# How do I get Claude or Claude Code to transcribe with WhipScribe?

In Claude, add a custom connector with the URL https://whipscribe.com/mcp and sign in to WhipScribe with Google when asked; no key is needed. In Claude Code, either add the same URL as an HTTP MCP server, or set WHIPSCRIBE_API_KEY and let it call the REST API. Usage comes out of the WhipScribe account's credit.

Checked 5 October 2026. HTML version: https://whipscribe.com/agents/claude

## Steps

1. **Claude (web or desktop): add the connector.** Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector. Name: WhipScribe. URL:

```
https://whipscribe.com/mcp
```

2. **Sign in when Claude asks.** Claude opens a WhipScribe page that says what the connector can do: submit audio for transcription, check job status and fetch finished transcripts for you. Sign in with Google and press Allow. This step is the person's.
3. **Ask in chat.** Paste a link to a video, podcast episode or audio file and say “transcribe this”. Claude calls WhipScribe and works on the transcript in the same chat.
4. **Claude Code: the same connector.** Add it once; Claude Code opens the browser for the same sign-in.

```
claude mcp add --transport http whipscribe https://whipscribe.com/mcp
```

5. **Claude Code or Claude Desktop: local server with a key.** If you prefer a key to a sign-in, run the local MCP server. Create the key first (https://whipscribe.com/agents/api-key).

```
claude mcp add whipscribe -e WHIPSCRIBE_API_KEY=paste-the-key -- uvx --with "mcp<2" whipscribe-mcp
```

6. **Claude Code: no MCP at all.** Put the key in the environment and point Claude Code at the instructions file; it will write the three calls itself.

```
export WHIPSCRIBE_API_KEY="paste-the-key"
# then tell Claude Code:
# Read https://whipscribe.com/agents/instructions.md and transcribe ./recordings/*.mp3 to SRT
```


## What we checked

On 5 October 2026: https://whipscribe.com/mcp answers an unauthenticated request with 401 and a pointer to its sign-in metadata, which is how Claude discovers the sign-in; a client can register itself; and the consent page offers Google sign-in. On our test system we completed the whole flow (register, sign in, Allow, token) and called the transcription tools with the token.

The local server, started with the command above and a key, listed six tools (transcribe_url, transcribe_file, get_job_status, get_transcript, list_recent_jobs, transcribe_urls_batch) and transcribed a link. The --with "mcp<2" part matters today: without it the current package fails to start.

## What needs a person

- Creating the account: sign-in is Google, or an email address plus a 6-digit code sent to that inbox. An agent with no access to the inbox has to ask the person for the code.
- Paying: the checkout asks for a card or PayPal. The person enters those details or approves the payment; an agent should hand this step over, not type card numbers.
- Keeping the key: an API key is shown once, when it is created. Whoever creates it stores it; nobody can look it up later.

## Credit

The connector spends the signed-in account's credit; the local server and the API spend the credit of the account that owns the key. $4 = 500 min · $8 = 1,000 min · $12 = 2,000 min · $24 = 5,000 min; credits never expire. When the balance is empty, finished transcripts are kept locked until credit is added: https://whipscribe.com/agents/buy-credits.

## Questions

**Does the Claude connector need an API key?**
No. The connector at https://whipscribe.com/mcp signs you in to your WhipScribe account. A key is only for the local server or direct API calls.

**Can Claude Code buy credit by itself?**
It can open or print the pack link (https://whipscribe.com/credits?sku=mini-4) and wait for the balance to change. The payment is entered or approved by the person.

**Which sign-in does the connector use?**
Google sign-in on the WhipScribe consent page, as checked on 5 October 2026. To use an email-and-password account, create an API key and use the local server.

**What is the config for Claude Desktop?**
Add a whipscribe entry under mcpServers with command uvx, args ["--with", "mcp<2", "whipscribe-mcp"] and WHIPSCRIBE_API_KEY in env. The full block is on https://whipscribe.com/agents/cursor.

## Related

- Overview: https://whipscribe.com/agents/index.md
- Instructions for agents: https://whipscribe.com/agents/instructions.md
- How does an AI agent create a WhipScribe account?: https://whipscribe.com/agents/sign-up.md
- How does an AI agent buy WhipScribe credit?: https://whipscribe.com/agents/buy-credits.md
- How does an AI agent create a WhipScribe API key and keep it topped up?: https://whipscribe.com/agents/api-key.md
- How do I get ChatGPT to transcribe with WhipScribe?: https://whipscribe.com/agents/chatgpt.md
- How do I get Cursor or a coding agent to use the WhipScribe API?: https://whipscribe.com/agents/cursor.md
- How do I get an n8n, Make or Zapier agent to transcribe with WhipScribe?: https://whipscribe.com/agents/n8n-make-zapier.md
- How do I transcribe from an Apify Actor or an Apify-based agent?: https://whipscribe.com/agents/apify.md
- API docs: https://whipscribe.com/docs
- OpenAPI: https://whipscribe.com/openapi.json
- Pricing: https://whipscribe.com/pricing