OpticMCP

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides camera/vision tools for AI assistants. Connect to cameras and capture images for use with LLMs.

Vision

OpticMCP aims to be a universal camera interface for AI assistants, supporting any camera type:

• USB Cameras (Current)
• IP/Network Cameras (Current) - RTSP, HLS streams
• Raspberry Pi Cameras (Planned) - CSI camera modules
• Screen Capture (Planned) - Desktop/window capture
• Mobile Cameras (Planned) - Phone camera integration
• Cloud Cameras (Planned) - Integration with cloud camera services

Current Features

USB Cameras

• list_cameras - Scan and list all available USB cameras
• save_image - Capture a frame and save directly to a file

Camera Streaming

• start_stream - Start streaming a camera to a localhost HTTP server (MJPEG)
• stop_stream - Stop streaming a camera
• list_streams - List all active camera streams

Multi-Camera Dashboard

• start_dashboard - Start a dynamic dashboard that displays all active camera streams in a responsive grid
• stop_dashboard - Stop the dashboard server

RTSP Streams (Not tested with real hardware)

• rtsp_save_image - Capture and save a frame from an RTSP stream
• rtsp_check_stream - Validate RTSP stream and get properties

HLS Streams (HTTP Live Streaming)

• hls_save_image - Capture and save a frame from an HLS stream
• hls_check_stream - Validate HLS stream and get properties

Requirements

• Python 3.10+
• USB camera connected to your system

Installation

From PyPI (Recommended)

pip install optic-mcp

Or with uv:

uv pip install optic-mcp

From Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/Timorleiderman/OpticMCP.git
cd OpticMCP

# Install dependencies with uv
uv sync

Usage

Running the MCP Server

If installed from PyPI:

optic-mcp

Or with uvx (no installation required):

uvx optic-mcp

Running from Source

uv run optic-mcp

MCP Configuration

Claude Desktop

Add to your Claude Desktop configuration file:

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "optic-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["optic-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

OpenCode

Add to your opencode.json (in .opencode/ in your project directory or ~/.opencode/ globally):

{
  "mcp": {
    "optic-mcp": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": ["uvx", "optic-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Other MCP Clients

Using uvx (recommended - no installation required):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "optic-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["optic-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Using pip installation:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "optic-mcp": {
      "command": "optic-mcp"
    }
  }
}

From source:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "optic-mcp": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["run", "--directory", "/path/to/OpticMCP", "optic-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Tools

list_cameras

Scans for available USB cameras (indices 0-9) and returns their status.

[
  {
    "index": 0,
    "status": "available",
    "backend": "AVFOUNDATION",
    "description": "Camera 0 (AVFOUNDATION)"
  }
]

save_image

Captures a frame and saves it to disk.

Parameters:

• file_path (str) - Path where the image will be saved
• camera_index (int, default: 0) - Camera index to capture from

Returns: Success message with file path

Streaming Tools

Stream cameras to a local HTTP server for real-time viewing in any browser.

start_stream

Start streaming a camera to a localhost HTTP server. The stream uses MJPEG format which is widely supported.

Parameters:

• camera_index (int, default: 0) - Camera index to stream
• port (int, default: 8080) - Port to serve the stream on

Returns: Dictionary with stream URLs and status

{
  "status": "started",
  "camera_index": 0,
  "port": 8080,
  "url": "http://localhost:8080",
  "stream_url": "http://localhost:8080/stream"
}

Usage:

• Open http://localhost:8080 in a browser to view the stream with a simple UI
• Use http://localhost:8080/stream for the raw MJPEG stream (can be embedded in other applications)

stop_stream

Stop streaming a camera.

Parameters:

• camera_index (int, default: 0) - Camera index to stop streaming

Returns: Dictionary with status

list_streams

List all active camera streams.

Returns: List of active stream information including URLs and ports

Dashboard Tools

start_dashboard

Start a dynamic multi-camera dashboard server. The dashboard automatically detects all active camera streams and displays them in a responsive grid layout.

Parameters:

• port (int, default: 9000) - Port to serve the dashboard on

Returns: Dictionary with dashboard URL and status

{
  "status": "started",
  "port": 9000,
  "url": "http://localhost:9000"
}

Usage:

1. Start one or more camera streams with start_stream
2. Start the dashboard with start_dashboard
3. Open http://localhost:9000 in a browser
4. The dashboard auto-updates every 3 seconds to detect new/removed streams

stop_dashboard

Stop the dashboard server.

Returns: Dictionary with status

RTSP Tools

Note: RTSP functionality has not been tested with real RTSP hardware/streams. It is implemented but may require adjustments for specific camera vendors.

rtsp_save_image

Captures a frame from an RTSP stream and saves it to disk.

Parameters:

• rtsp_url (str) - RTSP stream URL (e.g., rtsp://ip:554/stream)
• file_path (str) - Path where the image will be saved
• timeout_seconds (int, default: 10) - Connection timeout

Returns: Success message with file path

rtsp_check_stream

Validates an RTSP stream and returns stream information.

Parameters:

• rtsp_url (str) - RTSP stream URL to validate
• timeout_seconds (int, default: 10) - Connection timeout

Returns: Dictionary with stream status and properties (width, height, fps, codec)

HLS Tools

hls_save_image

Captures a frame from an HLS stream and saves it to disk.

Parameters:

• hls_url (str) - HLS stream URL (typically ending in .m3u8)
• file_path (str) - Path where the image will be saved
• timeout_seconds (int, default: 30) - Connection timeout

Returns: Success message with file path

hls_check_stream

Validates an HLS stream and returns stream information.

Parameters:

• hls_url (str) - HLS stream URL to validate
• timeout_seconds (int, default: 30) - Connection timeout

Returns: Dictionary with stream status and properties (width, height, fps, codec)

Technical Notes

OpenCV + MCP Compatibility

OpenCV prints debug messages to stderr which corrupts MCP's stdio communication. This server suppresses stderr at the file descriptor level before importing cv2 to prevent this issue.

Roadmap

• [x] v0.1.0 - USB camera support via OpenCV
• [x] v0.2.0 - IP camera support (RTSP and HLS streams)
• [x] v0.3.0 - Multi-camera dashboard with realtime streaming
• [ ] v0.4.0 - Camera configuration (resolution, format, etc.)
• [ ] v0.5.0 - Video recording capabilities

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

License

MIT