AssemblyAI MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides access to AssemblyAI's transcription services. This server enables AI assistants to transcribe audio files and manage transcription jobs through a standardized interface.

Vibe Code Spectrum

On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most vibey, this is a 9.

Features

• Audio transcription from URLs and local files
• Asynchronous job submission for large files
• Transcript retrieval and status checking
• Resource access to transcript data
• Type-safe implementation with Zod validation
• Error handling and graceful shutdown

Installation

1. Clone or create this project directory
2. Install dependencies:

   npm install
   

3. Set up your AssemblyAI API key (see Configuration section)
4. Build the TypeScript code:

   npm run build
   

Configuration

You need an AssemblyAI API key to use this server. Get one from AssemblyAI.

Set the environment variable:

export ASSEMBLYAI_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"

Or create a .env file:

ASSEMBLYAI_API_KEY=your-api-key-here

Usage

Running the Server

You can run the AssemblyAI MCP server in several ways:

Direct execution with npx/pnpm dlx (recommended)

# Using npx
npx assembly-ai-mcp@latest

# Using pnpm dlx
pnpm dlx assembly-ai-mcp@latest

Adding to Claude Code

claude mcp add assembly-ai-mcp --scope user -- pnpm dlx assembly-ai-mcp@latest

Local development

Start the MCP server:

npm start

For development with auto-rebuild:

npm run watch

MCP Tools

The server provides the following tools:

transcribe_url

Transcribe audio from a remote URL and wait for completion.

Parameters:

• audioUrl (string, required): URL of the audio file
• options (object, optional): Transcription options
  • speaker_labels (boolean): Enable speaker diarization
  • language_code (string): Specify language (e.g., "en")
  • punctuate (boolean): Add punctuation
  • format_text (boolean): Format text for readability

Example:

{
  "audioUrl": "https://example.com/audio.mp3",
  "options": {
    "speaker_labels": true,
    "punctuate": true
  }
}

transcribe_file

Transcribe audio from a local file path and wait for completion.

Parameters:

• filePath (string, required): Local path to the audio file
• options (object, optional): Same as transcribe_url

Example:

{
  "filePath": "/path/to/audio.wav",
  "options": {
    "language_code": "en"
  }
}

submit_transcription

Submit audio for transcription without waiting for completion. Returns immediately with a job ID.

Parameters:

• audio (string, required): URL or local file path
• options (object, optional): Same transcription options

Example:

{
  "audio": "https://example.com/large-audio.mp3",
  "options": {
    "speaker_labels": true
  }
}

get_transcript

Retrieve the status and results of a transcription job.

Parameters:

• transcriptId (string, required): The transcript ID returned from previous calls

Example:

{
  "transcriptId": "1234567890"
}

MCP Resources

transcript://{id}

Access transcript data directly by ID. Provides structured JSON with all transcript information.

Example URI: transcript://1234567890

Returns:

{
  "id": "1234567890",
  "status": "completed",
  "text": "Hello, this is a test transcription...",
  "confidence": 0.95,
  "words": [...],
  "utterances": [...],
  "created": "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z",
  "completed": "2024-01-01T00:01:30Z"
}

Integration Examples

With Claude Desktop

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "assemblyai": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/assemblyai-mcp-server/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "ASSEMBLYAI_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

With Other MCP Clients

The server uses stdio transport, so it's compatible with any MCP client that supports this transport method.

Workflow Examples

Quick Transcription

1. Use transcribe_url or transcribe_file for immediate results
2. The tool waits for completion and returns the full transcript

Async Processing

1. Use submit_transcription for large files
2. Use get_transcript to check status and retrieve results
3. Use the transcript:// resource for structured data access

Speaker Identification

{
  "audioUrl": "https://example.com/meeting.mp3",
  "options": {
    "speaker_labels": true,
    "punctuate": true,
    "format_text": true
  }
}

Error Handling

The server provides detailed error messages for common issues:

• Missing API key: Server won't start without ASSEMBLYAI_API_KEY
• Invalid audio URLs: Clear error messages for inaccessible files
• File not found: Helpful messages for local file issues
• API errors: AssemblyAI error messages passed through
• Invalid transcript IDs: Clear feedback for non-existent transcripts

Development

Building

npm run build

Development Mode

npm run dev

Watch Mode

npm run watch

Requirements

• Node.js 18.0.0 or higher
• AssemblyAI API key
• MCP-compatible client

License

MIT License

Support

For AssemblyAI API issues, visit AssemblyAI Documentation. For MCP protocol questions, see Model Context Protocol.