Kodi MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for interacting with Kodi media center. This server provides tools for querying media libraries, checking existing content, playing media, and managing Kodi remotely.

Features

• Library Search: Search movies and TV shows by title, year, or genre

• Content Verification: Check if movies/episodes exist before downloading

• Smart Playback Control: Play movies/episodes and control playback

• Watch Status Tracking: NEW v1.2.0 - Automatically track what you've watched and play next unwatched episodes

• Targeted Library Scanning: NEW v1.2.0 - Scan specific TV show directories instead of entire library (fast!)

• Library Management: Get statistics, recent additions, and trigger scans

• SOCKS5 Proxy Support: Connect to remote Kodi instances through SSH tunnels

• Fuzzy Matching: Intelligent title matching for better search results

Related MCP server: Plex MCP Server

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/v-odoo-testing/kodi-mcp-server.git
cd kodi-mcp-server

2. Create and activate a virtual environment:

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

3. Install dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Test the connection:

python test_connection.py --host 192.168.1.71 --username kodi --password kodi

Configuration

Configure the server using environment variables:

Basic Configuration

export KODI_HOST="192.168.1.71"
export KODI_PORT="8080"
export KODI_USERNAME="kodi"
export KODI_PASSWORD="kodi"
export KODI_TIMEOUT="30"
export USE_HTTPS="false"

SOCKS5 Proxy (for remote access)

export SOCKS5_HOST="localhost"
export SOCKS5_PORT="1080"
export SOCKS5_USERNAME=""  # Optional
export SOCKS5_PASSWORD=""  # Optional

Claude Desktop Integration

Add this configuration to your Claude Desktop config file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kodi": {
      "command": "/path/to/kodi-mcp-server/venv/bin/python",
      "args": ["/path/to/kodi-mcp-server/src/server.py"],
      "env": {
        "KODI_HOST": "192.168.1.71",
        "KODI_PORT": "8080",
        "KODI_USERNAME": "kodi",
        "KODI_PASSWORD": "kodi",
        "KODI_TIMEOUT": "30",
        "USE_HTTPS": "false",
        "SOCKS5_HOST": "",
        "SOCKS5_PORT": "1080",
        "SOCKS5_USERNAME": "",
        "SOCKS5_PASSWORD": ""
      }
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

Search Tools

• search_movies - Search movies by title, year, or genre

• search_tv_shows - Search TV shows by title or genre

• check_movie_exists - Quick check if a movie exists

• check_tv_show_exists - Check TV show/season/episode availability

Playback Tools

• play_movie - Play a movie by title

• play_episode - Play a specific TV episode

• play_next_unwatched - NEW v1.2.0 - Find and play the next unwatched episode automatically

• control_playback - Pause, stop, or get playback status

Library Tools

• get_library_stats - Get library overview and statistics

• get_recently_added - List recently added content

• update_library - Trigger library scan (full library)

• scan_tv_show - NEW v1.2.0 - Scan specific TV show directory only (fast, targeted)

• get_episode_details - NEW v1.2.0 - Get detailed episode information with file paths

All tools support the use_socks5 parameter for remote access.

SOCKS5 Proxy Setup

For remote Kodi access through SSH:

1. Create SSH tunnel:

ssh -D 1080 -N user@remote-server

2. Set environment variables:

export SOCKS5_HOST="localhost"
export SOCKS5_PORT="1080"

3. Use proxy in tool calls:

User: "Search my remote Kodi for movies, use SOCKS5"
Assistant: Uses search_movies with use_socks5=true

API Reference

Environment Variables

Tool Parameters

search_movies

{
  "title": "Movie title to search for",
  "year": 2023,
  "genre": "Action",
  "use_socks5": false
}

play_movie

{
  "title": "The Matrix",
  "year": 1999,
  "use_socks5": false
}

play_episode

{
  "show_title": "Breaking Bad",
  "season": 1,
  "episode": 1,
  "use_socks5": false
}

play_next_unwatched

{
  "show_title": "Murderbot",
  "use_socks5": false
}

scan_tv_show

{
  "show_title": "Breaking Bad", 
  "use_socks5": false
}

get_episode_details

{
  "show_title": "Breaking Bad",
  "season": 1,
  "episode": 1,
  "use_socks5": false
}

control_playback

{
  "action": "pause|stop|status",
  "use_socks5": false
}

Usage Examples

Smart Episode Management (NEW v1.2.0)

