Video & Audio Editing MCP Server

🎬 Video & Audio Editing MCP Server

A comprehensive Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides powerful video and audio editing capabilities through FFmpeg. This server enables AI assistants to perform professional-grade video editing operations including format conversion, trimming, overlays, transitions, and advanced audio processing.

✨ Features

🎥 Video Processing: Format conversion, resolution scaling, codec changes, frame rate adjustment
🎵 Audio Processing: Format conversion, bitrate adjustment, sample rate changes, channel configuration
✂️ Editing Tools: Video trimming, speed adjustment, aspect ratio changes
🎨 Overlays & Effects: Text overlays, image watermarks, subtitle burning
🔗 Advanced Editing: Video concatenation with transitions, B-roll insertion, silence removal
🎭 Transitions: Fade in/out effects, crossfade transitions between clips

🛠️ Available Tools

Core Video Operations

extract_audio_from_video - Extract audio tracks from video files
trim_video - Cut video segments with precise timing
convert_video_format - Convert between video formats (MP4, MOV, AVI, etc.)
convert_video_properties - Comprehensive video property conversion
change_aspect_ratio - Adjust video aspect ratios with padding or cropping
set_video_resolution - Change video resolution with quality preservation
set_video_codec - Switch video codecs (H.264, H.265, VP9, etc.)
set_video_bitrate - Adjust video quality and file size
set_video_frame_rate - Change playback frame rates

Audio Processing

convert_audio_format - Convert between audio formats (MP3, WAV, AAC, etc.)
convert_audio_properties - Comprehensive audio property conversion
set_audio_bitrate - Adjust audio quality and compression
set_audio_sample_rate - Change audio sample rates
set_audio_channels - Convert between mono and stereo
set_video_audio_track_codec - Change audio codec in video files
set_video_audio_track_bitrate - Adjust audio bitrate in videos
set_video_audio_track_sample_rate - Change audio sample rate in videos
set_video_audio_track_channels - Adjust audio channels in videos

Creative Tools

add_subtitles - Burn subtitles with custom styling
add_text_overlay - Add dynamic text overlays with timing
add_image_overlay - Insert watermarks and logos
add_b_roll - Insert B-roll footage with transitions
add_basic_transitions - Apply fade in/out effects

Advanced Editing

concatenate_videos - Join multiple videos with optional transitions
change_video_speed - Create slow-motion or time-lapse effects
remove_silence - Automatically remove silent segments
health_check - Verify server status

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites (local installation)

Python 3.8+ - Download Python
FFmpeg - Install FFmpeg
uv (recommended) - Install uv or use pip

Installation

Option 1: Using Smithery (Easiest) ⭐

The simplest way to get started is through the Smithery MCP registry:

Clipboard-20250524-191433-493

Option 2: Using uv (Recommended for Development)

# Install uv if you haven't already
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/misbahsy/video-audio-mcp.git
cd video-audio-mcp

# Install dependencies with uv
uv sync

# Verify FFmpeg installation
ffmpeg -version

Running the Server

# With uv (recommended)
uv run server.py

# Or with traditional python
python server.py

# Or with specific transport
python -c "from server import mcp; mcp.run(transport='stdio')"

🔧 Client Configuration

Claude Desktop (Recommended Configuration)

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "VideoAudioServer": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "--directory",
        "/path/to/your/video-audio-mcp",
        "run",
        "server.py"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Alternative (using Python directly):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "VideoAudioServer": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["/path/to/video-audio-mcp/server.py"]
    }
  }
}

Cursor IDE (Recommended Configuration)

Open Cursor Settings: File → Preferences → Cursor Settings → MCP
Click "Add New Server"
Configure:
- Name: VideoAudioServer
- Type: command
- Command: uv --directory /path/to/your/video-audio-mcp run server.py

Alternative configuration:

Command: /path/to/python /path/to/video-audio-mcp/server.py

Windsurf

Add to your MCP configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "VideoAudioServer": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "--directory",
        "/path/to/your/video-audio-mcp",
        "run",
        "server.py"
      ],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Why Use uv?

