DaVinci Resolve MCP Server

The most complete MCP server for DaVinci Resolve's Scripting API. Control projects, timelines, media, color grading, rendering, and more from any MCP-compatible client.

Features

• 189 tools across 12 domains (playback, project, media storage, media pool, clips, timelines, timeline items, render, color, Fusion, gallery, Fairlight)

• 3 resources for quick context (resolve://system, resolve://project, resolve://timeline)

• Complete API coverage of the DaVinci Resolve Scripting API (Phases 1-3)

• Pydantic v2 models for type-safe inputs and outputs

• Pagination for large clip and timeline item lists

• Auto-reconnect if Resolve restarts or becomes unresponsive

• Platform auto-detection for macOS, Windows, and Linux

Related MCP server: fcp-mcp

Requirements

• DaVinci Resolve 18+ (Free or Studio)

• Python 3.11+

• macOS, Windows, or Linux

Quick Start

Install from PyPI

pip install davinci-resolve-mcp

Or with uv:

uv pip install davinci-resolve-mcp

Claude Desktop Configuration

Add to your Claude Desktop config file:

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "davinci-resolve": {
      "command": "davinci-resolve-mcp"
    }
  }
}

Then restart Claude Desktop. DaVinci Resolve must be running for tools to work.

See docs/CLAUDE_DESKTOP.md for a detailed setup guide with troubleshooting.

Development Setup

git clone https://github.com/luquimbo/davinci-resolve-mcp.git
cd davinci-resolve-mcp
uv sync --dev
uv run davinci-resolve-mcp

Verify Your Setup

python scripts/check_resolve.py

This prints Resolve version, current project, and timeline info to confirm the scripting bridge is working.

Tool Domains

Resources (read-only context, no tool call needed):

Architecture

src/davinci_resolve_mcp/
  server.py          FastMCP instance, registers all modules, CLI entry point
  resolve_api.py     Lazy singleton with platform auto-detection and health checks
  models.py          Pydantic models (CDLValues for ASC color correction)
  constants.py       Enums for pages, track types, clip colors, marker colors, export types
  exceptions.py      ResolveNotRunning, ResolveOperationFailed
  tools/
    playback.py      Page navigation, timecode, version
    project.py       Project CRUD, settings, folders, import/export
    media_storage.py Volume browsing, file listing, import
    media_pool.py    Folder CRUD, clip management, timeline creation
    media_pool_item.py  Clip metadata, properties, markers, flags
    timeline.py      Timeline CRUD, tracks, items, markers
    timeline_item.py Transform, crop, composite, color, markers
    render.py        Formats, codecs, presets, jobs, rendering
    color.py         Nodes, LUTs, CDL, versions, groups
    fusion.py        Compositions, generators, titles
    gallery.py       Stills, albums, PowerGrades
    fairlight.py     Audio insertion, presets
  resources/
    system_info.py   resolve://system
    project_info.py  resolve://project
    timeline_info.py resolve://timeline

Key patterns:

• Lazy singleton (ResolveAPI): Connects to Resolve on first access, not at import time. A GetVersion() health check runs on every access to detect stale references and reconnect automatically.

• One module per domain: Each tool module exports a register(mcp) function that decorates tool functions with @mcp.tool().

• Defensive error handling: Every API call catches AttributeError (stale scripting bridge) and re-raises as ResolveNotRunning. Version-specific methods are wrapped so missing APIs return clear errors instead of crashes.

• Pagination: Large lists (clips, timeline items) support offset and limit parameters, returning has_more to signal additional pages.

See docs/ARCHITECTURE.md for the full design document.

Testing

# Unit tests (no Resolve needed)
uv run pytest

# Integration tests (requires Resolve running)
uv run pytest -m integration

Scope

All 189 tools ship in v0.1.0 — covering core editing, color grading, Fusion compositions, gallery stills, Fairlight audio, timeline export, compound clips, transcription, takes management, scene detection, auto-subtitles, stabilization, smart reframe, project archival, and database management.

Auto-Generated Tool Reference

Run the following to generate a complete tool reference from the registered MCP tools:

python scripts/generate_tool_docs.py

This creates docs/TOOLS.md with every tool name, description, parameters, and return type grouped by domain.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md.

License

MIT. See LICENSE.