canonical: https://jentic.com/apis/podcastindex.org/main # PodcastIndex API The PodcastIndex API is a search and discovery interface over an open index of podcasts and episodes. It searches feeds by term, title, or person, looks up podcasts and episodes by feed id, feed url, GUID, or iTunes id, and returns trending feeds, recent episodes, categories, and value-for-value payment data. Some endpoints, including search and lookup, are public, while most require an API key. It suits applications that find, enrich, or monitor podcast metadata. ## For AI agents Search and look up podcasts and episodes through the PodcastIndex API: find feeds by term, title, or person, resolve podcasts and episodes by id, feed url, or GUID, and read trending and recent listings. Some endpoints are public; most take an API key. ## Scope Does not host audio, manage subscriptions, or handle playback. Use for podcast and episode search, lookup, and metadata only. ## Capabilities - Search podcast feeds by term, title, or person - Look up a podcast by feed id, feed url, GUID, or iTunes id - Look up episodes by feed, GUID, id, or iTunes id - Retrieve trending feeds and recently updated episodes - Read podcast categories and value-for-value payment data ## Use cases ### Agent-Driven Podcast Search An AI agent finds a podcast a user describes by calling the PodcastIndex search operations, then resolves the matching feed and its recent episodes. Search and lookup are among the public endpoints, so a read-only discovery agent can run without a key, and a keyed agent unlocks the fuller catalog. This fits assistants that answer 'find me a podcast about X' requests. Example prompt: Call the search-by-term endpoint for the user's query and return the matching feeds with their recent episodes ### Feed Metadata Enrichment A media application enriches a stored podcast reference by resolving its full metadata from the PodcastIndex. Given a feed url, GUID, or iTunes id, the API returns the canonical feed and episode records so the application can display accurate titles, artwork, and descriptions. This suits catalogs that ingest feeds from mixed sources. Example prompt: Resolve a stored feed url or GUID through the lookup endpoints and update the local record with the returned metadata ### Trending and Recent Monitoring A discovery feature surfaces what is trending and what has been recently published across the index. The PodcastIndex API returns trending feeds and recent episodes as dedicated read operations, so a scheduled job can refresh a 'new and notable' list. This fits editorial and recommendation surfaces. Example prompt: Poll the trending-feeds and recent-episodes endpoints on a schedule and update the featured list ## Key endpoints | Method | Path | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | GET | `/search/byterm` | Search feeds by term | | GET | `/podcasts/byfeedid` | Look up a podcast by feed id | | GET | `/episodes/byfeedid` | Look up episodes by feed id | | GET | `/podcasts/trending` | Retrieve trending feeds | | GET | `/recent/feeds` | Retrieve recently updated feeds | ## Key resources - **Search** — Search feeds by term, title, or person - **Podcasts** — Look up podcasts by feed id, feed url, GUID, or iTunes id - **Episodes** — Look up episodes by feed, GUID, id, or iTunes id - **Recent and Trending** — Retrieve trending feeds and recently updated episodes - **Categories and Value** — Read podcast categories and value-for-value data ## AI readiness This API is usable in Jentic One now. Its AI-readiness score against Jentic's framework shows where it stands today and where improvements would make it even easier for agents to use. - **Score:** 57 / 100 - **Maturity:** Foundational - **Dimensions:** - Foundational Compliance: 82 / 100 - Developer Experience & Jentic Compatibility: 74 / 100 - AI-Readiness & Agent Experience: 34 / 100 - Agent Usability: 93 / 100 - Security: 50 / 100 - AI Discoverability: 63 / 100 - **View full report:** https://jentic.com/apis/podcastindex.org/main/scorecard - **How the score is calculated:** https://docs.jentic.com/reference/api-readiness-framework/overview/ - **More about the dimensions:** https://docs.jentic.com/reference/api-readiness-framework/specification/#dimensional-model-overview ### Score it yourself Every API in the directory is allowlisted, so you can re-score it with no key required. - **Score your own API:** https://jentic.com/scorecard.md - **Scoring CLI agent skill:** https://github.com/jentic/jentic-api-scorecard/blob/main/skills/jentic-api-scorecard/SKILL.md ```sh npx @jentic/api-scorecard-cli score ``` ## Why Jentic - **Setup:** Wiring PodcastIndex by hand means building its signed key, date, and hash headers for keyed operations and matching each search to the right endpoint. Through Jentic you install once, import PodcastIndex from the API Directory, store the key and secret once, and your agent calls it. - **Permission scoping:** PodcastIndex carries its query in the URL and body, so rules bound which operations your agent may call, not which feed it may read. Allow only the search and lookup operations it needs, and the add-feed operations are not included unless you add them. - **Credential handling:** Your PodcastIndex API key and secret are stored once, encrypted, by your own Jentic One instance and used to build the signed headers at execution time. They never enter the agent's prompt, logs, or context. - **Discovery method:** Agents search Jentic by intent such as 'search for a podcast by name' or 'find recent episodes', and Jentic returns the matching PodcastIndex operation with its input schema so the agent calls the right endpoint without reading the reference docs. ## Related APIs - **Listen Notes** — Listen Notes offers a hosted podcast search and directory API. - **Spotify** — Spotify exposes catalog and playback data, including podcasts and episodes. - **SoundCloud** — SoundCloud hosts and streams audio tracks and shows. ## FAQ ### What authentication does the PodcastIndex API use? Keyed operations use a signed API-key scheme: you send your API key in the `X-Auth-Key` header, a `X-Auth-Date` timestamp, a `User-Agent`, and an `Authorization` header holding a hash of your key, secret, and the date. Some endpoints, such as search and lookup, are public and need no key. Through Jentic your key and secret are stored encrypted by your own instance and injected at call time, so they never enter the agent's prompt or logs. ### Which PodcastIndex endpoints are public? Several endpoints need no credential: the generic search and lookup operations, value-for-value data, and the static stats files are public in the specification and carry no security requirement. Only the by-term search, trending, recent, and add operations need the signed API-key headers. ### What are the rate limits for the PodcastIndex API? The OpenAPI specification does not state rate limits for the PodcastIndex API. Check the PodcastIndex developer documentation for current limits before running frequent search or trending polls. ### How do I search for a podcast with the PodcastIndex API through Jentic? Search Jentic for an intent like 'search for a podcast by name' and it returns the matching PodcastIndex operation with its input schema, such as GET `/search/byterm.` To run it on your own infrastructure, install Jentic One from its GitHub repo. ### Is there a PodcastIndex MCP server? You don't need an MCP server to give your agent the PodcastIndex API. Jentic connects it directly from the API Directory: import it, store your credential once, and your agent calls the search and lookup operations it needs, discovered on demand rather than loaded up front. ### Can I limit what my agent is allowed to do with the PodcastIndex API? Yes. Write a rule that allows only the read operations your agent needs, such as search and lookup, so it cannot call the add-feed operations unless you allow them, and every call it makes is logged.