Listen Notes API
The Listen Notes API returns podcast and episode data from the largest podcast search engine as clean JSON.
🤖 Using an AI assistant? Copy this link into ChatGPT / Claude / Cursor — it reads every endpoint and parameter instantly and tells you if this API fits your use case.
The primary search endpoint returns matching podcasts with id, title, publisher, image and claim/explicit flags, and you can drill into a podcast, a single episode, the best_podcasts per genre and the full genre taxonomy. It is built for podcast apps, media-monitoring and research tools that need structured podcast discovery data without scraping or a rate-limited official quota. One ReefAPI key, one shared credit pool, the standard envelope.
Real request and response JSON
Captured from the indexed primary action, search, on .
{
"method": "POST",
"url": "https://api.reefapi.com/listennotes/v1/search",
"headers": {
"x-api-key": "$REEF_KEY",
"content-type": "application/json"
},
"body": {
"query": "startup"
}
}{
"ok": true,
"meta": {
"api": "listennotes",
"endpoint": "search",
"mode": "live",
"latency_ms": 2333.4,
"record_count": 10,
"bytes": 7027,
"cache_hit": false,
"stop_reason": "complete",
"method": "typeahead",
"query": "startup"
},
"data": {
"podcasts": [
{
"id": "ynkdVHl_OTE",
"uuid": "0a036ce221ed4a648e70edffbed3ad1b",
"title": "Startup to Storefront",
"publisher": "Diego Torres-Palma",
"image": "https://cdn-images-3.listennotes.com/podcasts/startup-to-storefront-diego-torres-palma-NtoMWPZV9sL-ynkdVHl_OTE.1400x1400.jpg",
"thumbnail": "https://cdn-images-3.listennotes.com/podcasts/startup-to-storefront-diego-torres-palma-nlXrCjQS736-ynkdVHl_OTE.300x300.jpg",
"url": "https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/startup-to-storefront-diego-torres-palma-ynkdVHl_OTE/",
"is_claimed": true,
"explicit": false
},
{
"id": "PD732XsA50q",
"uuid": "3dc0b0c1cc724b05a4e31c7d03d79ec4",
"title": "The Startup Solution",
"publisher": "Threshold Ventures",
"image": "https://cdn-images-3.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-startup-solution-threshold-ventures-pDQKjxGBJdA-PD732XsA50q.1400x1400.jpg",
"thumbnail": "https://cdn-images-3.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-startup-solution-threshold-ventures-xaeOfAK2UoF-PD732XsA50q.300x300.jpg",
"url": "https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-startup-solution-threshold-ventures-PD732XsA50q/",
"is_claimed": false,
"explicit": false
},
{
"id": "idsSy4-Dq73",
"uuid": "74a7f303fa1544d284a2572459f83eeb",
"title": "The Lean AI Podcast presented by Eric Ries",
"publisher": "Lean Startup Co",
"image": "https://cdn-images-3.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-lean-ai-podcast-presented-by-eric-ries-fs7wGJlS9WA-idsSy4-Dq73.1400x1400.jpg",
"thumbnail": "https://cdn-images-3.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-lean-ai-podcast-presented-by-eric-ries-mo8kWsqSOL5-idsSy4-Dq73.300x300.jpg",
"url": "https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-lean-ai-podcast-presented-by-eric-ries-idsSy4-Dq73/",
"is_claimed": false,
"explicit": false
}
]
}
}What the Listen Notes API does
| Action | Description | Concrete use case | Key params |
|---|---|---|---|
| search | Search Listen Notes for podcasts by keyword. Returns up to 10 matching podcasts with title, publisher, cover image and the podcast id (feed into `podcast` for full details). | Content platforms call search to search Listen Notes for podcasts by keyword. | query |
| podcast | Full detail for one podcast by id (from search) or a Listen Notes podcast URL: title, publisher, description, cover art, language, country, genres, hosts, rating, total episode count, social links and its latest episodes. | Research tools call podcast to get full detail for one podcast by id (from search) or a Listen Notes podcast URL. | id, url |
| episode | Full detail for one episode by id or a Listen Notes episode URL: title, description, audio URL, duration, publish date, cover art and the parent podcast. | Community analysts call episode to get full detail for one episode by id or a Listen Notes episode URL. | id, url |
| best_podcasts | The curated 'best podcasts' list for a country, paginated. Each entry has the podcast title, publisher, cover image, id, Listen Score and global rank. | Media monitors call best_podcasts to get the curated 'best podcasts' list for a country, paginated. | region, page |
| genre | Browse the best podcasts in a genre, paginated. Use the `genres` action to get the genre id → name list. Each entry has title, publisher, image, id, Listen Score and global rank. | Content platforms call genre to get browse the best podcasts in a genre, paginated. | genre_id, page |
| genres | The complete Listen Notes genre taxonomy — every genre id mapped to its name. These ids are the input vocabulary for the `genre` action. | Research tools call genres to get the complete Listen Notes genre taxonomy. | none |
Call search from your stack
curl -X POST https://api.reefapi.com/listennotes/v1/search \
-H "x-api-key: $REEF_KEY" \
-H "content-type: application/json" \
-d '{"query":"startup"}'import requests
r = requests.post(
"https://api.reefapi.com/listennotes/v1/search",
headers={"x-api-key": REEF_KEY},
json={
"query": "startup"
},
)
print(r.json()["data"])const res = await fetch("https://api.reefapi.com/listennotes/v1/search", {
method: "POST",
headers: {
"x-api-key": process.env.REEF_KEY,
"content-type": "application/json",
},
body: JSON.stringify({
"query": "startup"
}),
});
const { ok, data, meta, error } = await res.json();Ask your MCP-connected assistant: call reefapi.listennotes.search with {"query":"startup"}.Who uses this API and why
- Podcast apps call search to power in-app discovery across the full Listen Notes index.
- Media-monitoring tools search episodes to find every show mentioning a brand or topic.
- Researchers use best_podcasts and genre to map the top shows in any category.
Questions developers ask before integrating
What is the Listen Notes API?
Listen Notes API is a ReefAPI endpoint group for listen notes It returns live JSON through POST requests under /listennotes/v1.
Is the Listen Notes API free to try?
Yes. ReefAPI starts with 1,000 free credits, no card required. Listen Notes calls use the same shared credit balance as every other ReefAPI engine.
Do I need a Listen Notes login or account?
No login to Listen Notes is needed for the API response. You call ReefAPI with your x-api-key header, and the playground can run live examples before you create a production key.
How fresh is the Listen Notes data?
The page example is captured from a live search call, and production requests fetch live data through ReefAPI rather than a static sample.
How many credits does the Listen Notes API use?
Listen Notes actions currently cost 1 credit per successful call. Failed or blocked calls are free, and all APIs draw from one credit pool.
Can I call Listen Notes from an AI assistant or MCP client?
Yes. Connect ReefAPI once through MCP and your assistant can call listennotes actions with the same key, credit pool and JSON envelope used by normal REST requests.
Is the Listen Notes API a Listen Notes scraper?
It is the managed alternative to a DIY Listen Notes scraper. Instead of building and maintaining your own scraper — proxies, headless browsers, captcha and constant breakage — you call one ReefAPI endpoint and get the same listen notes back as clean JSON.
Why does my Listen Notes scraper keep getting blocked?
Most Listen Notes scrapers break on anti-bot defenses, rate limits and IP bans that need rotating residential proxies and browser fingerprinting to clear. ReefAPI handles all of that for you — no proxies, no captchas, no maintenance — and returns live JSON. Blocked or failed calls are free.