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TMDB MCP Server

TMDB MCP Server

by ryanxili

TMDB MCP Server

Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for The Movie Database (TMDB) API.

Features

  • Search: movies, TV shows, people, multi

  • Trending: daily/weekly for movies, TV, all

  • Movies: popular, top_rated, now_playing, upcoming, details, credits, similar, recommendations, videos

  • TV: popular, top_rated, airing_today, on_the_air, details, credits, similar, videos

  • People: details, movie_credits, tv_credits

  • Genres: movie and TV genre lists

Related MCP server: TMDB MCP Server

Requirements

  • Node.js >= 18

  • TMDB API Key

Installation

npm install @ryanxili/tmdb-mcp

Quick Start

Install

npm install @ryanxili/tmdb-mcp

Run

# With TMDB API key
TMDB_API_KEY=your_key node node_modules/@ryanxili/tmdb-mcp/index.js

Or create a runner script:

# run.js
import('@ryanxili/tmdb-mcp');

Local Development

# Clone
git clone https://github.com/ryanxili/tmdb-mcp.git
cd tmdb-mcp

# Install
npm install

# Run
export TMDB_API_KEY=your_key
npm start

Configuration

Set your TMDB API key as an environment variable:

export TMDB_API_KEY="your_api_key_here"

Or the MCP server will prompt for API key if not set.

Running

# With environment variable
TMDB_API_KEY=your_key npm start

# Or export first
export TMDB_API_KEY=your_key
npm start

MCP Client Configuration

Add to your MCP config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tmdb": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["node_modules/@ryanxili/tmdb-mcp/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "TMDB_API_KEY": "your_api_key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Or with npx (requires internet):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tmdb": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@ryanxili/tmdb-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "TMDB_API_KEY": "your_api_key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Implementation Note

This MCP server uses curl instead of native fetch for API requests because:

  • Node.js built-in fetch does not respect system proxy settings (http_proxy/https_proxy)

  • curl automatically uses proxy environment variables, ensuring compatibility with various network environments

Available Tools

Tool

Description

search_movie

Search movies by query

search_tv

Search TV shows by query

search_person

Search people by query

search_multi

Multi search (movies, TV, people)

trending_movie_day

Trending movies today

trending_movie_week

Trending movies this week

trending_tv_day

Trending TV today

trending_tv_week

Trending TV this week

trending_all_day

All trending today

trending_all_week

All trending this week

movie_popular

Popular movies

movie_top_rated

Top rated movies

movie_now_playing

Now playing movies

movie_upcoming

Upcoming movies

movie_details

Movie details by ID

movie_credits

Movie cast & crew

movie_similar

Similar movies

movie_recommendations

Movie recommendations

movie_videos

Movie videos/trailers

tv_popular

Popular TV shows

tv_top_rated

Top rated TV shows

tv_airing_today

TV airing today

tv_on_the_air

TV on the air

tv_details

TV show details

tv_credits

TV cast & crew

tv_similar

Similar TV shows

tv_videos

TV videos

person_details

Person details

person_movie_credits

Person movie credits

person_tv_credits

Person TV credits

genre_movie_list

Movie genres

genre_tv_list

TV genres

Language

All results are returned in Chinese (zh-CN) by default.

Get TMDB API Key

  1. Go to TMDB

  2. Create an account

  3. Go to Settings > API

  4. Generate your API key

License

MIT

Available Tools

32 tools
genre_movie_listMovie GenresB

Get list of movie genres

Inputs: no named parameters.

genre_tv_listTV GenresB

Get list of TV genres

Inputs: no named parameters.

movie_creditsMovie CreditsC

Get movie cast and crew by ID

Inputs: movie_id (required).

movie_detailsMovie DetailsC

Get movie details by ID

Inputs: movie_id (required).

movie_now_playingNow Playing MoviesC

Get now playing movies in theaters

Inputs: page, region.

movie_recommendationsMovie RecommendationsC

Get movie recommendations by ID

Inputs: movie_id (required), page.

movie_similarSimilar MoviesC

Get similar movies by ID

Inputs: movie_id (required), page.

movie_top_ratedTop Rated MoviesC

Get top rated movies

Inputs: page, region.

movie_upcomingUpcoming MoviesC

Get upcoming movies

Inputs: page, region.

movie_videosMovie VideosC

Get movie videos (trailers, teasers, etc.) by ID

Inputs: movie_id (required).

person_detailsPerson DetailsB

Get person details by ID

Inputs: person_id (required).

person_movie_creditsPerson Movie CreditsC

Get person movie credits by ID

Inputs: person_id (required).

person_tv_creditsPerson TV CreditsC

Get person TV credits by ID

Inputs: person_id (required).

search_movieSearch MoviesC

Search for movies by query

Inputs: query (required), page, include_adult.

search_multiMulti SearchC

Search for movies, TV shows, and people

Inputs: query (required), page, include_adult.

search_personSearch PeopleC

Search for people by query

Inputs: query (required), page.

search_tvSearch TV ShowsC

Search for TV shows by query

Inputs: query (required), page, include_adult.

tv_airing_todayTV Airing TodayC

Get TV shows airing today

Inputs: page.

tv_creditsTV CreditsC

Get TV show cast and crew by ID

Inputs: tv_id (required).

tv_detailsTV DetailsC

Get TV show details by ID

Inputs: tv_id (required).

tv_on_the_airTV On The AirC

Get TV shows currently on air

Inputs: page.

tv_similarSimilar TV ShowsC

Get similar TV shows by ID

Inputs: tv_id (required), page.

tv_top_ratedTop Rated TV ShowsC

Get top rated TV shows

Inputs: page.

tv_videosTV VideosC

Get TV show videos by ID

Inputs: tv_id (required).

Tool Schema Changelog

Recent tool additions, removals, and schema changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Loading tool schema changelog…

    TDQS

    B3.2/5.0

    Scored across 32 tools

    Disambiguation5/5

    Every tool has a clearly distinct purpose with no ambiguity. The tools are well-organized by resource type (movie, TV, person, genre, trending) and action (details, credits, search, lists), making it easy for an agent to select the correct tool. Overlap is minimal and intentional, such as separate tools for movie and TV genres.

    Naming Consistency5/5

    Tool names follow a highly consistent verb_noun or noun_verb pattern throughout, such as 'movie_details', 'search_movie', and 'trending_all_day'. All names use snake_case uniformly, with clear prefixes indicating the resource type, making the set predictable and readable.

    Tool Count3/5

    With 32 tools, the count is borderline high for a movie/TV database server, potentially feeling heavy. While each tool serves a specific function, the number might overwhelm agents, though it aligns with TMDB's comprehensive API coverage. A more focused subset could improve usability.

    Completeness5/5

    The tool surface is complete for the TMDB domain, covering CRUD-like operations (though TMDB is read-only) and lifecycle aspects like details, credits, recommendations, and trending. It includes movies, TV shows, people, and genres with no obvious gaps, enabling agents to handle diverse queries effectively.

    Maintenance

    ActivityInactive
    ResponsivenessOutdated data

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