_by (string): Sort order
order_direction (string): Sort direction (asc/desc)

Example:

await mcpClient.callTool("search_subtitles", {
  query: "The Matrix",
  year: 1999,
  languages: "en"
});

2. download_subtitle

Download subtitle content by ID:

Parameters:

subtitle_id (string, required): Subtitle ID from search results
format (string): Subtitle format (srt, ass, vtt) - defaults to 'srt'
user_api_key (string): Optional user API key for authenticated downloads

Example:

await mcpClient.callTool("download_subtitle", {
  subtitle_id: "123456",
  format: "srt",
  user_api_key: "your_api_key"
});

3. calculate_file_hash

Calculate OpenSubtitles hash for local movie files:

Parameters:

file_path (string, required): Path to the movie file

Example:

await mcpClient.callTool("calculate_file_hash", {
  file_path: "/path/to/movie.mkv"
});

Usage Examples

Search by Movie Title

await mcpClient.callTool("search_subtitles", {
  query: "Inception",
  year: 2010,
  languages: "en"
});

Search by File Hash

// First calculate the hash
const hashResult = await mcpClient.callTool("calculate_file_hash", {
  file_path: "/path/to/inception.mkv"
});

// Then search using the hash
await mcpClient.callTool("search_subtitles", {
  moviehash: "8e245d9679d31e12",
  moviebytesize: 12909756
});

Search TV Show Episodes

await mcpClient.callTool("search_subtitles", {
  parent_imdb_id: 944947, // Game of Thrones
  season_number: 1,
  episode_number: 5,
  languages: "en"
});

Rate Limiting & API Keys

Anonymous Usage

Search: Unlimited
Downloads: 0 per day (Kong enforced)

With OpenSubtitles API Key

Search: Unlimited
Downloads: Based on your OpenSubtitles account quota

Getting an API Key

Register at OpenSubtitles.com
Get your free API key
Set the OPENSUBTITLES_USER_KEY environment variable or pass it in tool calls

Development

Prerequisites

Node.js 18.0.0 or higher
TypeScript

Setup

git clone <repository>
cd mcp-opensubtitles
npm install

Building

npm run build

Development Commands

# HTTP Mode (Web Server)
npm run dev                # Build and run HTTP server on port 1620
npm start                  # Run built HTTP server

# Stdio Mode (Claude Desktop)
npm run dev:stdio          # Build and run stdio mode
npm start:stdio            # Run built stdio mode

# Development with Auto-rebuild
npm run watch

Testing

# For HTTP mode testing
curl http://localhost:1620/health        # Health check
curl http://localhost:1620/             # API info

# For Stdio mode testing
npm test                   # Run evaluation tests
npm run inspector          # Debug with MCP Inspector (stdio mode)

# MCP evaluation tests
npx mcp-eval evals/evals.ts dist/index.js

Environment Variables

OPENSUBTITLES_API_BASE=https://api.opensubtitles.com  # Default Kong gateway
NODE_ENV=production
PORT=1620
OPENSUBTITLES_USER_KEY=your_api_key_here  # Optional

Architecture

The server uses a clean architecture with the following components:

MCP Server Core (src/server.ts): Main MCP protocol implementation
Kong API Client (src/api-client.ts): HTTP client for Kong gateway communication
Tools (src/tools/): Individual tool implementations
Utilities (src/utils/): Helper functions for hash calculation

All API requests go through the Kong gateway at api.opensubtitles.com, which handles:

Rate limiting enforcement
API key validation
Request routing to OpenSubtitles API
Error handling and responses

Error Handling

The server provides helpful error messages for common scenarios:

Rate Limit Exceeded: "Download limit reached. Get your free API key at opensubtitles.com/api"
Invalid API Key: "Invalid API key. Please check your OpenSubtitles API key"
File Not Found: Clear file path validation messages
Network Errors: Descriptive network connectivity messages

Contributing

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch
Make your changes
Add tests for new functionality
Submit a pull request

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Support

Issues: Report bugs and feature requests on GitHub
API Documentation: OpenSubtitles API Docs
MCP Protocol: Model Context Protocol Documentation

OpenSubtitles MCP Server