# HPR Knowledge Base MCP Server - Usage Guide

## Quick Start

Once you've configured the MCP server in Claude Desktop (see README.md), you can start asking questions about Hacker Public Radio content.

## Example Queries

### Searching for Episodes

**Simple keyword search:**
```
Find episodes about Python programming
```

**Search with filters:**
```
Show me episodes about Linux from 2023
Find episodes tagged with "security"
Search for episodes by Ken Fallon about LPI certification
```

### Getting Episode Details

```
Show me details for episode 16
What is HPR episode 1 about?
Get the transcript for episode 500
```

### Searching Transcripts

```
Search transcripts for mentions of "virtual machine"
Find episodes where "encryption" is discussed in the transcript
What episodes mention "Raspberry Pi" in their transcripts?
```

### Host Information

```
Tell me about host Ken Fallon
Show me all episodes by klaatu
Who is deepgeek and what episodes have they done?
```

### Series Information

```
What is the Database 101 series about?
Show me the episodes in series 4
Tell me about the Bash Scripting series
```

### Browsing and Statistics

```
Show me the most recent HPR episodes
What are the HPR statistics?
List all HPR series
Who are the top contributors to HPR?
```

## Understanding the Results

### Episode Information Includes:
- Episode ID (HPR####)
- Title and summary
- Host information
- Duration
- Publication date
- Tags
- License
- Download count
- Host notes (detailed description)
- Full transcript (when available)
- Community comments

### Host Information Includes:
- Host name and ID
- Contact information
- License preference
- Profile/bio
- Complete list of their episodes

### Series Information Includes:
- Series name and description
- All episodes in chronological order
- Host information for each episode

## Tips for Better Results

1. **Be specific with dates**: Use year ranges like "from 2020 to 2023"

2. **Use tags for focused searches**: Common tags include:
   - linux, python, security, hardware
   - podcast, review, tutorial, howto
   - programming, networking, database

3. **Search transcripts for detailed content**: The transcript search is powerful for finding specific discussions or topics within episodes

4. **Explore series for themed content**: Series group related episodes together:
   - Database 101 (series 4)
   - Bash Scripting (series 42)
   - LPI Certification (series 7)
   - And many more!

5. **Combine searches**: You can refine searches by host, date, series, and tags

## Data Coverage

The knowledge base contains:
- **4,511 episodes** spanning from 2007 to present
- **432 hosts** from the community
- **4,481 transcripts** (most episodes have transcripts)
- **4,462 community comments**
- **91 mini-series** covering various topics

## Common Use Cases

### Learning Topics
"Find all episodes about [topic]" - Great for discovering educational content

### Following Hosts
"Show me all episodes by [host]" - Follow your favorite contributors

### Series Learning
"What's in the [series name] series?" - Follow structured learning paths

### Research
"Search transcripts for [keyword]" - Deep dive into specific discussions

### Discovery
"Show me recent episodes" - Keep up with new content

## Advanced Features

### Date Filtering
Search within specific time periods to find historical or recent content

### Tag-based Discovery
Tags help categorize content - use them to find related episodes

### Cross-referencing
Find episodes that reference specific technologies, people, or concepts

### Community Engagement
See what the community thought about episodes through comments

## Getting Help

If you're not sure what to ask, try:
```
Show me HPR statistics
List recent episodes
Tell me about the Database 101 series
```

These will give you a sense of what's available and help you formulate better queries.

## About the Data

All HPR content is:
- Community-contributed
- Released under Creative Commons licenses
- Free to use, share, and learn from
- Focused on topics of interest to hackers (in the original, positive sense)

Topics range from:
- Technology and programming
- Hardware hacking and electronics
- Linux and open source
- Security and privacy
- DIY projects
- Reviews and tutorials
- Philosophy and methodology
- And much more!

Enjoy exploring the wealth of knowledge in Hacker Public Radio!