Video editing MCP servers compared

Which one to use

Compare the connection and the finish line

Download the 21 records as JSON, each with its check date, primary source and delivery notes.

Open-source activity at a glance

Stars and the last push show adoption and upkeep, not quality. These figures come from the GitHub API on October 6, 2026; check them again before you build a workflow on a small project.

Without a license, default copyright applies, so ask the author before reusing code from the Video Jungle connector or the Premiere Pro bridge. Palmier Pro's repository keeps the GPL-3.0 source of releases through v0.7.6 and hosts its later proprietary builds.

Hosted servers: requirements that change the choice

OpusClip: clipping, editing and posting

The setup guide lists https://mcp.opus.pro/mcp with OAuth sign-in and no API key, published to the MCP Registry as io.github.opus-pro/opusclip. Any OpusClip account can connect and list the tools, but calling them requires Pro Beta, Max or Business API access, and the documented Pro Beta and Max caps are 15 hours a month and four concurrent projects. The MCP page describes a free trial, so confirm eligibility against the setup guide.

opusclip_submit_project clips a YouTube or Vimeo link, opusclip_create_upload_link takes a local file, and opusclip_edit_clip changes captions, trims, splits, section order, filler words and pauses. opusclip_export_clip returns an HD download URL. On this endpoint, posting and scheduling tools commit directly; Claude.ai's separate Claude Connector returns a link you confirm in OpusClip. See how OpusClip's server differs from Valmera's.

invideo: a shared NLE timeline in the browser

The agent setup guide lists https://mcp.invideo.io/mcp over Streamable HTTP, with OAuth sign-in through the client or device sign-in for agents without a browser. The agent opens a project by its URL, brings media in and edits the timeline while you watch each change land under its cursor and edit alongside it. Projects keep a main timeline, branches and a full edit history.

The Remote Agents page adds color correction, audio mixing and image, video and audio generation. Exports come from the project saved to your invideo account, as a rendered video or an editable project for Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro or DaVinci Resolve.

Vyra: bind a browser tab first

Vyra's MCP page lists https://api.usevyra.com/mcp with Streamable HTTP and OAuth 2.1 with PKCE. Timeline tools work only while a project is open at app.usevyra.com and that tab is bound with Connect MCP; one tab can be bound at a time (setup docs). The docs describe 50+ tools for search, timeline edits, captions, masks, effects, keyframes and motion graphics.

Vyra edits footage you upload and doesn't generate footage. Ask the agent to export and it renders MP4 or WebM; the maximum resolution depends on the plan. Vyra's own limits note that external models sometimes report a step as done when it isn't, and suggest asking for a timeline read-back.

ChatCut: a plugin for desktop agents

The Agent Plugin guide installs from a Git marketplace into the Claude Code and Codex desktop apps and registers ChatCut's hosted MCP connection after you authorize it in the browser; WorkBuddy has its own guide. It isn't for Claude's or ChatGPT's websites. ChatCut Desktop has a separate local MCP connection for the project open in that app.

The plugin imports media, edits the timeline, captions, builds motion graphics and generates video, images, voiceover, music and sound effects. The Export Panel delivers H.264/MP4 or VP8/WebM (web exports up to 1080p, 4K from Desktop), MP3, SRT or TXT subtitles, XML for Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve, and CapCut or Jianying drafts on Desktop.

Descript: choose the Drive and delivery route

Its MCP guidance excludes YouTube URLs as import sources and supports transcript exports including SRT. Signed MP4 or audio URLs come through Descript web-link publishing; a private local-file export without publishing is an app step. The directory connector and custom setup can expose different generative tools. Descript MCP overview.

Reap: use the action server and current setup guide

The documented video-action endpoint is https://mcp.reap.video/mcp. Its connection guide specifies OAuth, a selected workspace and a paid plan with API access, while the marketing page describes API keys and free processing, so confirm eligibility against the setup guide.

The separate documentation MCP searches Reap's docs rather than processing video. Reap also documents publishing and scheduling through connected social accounts.