The uv command is recommended because it:

Automatically manages dependencies without needing to activate virtual environments
Faster installation and dependency resolution
Better isolation - each project gets its own environment automatically
More reliable - handles Python version and dependency conflicts better
Modern tooling - the future of Python package management

Using NPX (Alternative)

For easier distribution, you can also run via npx if packaged:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "VideoAudioServer": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "video-audio-mcp-server"]
    }
  }
}

📖 Usage Examples

Basic Video Editing

"Can you convert this MP4 file to MOV format?"
→ Uses: convert_video_format

"Trim the video from 30 seconds to 2 minutes"
→ Uses: trim_video

"Extract the audio from this video as MP3"
→ Uses: extract_audio_from_video

Advanced Editing Workflows

"Create a highlight reel by concatenating these 3 clips with fade transitions"
→ Uses: concatenate_videos with transition effects

"Add my logo watermark to the top-right corner of this video"
→ Uses: add_image_overlay

"Remove all silent parts from this podcast recording"
→ Uses: remove_silence

"Add subtitles to this video with custom styling"
→ Uses: add_subtitles

Professional Workflows

"Convert this 4K video to 1080p, reduce bitrate to 2Mbps, and change to H.265 codec"
→ Uses: convert_video_properties

"Create a social media version: change to 9:16 aspect ratio, add text overlay, and compress"
→ Uses: change_aspect_ratio, add_text_overlay, set_video_bitrate

"Insert B-roll footage at 30 seconds with a fade transition"
→ Uses: add_b_roll

🎯 Real-World Use Cases

Content Creation

YouTube Videos: Automated editing, thumbnail generation, format optimization
Social Media: Aspect ratio conversion, text overlays, compression for platforms
Podcasts: Audio extraction, silence removal, format conversion

Professional Video Production

Corporate Videos: Logo watermarking, subtitle addition, quality standardization
Educational Content: Screen recording processing, chapter markers, accessibility features
Marketing Materials: B-roll integration, transition effects, brand consistency

Workflow Automation

Batch Processing: Convert entire video libraries to new formats
Quality Control: Standardize video properties across projects
Archive Management: Extract audio for transcription, create preview clips

🔍 Tool Reference

Video Format Conversion

# Convert MP4 to MOV with specific properties
convert_video_properties(
    input_video_path="input.mp4",
    output_video_path="output.mov",
    target_format="mov",
    resolution="1920x1080",
    video_codec="libx264",
    video_bitrate="5M",
    frame_rate=30
)

Text Overlays with Timing

# Add multiple text overlays with different timings
add_text_overlay(
    video_path="input.mp4",
    output_video_path="output.mp4",
    text_elements=[
        {
            "text": "Welcome to our presentation",
            "start_time": "0",
            "end_time": "3",
            "font_size": 48,
            "font_color": "white",
            "x_pos": "center",
            "y_pos": "center"
        },
        {
            "text": "Chapter 1: Introduction",
            "start_time": "5",
            "end_time": "8",
            "font_size": 36,
            "box": True,
            "box_color": "black@0.7"
        }
    ]
)

Advanced Concatenation

# Join videos with crossfade transition
concatenate_videos(
    video_paths=["clip1.mp4", "clip2.mp4"],
    output_video_path="final.mp4",
    transition_effect="dissolve",
    transition_duration=1.5
)

🛡️ Error Handling

The server includes comprehensive error handling:

File Validation: Checks for file existence before processing
Format Support: Validates supported formats and codecs
Graceful Fallbacks: Attempts codec copying before re-encoding
Detailed Logging: Provides clear error messages for troubleshooting

🔧 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

FFmpeg not found

# Install FFmpeg
# macOS: brew install ffmpeg
# Ubuntu: sudo apt install ffmpeg
# Windows: Download from https://ffmpeg.org/

Permission errors

# Ensure file permissions
chmod +x server.py

MCP server not connecting

Check file paths in configuration
Verify Python environment
Test server manually: python server.py
Check client logs for detailed errors

Debug Mode

Run with debug logging:

python server.py --log-level DEBUG

🧪 Testing

This project includes a comprehensive test suite that validates all video and audio editing functions. The tests ensure reliability and help catch regressions during development.

Test Coverage

The test suite covers:

✅ Core Functions: All 30+ video/audio editing tools
🎬 Video Operations: Format conversion, trimming, resolution changes, codec switching
🎵 Audio Processing: Bitrate adjustment, sample rate changes, channel configuration
🎨 Creative Tools: Text overlays, image watermarks, subtitle burning
🔗 Advanced Features: Video concatenation, B-roll insertion, transitions
⚡ Performance: Speed changes, silence removal, aspect ratio adjustments
🛡️ Error Handling: Invalid inputs, missing files, unsupported formats

