# Scout for Premiere Pro: MCP server

Scout is a commercial extension for Adobe Premiere Pro (Windows, Premiere 26.2 or newer). It cuts multi-camera podcasts from the audio and connects AI agents to your timeline over the Model Context Protocol.

This repository hosts the MCP bridge as a downloadable bundle and is the public issue tracker for Scout. The extension's source code is not public.

- Get Scout ($59, one time): https://trevorohare.gumroad.com/l/scout4premiere
- Product page and demo video: https://www.trevorohare.com/dev
- Bug reports and feature requests: open an issue here, using one of the templates
- Community and support: https://discord.gg/qYkacEyfUQ

## What the server exposes

The bridge talks to the Scout panel running inside Premiere. It exposes two tool families on one MCP surface:

**Panel tools (11).** These read Premiere's own transcript and act on the active sequence.

| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| `get_active_sequence` | Name, frame rate, duration, start timecode, per-track summary |
| `get_transcript` | Full stitched transcript with sequence-time segments, optional time window |
| `find_words` | Word-accurate search: exact sequence times and timecodes for each match |
| `list_markers` | Markers with name, comment, start, duration, type, color; optional prefix filter |
| `place_markers` | Add point or duration markers, with color |
| `remove_markers` | Remove markers by prefix or by exact start time |
| `apply_cleanup` | Lift or Extract every `Scout/Cleanup:` range, after backing up the sequence |
| `create_chapter_markers` | Convert duration markers into chapter-type point markers |
| `export_markers_csv` | Write a CSV of markers matching a prefix |
| `razor_at` | Cut tracks at exact sequence times; reversible with undo |
| `enable_all_clips` | Re-enable every clip on every track in one undo step |

**ExtendScript tools (266).** Effects, transitions, exports, project and bin management, track targeting, metadata, and more. Adapted from the MIT-licensed [adobe-premiere-pro-mcp](https://www.npmjs.com/package/adobe-premiere-pro-mcp) tool layer; see `THIRD-PARTY-LICENSES.md`. The full reference is in [TOOLS.md](TOOLS.md).

## Install

Scout's Windows installer registers the bridge with Claude Code automatically when the `claude` CLI is present. For other clients:

**Claude Desktop.** Download `scout-premiere-mcp-<version>.mcpb` from [Releases](../../releases) and open it. Claude Desktop installs it as an extension.

**Claude Code, Cursor, and other stdio clients.** Point the client at the installed executable:

```
claude mcp add scout --scope user -- "%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Scout\scout-premiere-mcp.exe"
```

Then open the Scout panel in Premiere and turn on **Enable MCP Server**. The panel shows a live connection indicator and a log of every tool call.

## Running the bundle directly

`server/index.cjs` is the same single-file build that ships inside the `.mcpb` (sha256 `52fbc2dbe35ebbee1135db726d3c2fb78819027c574e84078cebab8603362a41`). Any MCP client can launch it with Node 18 or newer:

```
node server/index.cjs
```

The `Dockerfile` builds an image that runs it over stdio. Without Premiere and the Scout panel on the same machine the server still starts and lists its tools; calls that need the panel return a "panel not connected" error.
## Requirements

- Windows 10 or 11
- Adobe Premiere Pro 26.2 or newer with the Scout extension installed and licensed
- Scout's MCP server enabled in the panel
- Transcripts: run Premiere's own Transcribe on the sequence first. `get_transcript` and `find_words` read that transcript; no external transcription service is involved.

## Privacy Policy

The bridge runs entirely on your machine. It relays tool calls between your MCP client and the Scout panel over a localhost WebSocket (port 18803 by default) and makes no network requests of its own. Transcript text and sequence data go only to the MCP client you connected. Scout's in-panel AI Analysis feature is separate and uses whichever AI provider you configure in the panel. Full policy: https://www.trevorohare.com/privacy-policy

## License

The bundle is proprietary software, licensed to Scout customers under the terms at https://www.trevorohare.com/policies. Third-party components are listed in `THIRD-PARTY-LICENSES.md`.