OpenClip: submission through rendering

The published catalog names submit_video, list_clips, render_clip and get_render_status, alongside uploads and media tools. Its product documentation also covers caption edits, trims and filler-word removal. OpenClip MCP catalog.

Riverside: check rollout, role and delivery

Its setup guide lists https://mcp.riverside.com/mcp and gradual beta access on Grow, Webinar and Business plans for owners, admins, directors and editors. Edits create a new version and exports go to the exports folder; scheduling recording sessions and podcast hosting stay in Riverside. The setup guide lists client-specific restrictions and asks users of other clients to contact support.

Runway: generation, developer tools and the web editor are separate

The generation connection uses https://mcp.runwayml.com/mcp, Runway app sign-in and Streamable HTTP. Generation consumes credits, Explore Mode is unavailable through it, and model access depends on the account.

Runway Dev is a separate Developer Portal connection at https://dev.runwayml.com/mcp for task lookup, model routers and documentation. The Runway Agent guide describes timeline assembly and rendering inside Runway's own app.

Rendley: preparation and automation are different connectors

The automation endpoint, https://mcp.rendley.com/mcp/automation, uses Rendley's editing agent to work on media, save an editable project and render an output. The lighter directory connector, https://mcp.rendley.com/mcp, prepares a project and brief that a user opens and submits; its temporary uploads normally expire after 24 hours unless the project is submitted.

The authentication guide documents OAuth or an API key, with separate OAuth connections for the two endpoints. Free accounts can connect and inspect account and project information; editing and export require a paid plan. Some generic client examples point to the lighter endpoint, so check the configured URL.

For local files, the client uploads bytes directly to storage, with multipart handling, up to 50 files per batch and 20 new files per edit request. The automation guide lists H.264 MP4 and VP8 WebM output up to 4K, with download links that expire after a few hours. Opening Studio during an active edit can take over the session.

Local servers and editor bridges

These servers run on your computer, next to the media or the editor they control. They need an MCP client on the same machine, such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Codex or Cursor; web chat clients can't launch them or reach localhost.

Palmier Pro: an AI-native Mac editor with a local endpoint

The pinned README says the app exposes http://127.0.0.1:19789/mcp while it is open, with setup commands for Claude Code, Codex and Cursor and a one-click Claude Desktop extension. It requires macOS 26 (Tahoe) on Apple Silicon. Releases through v0.7.6 and the source tagged last-gpl-source are GPL-3.0; later binary releases are proprietary.

Palmier's site says the editor and the MCP connection are free, while credits pay for generation, cloud transcription and the built-in chat. An agent can open a project, build and edit the timeline and run the export: H.264, H.265 or ProRes, or XML for Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve or Final Cut.

Cardboard: agent access through the Mac app

Cardboard's FAQ says the Mac app works with Claude Code and Codex and that any agent can drive Cardboard through its CLI or MCP server. In the app, you sign in with Claude or ChatGPT under Settings → Agents. Cardboard publishes no MCP endpoint or tool list, and its llms.txt says there is no public API, so plan on the Claude Code or Codex route.

The Mac app (Apple Silicon) edits and exports on your computer, while transcription and generation use the cloud. Exports include MP4 and MOV up to 4K, a share link, or a timeline sent to Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro or DaVinci Resolve.

Jumper: local search that feeds your NLE

Jumper's agent guide, updated September 3, 2026, describes a local MCP server in the desktop app for macOS and Windows, with one-click setup for Claude Desktop, Claude Code and Codex Desktop and an MCP URL in Settings for other agents. The agent runs visual, transcript and face searches and exports clips or sequences; Jumper returns metadata such as file paths, timecodes and transcript excerpts rather than footage.

It works with Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro and Avid Media Composer, so the cut is finished and rendered in your NLE. The homepage lists agentic editing under Jumper PRO.

