Descript MCP: Run Descript from Claude, ChatGPT, or Cursor (2026)
Descript has an official MCP server. Connect it to Claude, ChatGPT, or Cursor and you can ask the assistant to import media, run Underlord edits, organize your drive, publish a web link, and pull transcripts; the work draws on your Descript plan’s media minutes and AI credits. It is worth setting up if you repeat the same Descript routine every week. It is not a replacement for the editor, and it can't hand you a rendered file without publishing first.
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is the standard way AI assistants connect to outside apps. Descript's version lets an assistant act on your Descript drive for you. Everything below comes from Descript's own help center articles on its API and MCP (overview, Claude, ChatGPT, and custom MCP clients), read Nov 6, 2026.
What it can do
- Import media into a new or existing project (from files or links you give it; not YouTube URLs).
- Run Underlord edits from a plain-language prompt: "remove filler words, apply Studio Sound, cut the first two minutes."
- Search and organize projects in your Descript drive, and target a specific composition.
- Publish a composition to a Descript web link.
- Track or cancel running jobs.
- Pull transcripts as TXT, Markdown, HTML, RTF, or SRT, which is handy for show notes, blog drafts, and captions.
What it can't do (per Descript)
- No rendered video file download without publishing first.
- No YouTube URL imports.
- Job history covers the last 30 days.
- Works within one Descript drive at a time.
- No DOCX transcript export.
- The Claude directory connector doesn't include generative image or video.
How to connect it
| Assistant | How | Requirements (per Descript's docs) |
|---|---|---|
| Claude | Add Descript from Claude's connector directory, sign in to Descript | Claude on the web or the desktop app; turn on network egress and code execution in Settings → Capabilities (or ask your Claude admin); use Chat mode, not Cowork |
| ChatGPT | Add the Descript app in ChatGPT's apps/connectors, sign in | A ChatGPT plan that supports apps/connectors; workspace admins may need to enable it |
| Cursor | Official connector, sign in | Listed in the Cursor MCP marketplace; sign in to Descript when prompted |
| Other MCP clients | Add a remote (HTTP) MCP server: https://api.descript.com/v2/mcp | Client must support remote MCP with OAuth sign-in; no API token |
Claude Code users can add it like any remote server, using Claude Code's standard command:
claude mcp add --transport http descript https://api.descript.com/v2/mcp, then run /mcp to sign in.
This is Anthropic's generic syntax, not a Descript-specific instruction; follow Descript's custom-client article if it differs.
What it costs
Descript lists no separate MCP fee. The work draws on your plan: imports use media minutes and Underlord edits use AI credits. Checked Nov 6, 2026 on descript.com/pricing:
| Plan | Price | Media hours / month | AI credits (per editor) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 1 | 100 (one-time) |
| Hobbyist | $16/mo yearly · $24 monthly | 10 | 400 / month |
| Creator | $24/mo yearly · $35 monthly | 30 | 800 / month |
| Business | $50/mo yearly · $65 monthly | 40 | 1,500 / month |
A routine where it earns its keep
- "Import this week's episode into the Podcast folder as a new project."
- "Remove filler words and long gaps, apply Studio Sound."
- "Give me the transcript as Markdown." Then ask the same assistant for show notes, chapters, and three social posts.
- Open Descript to review the edit by hand before you publish. Don't skip this step.
For clips and voice add-ons around this routine, see the AI podcast editing stack.
Bottom line
- Real and official; Descript documents no separate MCP fee, but usage consumes your plan’s media minutes and AI credits
- Useful for repeat routines: import, clean, transcript, publish
- Not a substitute for reviewing the edit in Descript
- Budget media minutes and AI credits as if you did it by hand
Related guides
How we put this together
Capabilities, limits, and setup requirements come from Descript's help center articles on its API and MCP (overview, Claude, ChatGPT, and custom MCP clients), read Nov 6, 2026 CT. Plan prices come from descript.com/pricing the same day. We describe what Descript documents; we are not claiming a timed test of the connector. Setup screens change often, so follow Descript's current article if a step differs.
Frequently asked questions
Does Descript have an MCP server?
Yes. Descript's help center (checked Nov 6, 2026) documents an official MCP server at https://api.descript.com/v2/mcp, with official connectors for Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor, and steps for other MCP clients. You sign in with your Descript account through OAuth; there is no API token to paste.
What can Claude or ChatGPT do in Descript through MCP?
Per Descript's docs: import media into a project, run Underlord edits with a plain-language prompt, search and organize your Descript drive, target specific compositions, publish a composition to a web link, track or cancel jobs, and pull transcripts as TXT, Markdown, HTML, RTF, or SRT.
What can't the Descript MCP do?
Per Descript's docs: it cannot hand you a rendered video file without publishing first, it does not import YouTube URLs, job history only goes back 30 days, it works within one Descript drive at a time, transcripts don't export as DOCX, and the Claude directory connector doesn't include generative image or video.
Does using Descript through MCP cost extra?
There is no separate MCP fee in Descript's docs, but the work uses your plan: imports count against media minutes and Underlord edits use AI credits. Checked Nov 6, 2026, Hobbyist is $16/mo billed yearly ($24 monthly) with 10 media hours and 400 AI credits.
Do I need the Descript MCP?
Only if you already live in Claude, ChatGPT, or Cursor and run a repeatable Descript routine, such as importing every episode, applying the same cleanup, and pulling transcripts for show notes. For editing one video at a time, the Descript app is faster.