Resolve Claude MCP

Connect DaVinci Resolve Studio to Claude AI through the Model Context Protocol (MCP), enabling AI-assisted video editing, color grading, Fusion compositing, and more — all through natural language.

Note: This is a third-party integration and is not created by or affiliated with Blackmagic Design.

⚠️ Use at your own risk. This project is intended for testing and experimentation. Do not use in production. AI-assisted tools can modify or delete your project data — always work on backups.

Platform support: Tested only on macOS (Apple Silicon). The Blackmagic scripting API is cross-platform, so the core 48 Resolve-control tools may work on Windows and Linux as well, but this is unverified. The local transcription tools and the screenshot tool are macOS-only (they rely on mlx-whisper and macOS-specific screen-capture APIs).

Demo

Color Grading with Claude

Local Transcription & Subtitles

Related MCP server: DaVinci Resolve MCP Server

Features

Core

• Direct connection to DaVinci Resolve Studio's scripting API — no addon or plugin needed inside Resolve

• Project inspection and navigation across all pages (Media, Cut, Edit, Fusion, Color, Fairlight, Deliver)

• Media pool management (import, organize, browse)

• Timeline creation and editing

• Arbitrary Python code execution with the full Resolve API

Color Grading

• Node graph inspection and manipulation

• LUT application

• CDL (Color Decision List) adjustments

Fusion (Compositing / VFX)

• Create, import, export, and manage Fusion compositions

• Insert Fusion generators, titles, and blank compositions

• Merge timeline items into Fusion clips

AI / DaVinci Neural Engine

• Magic Mask — AI-powered subject isolation

• Smart Reframe — automatic reframing for different aspect ratios

• Stabilization — AI-powered clip stabilization

• Scene Cut Detection — auto-detect and cut at scene boundaries

• Subtitle Generation — AI speech-to-text with multi-language support

• Voice Isolation — separate speech from background noise

Local Transcription (macOS / Apple Silicon only)

• mlx-whisper transcription running locally on your Mac's Neural Engine / GPU

• Auto-chunks long files with ffmpeg (5-min pieces) — no timeouts on hour-long clips

• Returns compact timestamped transcript inline for immediate use

• Saves SRT file next to source for Resolve subtitle import

• Multiple model sizes: tiny (fastest) to large (most accurate), default: turbo

• Windows/Linux users: these tools are unavailable (MLX is Apple-only). The other 48 tools work fine.

Screenshot (macOS only)

• screenshot — captures the Resolve window so Claude can visually inspect what's on screen

• Uses macOS screencapture + Quartz to target the Resolve window directly

• Needs Screen Recording permission for Claude Desktop in System Settings

• Windows/Linux users: this tool is unavailable

Rendering

• Browse available formats and codecs

• Configure render settings

• Queue and start render jobs

• Monitor render progress

Code Execution

• execute_resolve_code — run any Python code with the Resolve API available (resolve, project, mediaPool, timeline, mediaStorage pre-loaded)

• This is the power tool: anything the Resolve Python API can do, Claude can do

Architecture

Unlike BlenderMCP which requires a socket-based addon, Resolve Claude MCP connects directly to DaVinci Resolve via its native scripting API. This means a simpler, single-process architecture:

Claude AI (MCP Client)
    |
    v
Resolve Claude MCP Server (FastMCP)
    |
    v
DaVinciResolveScript (fusionscript.so)
    |
    v
DaVinci Resolve Studio (running)

No addon to install inside Resolve. No socket server. Just one MCP server that talks directly to Resolve.

Prerequisites

• DaVinci Resolve Studio 18.0+ — the free edition blocks external scripting, but it can still be driven; see Free Edition

• Python 3.10+

• uv package manager

Install uv:

# macOS
brew install uv

# Windows
powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"

# Linux
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

Installation

Step 1: Clone this repo

git clone https://github.com/SirIdontCare/resolve-claude-mcp.git
cd resolve-claude-mcp
uv sync

Originally written by Ivo Vacca (barckley75/resolve-claude-mcp).

Note the absolute path to the folder you just cloned — you'll need it in Step 2.

Step 2: Tell Claude Desktop about this server

Claude Desktop has a settings file called claude_desktop_config.json that lists every MCP server it should launch on startup. You need to add an entry to that file so Claude Desktop knows about Resolve Claude MCP.

The file lives in your user folder (not inside the Claude app):

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Open it (or create it if it doesn't exist — these commands will create a blank file you can fill in):

# macOS — opens in TextEdit
open -e "$HOME/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json"

# Windows (PowerShell) — opens in Notepad
notepad "$env:APPDATA\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json"

When the editor opens, paste in the JSON below. Replace /absolute/path/to/resolve-claude-mcp with the path to the folder you cloned in Step 1. If the file already has other MCP servers in it, just add the "resolve" block inside the existing "mcpServers" object — don't create a second "mcpServers".