DaVinci Resolve: two implementations, check your edition

This comparison covers two of the public Resolve servers. Samuel Gursky's live Python server uses Resolve scripting; its README also documents an optional Node server for offline project-file operations. Check your edition, operating system, scripting connection and optional analysis dependencies. Pinned integration documentation.

barckley75's Resolve Claude MCP connects to Resolve Studio 18 or later through the scripting API, with 52 tools for media, timelines, color, Fusion, rendering and Neural Engine features such as Magic Mask and Smart Reframe. Local transcription and screenshots are macOS-only, execute_resolve_code runs arbitrary Python, and the README advises against production use. Both servers render through Resolve's own render jobs.

After Effects and Premiere Pro: early bridges

Dakkshin's After Effects MCP pairs a local Node server with an ExtendScript panel that polls for commands inside After Effects 2022 or later. The pinned source registers 13 tools; layers, cameras, masks and properties run as allowlisted scripts through run-script. None of them renders, so render the composition in After Effects.

nepfaff's Premiere Pro MCP takes the opposite approach: one execute-script tool runs JavaScript the model writes against Premiere's UXP API, relayed through a file bridge to a plugin loaded with the UXP Developer Tool, which must stay open. It needs Premiere Pro 25.3 or later, and a script can export a sequence with a preset you supply. With 5 stars and no detected license, it is an early project.

Kinocut and FFmpeg MCP: local processing without an editor

Kinocut, formerly mcp-video, runs with uvx --from kinocut kino --mcp and wraps FFmpeg on your PATH. Release 1.16.1 (October 5, 2026) registers 203 MCP tools and 177 CLI commands, adds preflight checks, release checkpoints and Video Receipts for provenance, and needs no Kinocut account.

video-creator's FFmpeg MCP is smaller: eight tools to find, inspect, clip, concatenate, overlay, scale, extract frames from and play local files, run through uv on macOS. Both write new files on your machine.

Video Jungle: local launch, hosted dependency

The reviewed Python package requires Python 3.11 or later and a Video Jungle API key. Its source calls the hosted Video Jungle API, and generated-edit handlers return project and edit links. The README describes an OpenTimelineIO handoff and a local Resolve Studio workflow for finishing. Pinned README; reviewed implementation.

How to evaluate a video MCP server

Tool counts aren't comparable: Valmera's live server card lists 143 tools (October 2026), Kinocut's 1.16.1 release registers 203, OpusClip's setup guide lists 27 workflow tools, and the pinned Resolve README described 36 compound or 353 granular tools depending on its mode. Test the job you actually need instead. The MCP tools specification covers discovery and calls.

For a clipping brief, the review method and blank clipping worksheet keep the editorial record.

Sources

Each server's primary source is linked in the comparison table with its check date. These supporting pages were checked on October 6, 2026:

• OpusClip MCP page (free-trial wording and virality-ranked clips)
• invideo agent setup guide
• Vyra MCP setup docs
• ChatCut Export Panel and video, audio and subtitle export
• Cardboard llms.txt
• Palmier Pro site and FAQ
• Jumper homepage (agentic editing in Jumper PRO)
• After Effects MCP pinned server source
• MCP reference servers
• MCP Registry entries for io.valmera/video-editor, io.github.opus-pro/opusclip and io.github.KyaniteLabs/kinocut

Where Valmera fits

Use Valmera when you want an assistant to edit real footage end to end. It reads a word-level transcript and the frames, cuts silences and filler words, adds word-timed captions, reframes to 9:16, adds b-roll, music and sound effects, renders a preview it checks itself, and exports a full-resolution MP4 from the original file with export_final. It is listed in the official MCP Registry as io.valmera/video-editor and connects to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, VS Code, Codex and any remote MCP client through OAuth with dynamic client registration and PKCE; see the setup page and the tool reference.

Choose something else for SRT/VTT files or an editable NLE timeline (Valmera burns captions in and delivers an MP4), for virality-ranked clips or social scheduling, or for generating whole videos from prompts. Over MCP, make_shorts seeds short projects from source ranges your assistant picks, without automatic ranking. Creating an account and uploading are free; editing requires a subscription. See plans.

Frequently Asked Questions