Substack MCP Server: Read Publications, Full Posts & Personalized Feeds with AI (4 Tools)
Substack is one of the largest homes for independent newsletters: journalists, analysts, founders, and operators build serious audiences there — often six figures for top writers. But the platform does not ship an official MCP server, and direct API access is thin. That leaves a gap between "read a Substack link in the chat" and "have the AI systematically research, compare, and monitor publications."
MCPBundles closes that gap with a hosted Substack provider (substack) exposing 4 MCP tools — browse any publication's posts, read full article content with HTML, explore all 31 Substack categories, and access your personalized reader feed.
What Your AI Can Do
Read any publication
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| substack_get_posts | List posts from any Substack publication by subdomain — titles, subtitles, dates, reaction counts, comment counts, audience type, and slugs. Pagination with offset. |
| substack_get_post | Read the full content of a single post by subdomain and slug. Returns complete HTML body, wordcount, reactions, comments, cover image, and metadata. Public posts return full text; paid-only posts return truncated content. |
Discover & explore
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| substack_list_categories | List all 31 Substack categories (Technology, Culture, Business, Finance, Science, News, etc.) with subcategories, slugs, and emoji. |
Personalized feed
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| substack_get_feed | Access your personalized Substack reader feed — posts, notes, and comments from your subscriptions. Filter by tab: for-you, bestseller, or category slugs like technology, culture, finance. Returns user profiles with leaderboard rankings, bestseller tiers, and follower counts. |
Real Workflows
"Read the latest posts from a competitor's Substack."
Your AI calls substack_get_posts with the publication subdomain, gets back titles, dates, and reaction counts. Then substack_get_post on the most-engaged posts to read the full content and summarize themes, positioning, and audience response.
"Compare how two fintech newsletters cover the same topic."
substack_get_posts on both subdomains, filter by date range, then substack_get_post on relevant slugs from each. The AI reads both and produces a side-by-side comparison of framing, depth, and audience engagement.
"What's trending in the Technology category on Substack?"
substack_get_feed with tab: technology surfaces what Substack is promoting in that vertical — publications, posts, and trending writers with their leaderboard positions and bestseller tiers.
"Monitor my Substack feed for posts about AI agents."
substack_get_feed returns your personalized feed. The AI filters for relevant topics across your subscriptions and produces a digest of what your followed writers are saying.
"Research a journalist's Substack before pitching them."
substack_get_posts on their publication subdomain to see what they write about and how much engagement they get. Then substack_get_post on their recent articles to understand their tone, topics, and audience before outreach.
How It Works
- Enable the Substack bundle on MCPBundles
- Add your session token from substack.com/settings — this is your Substack session cookie
- Connect your AI client (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, or any MCP host) to your MCPBundles workspace
- Ask your agent in natural language — e.g. "Read the latest posts from tonylewislondon.substack.com and summarize them"
The session token enables your personalized feed and author lookups. Publication browsing and post reading work for any public Substack content.
Key Concepts
- No official Substack MCP — MCPBundles fills the gap with a maintained, hosted tool surface.
- Full post content — Not just titles and links. substack_get_post returns the complete HTML body, so your AI can read and reason over the full article.
- Any publication — Browse posts from any Substack by subdomain. No need to be subscribed.
- 31 categories — Discover the entire Substack taxonomy for systematic exploration.
- Personalized feed — Your subscriptions, recommendations, and trending content in one API call.
- Session token auth — Get your token from substack.com/settings. It expires after ~30 days.
FAQ
Is this the official Substack MCP?
No. Substack does not publish an official MCP server. MCPBundles provides a hosted integration that calls Substack's API on your behalf using your session token.
Can my AI read full Substack posts?
Yes. The substack_get_post tool returns the complete HTML body of any public post — not just a preview or excerpt. Paid-only posts return truncated content unless you're subscribed.
Do I need a Substack account?
A session token from substack.com/settings enables all features including your personalized feed and author lookups. Publication browsing and post reading work for any public content even without authentication.
What is the session token?
It's your Substack session cookie, available at substack.com/settings. It authenticates your requests and provides access to your personalized feed. Tokens expire after approximately 30 days — get a new one from the same page when needed.
Can I read any publication or just my own?
Any publication. Provide the subdomain (e.g. tonylewislondon for tonylewislondon.substack.com) and the tools return posts and content from that publication. You don't need to be subscribed to browse public posts.