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "resolve": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "--directory",
        "/absolute/path/to/resolve-claude-mcp",
        "run",
        "resolve-claude-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "RESOLVE_SCRIPT_LIB": "/Applications/DaVinci Resolve/DaVinci Resolve.app/Contents/Libraries/Fusion/fusionscript.so",
        "RESOLVE_SCRIPT_API": "/Library/Application Support/Blackmagic Design/DaVinci Resolve/Developer/Scripting",
        "PYTHONPATH": "/Library/Application Support/Blackmagic Design/DaVinci Resolve/Developer/Scripting/Modules/"
      }
    }
  }
}

If uv isn't on Claude Desktop's PATH, use the full path — find it with which uv (macOS/Linux) or where.exe uv (Windows). On macOS via Homebrew it's typically /opt/homebrew/bin/uv.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "resolve": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "--directory",
        "C:\\absolute\\path\\to\\resolve-claude-mcp",
        "run",
        "resolve-claude-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "RESOLVE_SCRIPT_LIB": "C:\\Program Files\\Blackmagic Design\\DaVinci Resolve\\fusionscript.dll",
        "RESOLVE_SCRIPT_API": "C:\\ProgramData\\Blackmagic Design\\DaVinci Resolve\\Support\\Developer\\Scripting",
        "PYTHONPATH": "C:\\ProgramData\\Blackmagic Design\\DaVinci Resolve\\Support\\Developer\\Scripting\\Modules\\"
      }
    }
  }
}

If you installed Resolve on a non-default drive (e.g. D:\), update RESOLVE_SCRIPT_LIB to point at the actual location of fusionscript.dll. The RESOLVE_SCRIPT_API / PYTHONPATH paths stay under C:\ProgramData\ regardless of where Resolve itself was installed.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "resolve": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "--directory",
        "/absolute/path/to/resolve-claude-mcp",
        "run",
        "resolve-claude-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "RESOLVE_SCRIPT_LIB": "/opt/resolve/libs/Fusion/fusionscript.so",
        "RESOLVE_SCRIPT_API": "/opt/resolve/Developer/Scripting",
        "PYTHONPATH": "/opt/resolve/Developer/Scripting/Modules/"
      }
    }
  }
}

Step 3: Enable Scripting in Resolve

1. Open DaVinci Resolve Studio

2. Go to Preferences > General

3. Under External scripting using, select Local (or Network if running remotely)

Step 4: Restart Claude Desktop

Quit and reopen the Claude Desktop app. You should see the Resolve Claude MCP tools available (hammer icon).

Free Edition

The free edition of DaVinci Resolve refuses scriptapp("Resolve") to any process other than its own, so the stdio server above connects to nothing — the tools load and every call fails. Scripting itself is not disabled, though: a script launched from Resolve's own Scripts menu is handed a live resolve object.

So on the free edition the server runs inside Resolve, and your MCP client connects to it over HTTP.

Setup

1. Open resolve-scripts/MCP Server.py and set PROJECT to your clone of this repository (or set the RESOLVE_CLAUDE_MCP_HOME environment variable).

2. Copy it into Resolve's Utility scripts folder:

   Platform	Folder
   Windows	%APPDATA%\Blackmagic Design\DaVinci Resolve\Support\Fusion\Scripts\Utility
   macOS	~/Library/Application Support/Blackmagic Design/DaVinci Resolve/Fusion/Scripts/Utility
   Linux	~/.local/share/DaVinciResolve/Fusion/Scripts/Utility

3. Register the HTTP endpoint with your MCP client instead of the stdio command:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "resolve": {
         "type": "http",
         "url": "http://127.0.0.1:8765/mcp"
       }
     }
   }

Each session

Open a project, then run Workspace > Scripts > MCP Server. The script does not return — it serves until you stop it, and it writes mcp_server.log next to itself recording the pid, the detected product and version, and the endpoint.

Trade-offs against the Studio route:

• One launch per Resolve session; the server dies with Resolve.

• Resolve must stay open, as it already must for Studio.

• RESOLVE_SCRIPT_API / RESOLVE_SCRIPT_LIB are irrelevant here — nothing is imported from Blackmagic's scripting module.

Every tool works unchanged. Only the way ResolveConnection acquires the resolve object is swapped, and that is the one thing the free edition denies.

Using it from Claude chat

The HTTP endpoint serves Claude Code sessions as soon as it is registered. The chat side of the Claude desktop app keeps a separate registry and reads neither ~/.claude.json nor claude_desktop_config.json for servers — it loads extensions. chat-extension/ is one: a stdlib-only stdio-to-HTTP bridge, so the bundle carries no dependencies.

Build it and install it:

python chat-extension/build.py

Then in the desktop app: Settings → Extensions → Advanced settings → Install extension, and pick chat-extension/dist/davinci-resolve.mcpb.

The bridge inherits the same requirement as everything else here: launch Workspace → Scripts → MCP Server in Resolve first. With the server down, the extension fails to start and says so in its log rather than loading with no tools. Point it elsewhere with RESOLVE_MCP_URL if you changed the port.

