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

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

Domain	Module	Tools	Description
Playback	playback	7	Page navigation, timecode, playhead position, version info
Project	project	21	CRUD, settings, import/export (.drp), database folders, archive/restore, DB list
Media Storage	media_storage	4	Browse mounted volumes, list files, import to media pool
Media Pool	media_pool	14	Folder CRUD, clip management, timeline creation, metadata export
Clips	media_pool_item	21	Clip metadata, properties, colors, markers, flags, proxy, transcription, replace
Timeline	timeline	29	CRUD, tracks, items, markers, export (AAF/EDL/FCPXML), compound/Fusion clips, scene detection, auto-subtitles, settings
Timeline Items	timeline_item	27	Transform, crop, composite, color, markers, flags, takes, unique ID, stabilize, smart reframe, nodes
Render	render	14	Formats, codecs, presets, job queue, start/stop, progress monitoring
Color	color	24	Nodes, LUTs, CDL, grade versions, DRX application, color groups, node labels
Fusion	fusion	11	Compositions CRUD, generators, titles, tool listing
Gallery	gallery	14	Still albums, grab/import/export stills, PowerGrades, grade application
Fairlight	fairlight	3	Audio insertion, presets listing, preset application

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

URI	Description
resolve://system	Resolve version, product name, current page
resolve://project	Project name, timeline count, resolution, frame rate
resolve://timeline	Timeline name, frame range, track counts, timecode

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.