Freesound MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that integrates with [Freesound.org](https://freesound.org), enabling AI agents to search and discover audio

Local serverstdioPython

What is the Freesound MCP server?

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that integrates with Freesound.org, enabling AI agents to search and discover audio content for video editing and content creation workflows. The freesound mcp server wraps that behind the Model Context Protocol, so an assistant can use it through 5 defined tools rather than through you.

What it actually does

  • Search Audio Content — Find sound effects, ambient sounds, and music loops using natural language queries
  • Access Metadata — Get detailed information about audio files including duration, tags, licensing, and descriptions
  • Preview Content — Access preview URLs for immediate audio playback evaluation
  • License Compliance — Retrieve licensing information to ensure proper attribution and usage rights

Its toolset

Everything the assistant can do here goes through one of these:

  • Prerequisites — The Prerequisites tool exposed by this server
  • Setup — 1. Clone the repository: bash git clone https://github.com/johnkimdw/freesound-mcp-server.git cd freesound-mcp-server
  • Requirements — The Requirements tool exposed by this server
  • search_sounds — Search for audio files on Freesound.org using natural language queries
  • Testing — The Testing tool exposed by this server

Adding it to your client

@modelcontextprotocol/inspector on npm is all you need. Most clients run it directly, so configuration is a few lines and a restart.

Configuration

You will need 2 environment variables: FREESOUND_API_KEY, YOUR_FREESOUND_API_KEY. The server will not start without them, which is usually why the tools fail to appear on a first run. Keep credentials in your client's env block or a secrets manager rather than in a file you might commit.

You will need to obtain a Freesound API key: 1. Create an account at Freesound.org 2. Apply for an API key at https://freesound.org/api/apply/ 3. Once approved, note your API key for configuration

When to reach for it

This sits in the developer tooling group, where several servers overlap in what they claim to do but differ sharply once you actually set them up. Freesound's toolset — Prerequisites, Setup, Requirements and 2 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by johnkimdw; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

We check each listing at SyncDev against the project's documentation before it goes live — if something here drifts out of date, it is a bug worth reporting.

Caveats

  • It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
  • Missing credentials fail quietly in some clients — if no tools show up, check the environment block first.
  • MCP clients confirm each tool call by default. Leave that on until you have watched what the freesound mcp server does with a few real requests.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
PrerequisitesThe Prerequisites tool exposed by this server.
Setup1. Clone the repository: bash git clone https://github.com/johnkimdw/freesound-mcp-server.git cd freesound-mcp-server
RequirementsThe Requirements tool exposed by this server.
search_soundsSearch for audio files on Freesound.org using natural language queries.
TestingThe Testing tool exposed by this server.

How to install the Freesound MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "freesound": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-e",
        "FREESOUND_API_KEY",
        "freesound-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "FREESOUND_API_KEY": "<YOUR_FREESOUND_API_KEY>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Configuration as documented by the project. Restart the client after saving.

Configuration

You will need to obtain a Freesound API key: 1. Create an account at Freesound.org 2. Apply for an API key at https://freesound.org/api/apply/ 3. Once approved, note your API key for configuration

VariableDescriptionRequired
FREESOUND_API_KEYCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
YOUR_FREESOUND_API_KEYCredential the server authenticates with.Yes

Example prompts to try

  • Use Freesound to Prerequisites.
  • Use Freesound to Setup.
  • Use Freesound to Requirements.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Freesound to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 5 tools (Prerequisites, Setup, Requirements, and more) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Freesound directly.