Why there is no click-free version

Resolve's internal script server is not running between script launches. Resolve passes the connection to its child as fuscript.exe -q -l Py3 -a <handle> <script>, where -a is an inherited handle rather than a port, so the invocation cannot be reproduced from outside. fuscript -p finds no script app to attach to either.

Usage

Make sure DaVinci Resolve Studio is running with a project open, then talk to Claude:

Project & Navigation

"What project do I have open?"
"Switch to the Color page"
"How many timelines are in this project?"

Media & Timeline

"Import all the .mp4 files from ~/Videos/project/ into the media pool"
"Create a new timeline called 'Rough Cut'"
"What clips are on video track 1?"
"Add a red marker at frame 200 called 'Fix audio here'"

Color Grading

"Show me the node graph for the first clip"
"Apply this LUT to node 1: /path/to/my.cube"
"Set CDL values: increase slope to 1.2 and reduce saturation to 0.8"

AI Features

"Run scene cut detection on the timeline"
"Apply Smart Reframe to the first clip"
"Create a Magic Mask on clip 3 to isolate the subject"
"Generate subtitles from the audio in English"
"Enable Voice Isolation on audio track 1"
"Stabilize the second clip on video track 1"

Transcription

"Transcribe ~/Videos/interview.mp4"
"Transcribe this clip in French using the large model"
"Export an SRT file from ~/Videos/podcast.wav to ~/Desktop/podcast.srt"
"Transcribe the audio and add subtitle markers to the timeline"

Fusion

"List all Fusion compositions on the first clip"
"Add a Fusion composition to clip 2"
"Insert a Fusion title into the timeline"

Rendering

"What render formats are available?"
"Set up a render to ProRes 422 HQ, output to ~/Desktop/exports"
"Add a render job and start rendering"
"What's the render progress?"

Power Tool

"Run this code: print(project.GetSetting('timelineFrameRate'))"

Available Tools (52)

Troubleshooting

"Could not connect to DaVinci Resolve"

• Make sure DaVinci Resolve Studio is running

• Check that scripting is enabled in Preferences > General > External scripting using

• Verify the RESOLVE_SCRIPT_LIB path matches your installation

• On the free edition this always fails for the stdio server — use the Free Edition route instead

Free-edition server won't start

• Launch it from Workspace > Scripts, not a terminal: outside Resolve there is no resolve object to borrow, and the script exits saying so

• Read mcp_server.log next to the script — it records the exact failure

• If it reports no virtualenv, fix PROJECT at the top of the script, then uv sync

"Failed to import DaVinciResolveScript"

• Check that PYTHONPATH in the config points to the correct Modules directory

• On macOS, the default path is /Library/Application Support/Blackmagic Design/DaVinci Resolve/Developer/Scripting/Modules/

"No active timeline"

• Open a project and make sure a timeline is loaded before using timeline tools

Tools not appearing in Claude Desktop

• Make sure uv is installed: uv --version

• Restart Claude Desktop after editing claude_desktop_config.json

• Check the Claude Desktop logs for MCP server errors

Important Notes

• DaVinci Resolve Studio is required for the stdio server. The free edition blocks external scripting, so it needs the Free Edition route, which trades a per-session launch for the same tool set.

• execute_resolve_code runs arbitrary Python — review code before executing.

• Some tools require being on a specific page (e.g., thumbnails require the Color page).

• The server connects to whichever project is currently open — switching projects in Resolve is reflected immediately.

Disclaimer

USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. This software is provided "as is", without warranty of any kind, express or implied. By using Resolve Claude MCP you acknowledge and accept that:

• This is an unofficial, third-party project — not created by, affiliated with, endorsed by, or supported by Blackmagic Design or Anthropic.

• It is designed to control DaVinci Resolve Studio through an AI assistant. AI agents can make mistakes: they may modify, overwrite, or delete your projects, timelines, clips, render queues, or files on disk.

• The execute_resolve_code tool executes arbitrary Python code with full access to the Resolve API and your filesystem. Inspect code before allowing execution.

• The screenshot tool captures the DaVinci Resolve window (or the full screen as a fallback). These images are sent to the AI provider (Anthropic) for analysis. Anything visible in the screenshot — client footage, unreleased material, personal content, notifications, passwords, other apps in the background — may be transmitted. Only use it when you're comfortable with what's on screen, and be aware of your NDAs and privacy obligations.

• Always work on a backup of your project. Save often. Use Resolve's built-in project backups (Project Manager → right-click → Backups). Keep media outside the project folder if it matters to you.

• The authors and contributors accept no liability for lost work, corrupted projects, missed deadlines, wasted render time, accidental uploads/exports, API charges, or any other damages arising from use of this software.

• You are responsible for reviewing what the AI is about to do before approving tool calls in your MCP client.

If this is production work on a client project, don't let the AI drive unsupervised. Watch the tool calls, keep backups, render proofs.

License

MIT — see LICENSE. The MIT license specifically disclaims all warranties and liability; the Disclaimer section above restates that in plain English.

Acknowledgments

Inspired by BlenderMCP by Siddharth Ahuja.
Built with the Model Context Protocol by Anthropic.