m3u8 MCP Server

m3u8 MCP

m3u8 MCP Server - A desktop application that provides m3u8/HLS streaming capabilities through the Model Context Protocol (MCP), built with Tauri, React, and Rust.

📝 Related article: Understanding m3u8 files and FFmpeg streaming (Japanese)

🚀 Features

Core Features

• MCP Server: Streamable HTTP server using Axum on configurable port (default: 37650)
• m3u8 Parsing: Full support for parsing HLS playlists (master and media playlists)
• FFmpeg Integration: Download and convert streaming media using FFmpeg
• Segment Extraction: Extract and display all segment URLs from playlists
• Internationalization: Support for English and Japanese languages
• Persistent Configuration: Securely stores settings locally (~/.m3u8-mcp/config.json)
• Cross-Platform: Works on macOS, Windows, and Linux

Advanced Features 🎉

• Folder Selection Dialog: Choose download destination with native OS dialog
• Download Progress: Real-time download progress tracking with speed and size info
• URL History: Automatic tracking of recently used m3u8 URLs
• Segment Display: View and copy individual segment URLs with pagination
• Content Disclaimer: Built-in disclaimer system for responsible usage
• Menu System: Clean hamburger menu for settings organization
• MCP Status Indicator: Visual indicator for MCP server connection status
• Local SQLite Cache: Store parsed playlists and metadata for offline access

📋 Prerequisites

• Node.js (v16 or higher)
• Rust (latest stable)
• npm/pnpm/yarn
• FFmpeg installed on your system
• Your favorite AI assistant with MCP support (Claude, Cursor, etc.)

🛠️ Installation

1. Clone the repository:

2. Install dependencies:

3. Start the development server:

🎮 Usage

Setting up FFmpeg Path

1. Configure FFmpeg:
   • Click the menu button (☰) in the top-left corner
   • Select "FFmpeg Configuration"
   • Enter the path to your FFmpeg binary (or use system FFmpeg if in PATH)
2. Start the MCP Server:
   • Click the menu button (☰) or the MCP status indicator
   • Select "MCP Server Control"
   • Choose your port and click "Connect to AI via MCP"
   • Copy the connection command for your AI assistant

User Interface Features

• Language Toggle: Switch between English and Japanese (EN/JP button)
• URL Management: Clear button and history dropdown for quick access
• Three Main Operations:
  • Parse Playlist: Analyze m3u8 structure and variants
  • Extract Segments: Get all segment URLs with copy functionality
  • Download Stream: Save stream with folder selection dialog
• Collapsible Results: Each result section has an X button for dismissal
• Pagination: "Show More" and "Show Less" buttons for segment lists

Running as MCP Server

The application runs as an MCP Streamable HTTP server using Axum:

Connect with Claude Code

Connect with Claude Desktop

Add to your Claude Desktop configuration:

🔧 Available MCP Tools

URL Management

m3u8_set_url

Set the current m3u8 URL in the UI.

Parameters:

• url (string, required): URL to set in the UI

m3u8_get_url

Get the current m3u8 URL from the UI.

Parsing Tools

m3u8_parse

Parse an m3u8 playlist and extract information.

Parameters:

• url (string): URL of the m3u8 playlist
• content (string): Raw m3u8 content (if URL not provided)

m3u8_extract_segments

Extract all segment URLs from a playlist.

Parameters:

• url (string): URL of the m3u8 playlist
• base_url (string): Base URL for relative segment URLs

Download Tools

m3u8_download

Download a complete stream using FFmpeg.

Parameters:

• url (string, required): URL of the m3u8 stream
• output_path (string, required): Output file path
• format (string): Output format (mp4, mkv, ts, default: mp4)

Conversion Tools

m3u8_convert

Convert a video file to HLS format.

Parameters:

• input_path (string, required): Path to input video
• output_dir (string, required): Output directory for HLS files
• segment_duration (number): Duration of each segment in seconds (default: 10)
• playlist_type (string): Playlist type (vod or event, default: vod)

Probe Tools

m3u8_probe

Probe m3u8 stream for information using FFmpeg.

Parameters:

• url (string, required): URL of the m3u8 stream

Cache Management

m3u8_cache_list

List cached playlists and downloads.

Parameters:

• query (string): Optional search query
• limit (number): Maximum results (default: 100)

m3u8_cache_clear

Clear all cached data.

🏗️ Tech Stack

Frontend

• React 19 - UI framework
• TypeScript - Type safety
• Tailwind CSS v4 - Styling
• Vite - Build tool
• @tauri-apps/api - Tauri integration
• video.js - Stream preview

Backend

• Rust - Core backend language
• Tauri v2 - Desktop application framework
• Axum - Web framework for MCP Streamable HTTP server
• Reqwest - HTTP client for downloading
• Rusqlite - SQLite database for caching
• Tokio - Async runtime
• Tower-http - CORS and middleware support

External Dependencies

• FFmpeg - Media processing and conversion
• m3u8-parser - Playlist parsing library

Protocol

• MCP Streamable HTTP - HTTP/SSE transport with Axum
• JSON-RPC 2.0 - Message format
• Server-Sent Events (SSE) - Real-time server-to-client streaming
• HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) - Adaptive bitrate streaming protocol

📁 Project Structure

🔨 Build

Build the application for production:

The built application will be available in:

• macOS: src-tauri/target/release/bundle/dmg/
• Windows: src-tauri/target/release/bundle/msi/
• Linux: src-tauri/target/release/bundle/appimage/

🧪 Testing

Test the MCP server with example m3u8 streams:

🦀 Why Rust?

This project leverages Rust for the same reasons as the original Redmine MCP:

Performance

• Native Speed - Compiled to machine code for maximum performance
• Zero-Cost Abstractions - High-level code without runtime overhead
• Efficient Memory Usage - Critical for handling large video streams

Reliability

• Memory Safety - Prevents segfaults and memory leaks at compile time
• Thread Safety - Concurrent segment downloads without data races
• Error Handling - Robust Result types for network and file operations

Integration

• Axum - Modern async web framework for HTTP/SSE
• Tokio - Powerful async runtime for concurrent operations
• FFmpeg - Seamless integration with system FFmpeg

🚧 Roadmap

• MCP Streamable HTTP server with Axum
• Basic m3u8 parsing
• FFmpeg integration for downloads
• Multi-bitrate stream support
• Live stream recording
• Stream preview in UI
• Segment-level operations
• Advanced playlist generation
• Scheduled recordings
• Stream quality analysis
• DRM content handling (where legal)
• Cloud storage integration
• Batch processing
• Stream monitoring dashboard

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

📝 License

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

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Tauri - For the amazing desktop framework
• MCP Specification - For the protocol documentation
• FFmpeg - For powerful media processing capabilities
• Axum - For the excellent web framework
• Original Redmine MCP project for the modular architecture

📞 Support

For issues and questions:

• Open an issue on GitHub
• Check the related Qiita article for m3u8/FFmpeg details

Note: Ensure FFmpeg is installed and accessible on your system before using this application. Be mindful of copyright and legal considerations when downloading streaming content.