Running Tests

Prerequisites for Testing

# Install test dependencies
pip install pytest

# Ensure FFmpeg is installed and accessible
ffmpeg -version

Basic Test Execution

# Run all tests
pytest tests/

# Run with verbose output
pytest tests/ -v

# Run specific test file
pytest tests/test_video_functions.py

# Run specific test function
pytest tests/test_video_functions.py::test_extract_audio

Advanced Test Options

# Run tests with detailed output and no capture
pytest tests/ -v -s

# Run tests and stop on first failure
pytest tests/ -x

# Run tests with coverage report
pytest tests/ --cov=server

# Run only failed tests from last run
pytest tests/ --lf

Test Environment Setup

The test suite automatically creates:

Sample Files: Test videos, audio files, and images
Output Directory: tests/test_outputs/ for generated files
Temporary Files: B-roll clips and transition test materials

# Test files are created in:
tests/
├── test_outputs/          # Generated test results
├── sample_files/          # Auto-generated sample media
├── test_video_functions.py # Main test suite
└── sample.mp4            # Primary test video (if available)

Sample Test Output

$ pytest tests/test_video_functions.py -v

tests/test_video_functions.py::test_health_check PASSED
tests/test_video_functions.py::test_extract_audio PASSED
tests/test_video_functions.py::test_trim_video PASSED
tests/test_video_functions.py::test_convert_audio_properties PASSED
tests/test_video_functions.py::test_convert_video_properties PASSED
tests/test_video_functions.py::test_add_text_overlay PASSED
tests/test_video_functions.py::test_add_subtitles PASSED
tests/test_video_functions.py::test_concatenate_videos PASSED
tests/test_video_functions.py::test_add_b_roll PASSED
tests/test_video_functions.py::test_add_basic_transitions PASSED
tests/test_video_functions.py::test_concatenate_videos_with_xfade PASSED

========================= 25 passed in 45.2s =========================

Test Categories

🎯 Core Functionality Tests

Video format conversion and property changes
Audio extraction and processing
File trimming and basic operations

🎨 Creative Feature Tests

Text overlay positioning and timing
Image watermark placement and opacity
Subtitle burning with custom styling

🔗 Advanced Editing Tests

Multi-video concatenation with transitions
B-roll insertion with various positions
Speed changes and silence removal

🛡️ Error Handling Tests

Invalid file paths and missing files
Unsupported formats and codecs
Edge cases and boundary conditions

Writing Custom Tests

To add new tests for additional functionality:

def test_new_feature():
    """Test description"""
    # Setup
    input_file = "path/to/test/file.mp4"
    output_file = os.path.join(OUTPUT_DIR, "test_output.mp4")
    
    # Execute
    result = your_new_function(input_file, output_file, parameters)
    
    # Validate
    assert "success" in result.lower()
    assert os.path.exists(output_file)
    
    # Optional: Validate output properties
    duration = get_media_duration(output_file)
    assert duration > 0

Continuous Integration

The test suite is designed to work in CI/CD environments:

# Example GitHub Actions workflow
- name: Install FFmpeg
  run: sudo apt-get install ffmpeg

- name: Install dependencies
  run: pip install -r requirements.txt pytest

- name: Run tests
  run: pytest tests/ -v

Performance Testing

Some tests include performance validation:

Duration Checks: Verify output video lengths match expectations
Quality Validation: Ensure format conversions maintain quality
File Size Monitoring: Check compression and bitrate changes

Test Data Management

Automatic Cleanup: Tests clean up temporary files
Sample Generation: Creates test media files as needed
Deterministic Results: Tests produce consistent, reproducible results

💡 Tip: Run tests after any changes to ensure functionality remains intact. The comprehensive test suite catches most issues before they reach production.

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guide for details.

Development Setup

# Clone and setup development environment
git clone https://github.com/misbahsy/video-audio-mcp.git
cd video-audio-mcp

# Create virtual environment
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

# Install development dependencies
pip install -r requirements-dev.txt

# Run tests
pytest tests/

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

Built with FastMCP framework
Powered by FFmpeg for media processing
Inspired by the Model Context Protocol specification

📞 Support

🐛 Bug Reports: GitHub Issues

Made with ❤️ for the MCP community

Deploy Server

HTTP connection URL

security – no known vulnerabilities

license - permissive license

quality - confirmed to work

How are these scores calculated?

hybrid server

The server is able to function both locally and remotely, depending on the configuration or use case.

Tools

View all tools

Provides powerful video and audio editing capabilities through FFmpeg, enabling AI assistants to perform professional-grade operations including format conversion, trimming, overlays, transitions, and advanced audio processing.

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