whipscribe-mcp

April 20, 2026 · View on GitHub

MCP server for Whipscribe — transcribe audio and video from a URL or local file via Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, or any MCP-compatible client.

⚠️ Beta service

  • whipscribe-mcp and the Whipscribe API are in beta. Endpoints, response shapes, and quotas may change without notice.
  • Jobs can fail, stall, or return partial output. Retry logic is your responsibility.
  • Beta credits can be invalidated without notice — e.g. for infrastructure migration, key compromise, or pricing reset. Beta credits do not convert to cash.
  • We will give 7 days' written notice before any pricing change that affects active keys, and honor unused credits at the old rate for 7 days after the notice.
  • Not suitable for production use cases where transcription failure has legal, safety, or financial consequences.
  • By installing and using this package, you accept the full terms at whipscribe.com/terms.

Install

uvx whipscribe-mcp

Alternatives:

pipx install whipscribe-mcp
pip install whipscribe-mcp

Requires Python 3.10+.

Claude Desktop

Add to claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "whipscribe": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["whipscribe-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Optional: set WHIPSCRIBE_API_KEY in env to unlock paid quota.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "whipscribe": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["whipscribe-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "WHIPSCRIBE_API_KEY": "your-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop. Type "transcribe this podcast URL: …" and Claude will call the tool.

Tools

ToolDescription
transcribe_url(url, language?, diarize?, word_timestamps?)Transcribe audio/video from any URL (YouTube, podcast feeds, direct file links).
transcribe_file(path, language?, diarize?, word_timestamps?)Transcribe a local audio/video file.
get_job_status(job_id)Check progress of a running job.
get_transcript(job_id, format)Fetch the transcript in txt, json, srt, vtt, or docx.
list_recent_jobs(limit?)Browse your recent jobs (local cache).

All tools return a JSON object of the shape:

{
  "ok": true,
  "job_id": "...",
  "status": "done",
  "transcript_preview": "first 300 chars...",
  "url_to_full": "https://whipscribe.com/view?id=...",
  "duration_sec": 967.3,
  "beta_notice": "..."
}

On failure:

{
  "ok": false,
  "error": {
    "code": "upload_failed",
    "message": "human-readable explanation",
    "retryable": true
  }
}

Environment variables

VariableRequiredDefaultPurpose
WHIPSCRIBE_API_KEYNo—API key (unlocks paid quota; anonymous free tier works without it)
WHIPSCRIBE_API_BASENohttps://whipscribe.com/api/v1Override API base URL (e.g. for staging)
WHIPSCRIBE_MCP_TELEMETRYNo1Set to 0 to disable anonymous usage telemetry
WHIPSCRIBE_MCP_POLL_TIMEOUT_SECONDSNo600Max seconds transcribe_url / transcribe_file waits before returning the job_id with a non-terminal status
WHIPSCRIBE_MCP_POLL_INTERVAL_SECONDSNo3Seconds between job-status polls during transcription

Privacy

Opt-in anonymous telemetry (on by default; disable with WHIPSCRIBE_MCP_TELEMETRY=0):

What we collect (metadata only):

  • Anonymous install hash: sha256(machine_id + salt)[:16]
  • Package version, OS, Python version
  • Tool name, duration in milliseconds, error code

What we never collect:

  • URLs you transcribe
  • Local file paths
  • API keys
  • Transcript text
  • Email or any personally identifying information

The anonymization algorithm is in this repo (src/whipscribe_mcp/telemetry.py). Inspect it. If it's not acceptable, turn it off.

Pricing

See whipscribe.com/pricing for current rates. The free tier works without an API key at reduced rate limits.

License

Apache License 2.0. Copyright 2026 Neugence Technology Pvt. Ltd.

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