Scan specific show for new episodes and play next unwatched:

User: "Scan the Murderbot TV show directory for new episodes and play the last one that I have not watched"

Workflow:
1. Uses kodi:scan_tv_show("Murderbot") → Scans only Murderbot directory (fast)
2. Uses kodi:play_next_unwatched("Murderbot") → Finds S01E03 was last watched, plays S01E04

Get detailed episode information:

User: "Get details for Murderbot S1E4"
Assistant: Uses kodi:get_episode_details → Shows file path, rating, plot, episode ID

Basic Library Queries

Check if content exists:

User: "Do I have Inception (2010) in my Kodi library?"
Assistant: Uses kodi:check_movie_exists → "✅ Inception (2010) found in library!"

Search for content:

User: "Show me all action movies from 2022"
Assistant: Uses kodi:search_movies → Lists matching movies with details

Playback Control

Play specific content:

User: "Play The Matrix"
Assistant: Uses kodi:play_movie → "🎬 Started playing The Matrix (1999)"

User: "Play Breaking Bad S1E1" 
Assistant: Uses kodi:play_episode → "📺 Started playing Breaking Bad S01E01: Pilot"

Smart unwatched playback:

User: "Play the next episode of Murderbot I haven't seen"
Assistant: Uses kodi:play_next_unwatched → Detects watch status, plays next episode

Library Management

Targeted scanning (no more full library scans!):

User: "Scan just the Murderbot folder for new episodes"
Assistant: Uses kodi:scan_tv_show → Scans only that show's directory

Get library information:

User: "How many movies do I have?"
Assistant: Uses kodi:get_library_stats → Shows totals and top genres

User: "What did I add recently?"
Assistant: Uses kodi:get_recently_added → Lists recent additions with dates

Integration Examples

Smart TV Show Management (NEW v1.2.0)

User: "Check for new Murderbot episodes and play where I left off"

Workflow:
1. kodi:scan_tv_show("Murderbot") → Fast targeted scan
2. kodi:play_next_unwatched("Murderbot") → Plays next unwatched episode

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

1. Verify Kodi is running and accessible:

python test_connection.py

2. Check network connectivity:

curl http://192.168.1.71:8080/jsonrpc -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"JSONRPC.Ping","id":1}'

3. Test SOCKS5 proxy:

python test_connection.py --socks5 socks5://localhost:1080

Common Errors

"Cannot connect to Kodi"

• Verify KODI_HOST and KODI_PORT

• Check if Kodi web interface is enabled

• Ensure firewall allows connections

"Authentication failed"

• Verify KODI_USERNAME and KODI_PASSWORD

• Check Kodi web interface authentication settings

"SOCKS5 proxy connection failed"

• Verify SSH tunnel is active

• Check SOCKS5_HOST and SOCKS5_PORT

• Test proxy with curl: curl --socks5 localhost:1080 http://example.com

Kodi Configuration

Ensure Kodi has the following enabled:

1. Web Interface:

   • Settings → Services → Control → Allow remote control via HTTP

   • Username: kodi

   • Password: kodi

2. Network Access:

   • Allow connections from other systems

   • Port: 8080

Development

Project Structure

kodi-mcp-server/
├── src/
│   └── server.py              # Main MCP server
├── requirements.txt           # Dependencies
├── test_connection.py         # Connection testing
├── claude-desktop-config.json # Claude integration
├── README.md                  # This file
├── CHANGELOG.md              # Development log
└── .gitignore                # Git ignore rules

Contributing

1. Fork the repository

2. Create a feature branch

3. Make changes with proper commit messages

4. Update CHANGELOG.md (append only)

5. Submit a pull request

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Related Projects

• Claude Desktop - AI assistant with MCP support

Support

For issues and questions:

• Create an issue on GitHub

• Check troubleshooting section

• Test connection with test_connection.py