DaVinci Resolve MCP Setup: Install, Connect, and Verify
The safest DaVinci Resolve MCP setup starts with Resolve Studio, Python, and Local external scripting. Run npx davinci-resolve-mcp setup, connect a supported client over stdio, and verify project and media-pool reads before asking an agent to change a timeline, grade color, or render.
The safest DaVinci Resolve MCP setup starts with Resolve Studio, Python, and Local external scripting. Run npx davinci-resolve-mcp setup, connect a supported client over stdio, and verify project and media-pool reads before asking an agent to change a timeline, grade color, or render.
Table of contents
- What DaVinci Resolve MCP can control
- Check Studio, Python, and scripting prerequisites
- Run the setup and connect a client
- Verify project and media-pool reads
- Graduate to timeline, color, and render actions
- Fix scripting, version, and connection failures
- FAQ
What DaVinci Resolve MCP can control
Confirm Resolve Studio and external scripting first, then run the setup command and prove project reads before asking an agent to edit a timeline, grade, or render. This order keeps connection problems separate from editing decisions.
DaVinci Resolve MCP Server connects AI assistants to DaVinci Resolve Studio through Blackmagic’s official Scripting API. The directory reports 336 covered API methods, with 98.5% live-tested against Resolve 19.1.3 and 20.3.2 Studio versions. See the DaVinci Resolve MCP Server directory entry for the supported scope.
Its capabilities include:
- Application and project control
- Media Pool ingest and organization
- Source-safe media analysis using FFprobe, FFmpeg, and Whisper
- 2-pop and slate-clap sync detection
- Metadata writeback
- Timeline editing and conform
- Review markers
- Color grading
- Fusion compositions
- Fairlight audio
- Render and deliver operations
- Extension authoring
The server offers two operating styles. Compound mode groups operations behind action parameters to reduce context use, while granular mode exposes one tool for each API method. Start with the mode that makes the requested operation easiest to inspect, then keep the first write narrowly scoped. Blackmagic’s developer documentation provides the broader scripting context.
Check Studio, Python, and scripting prerequisites
Use DaVinci Resolve Studio 18.5 or later, Python 3.10 or later, and Local external scripting before running setup. The lowest-risk Python range is 3.10 through 3.12, and the free edition does not support external scripting.
Check these requirements in order:
- Confirm that the installed Resolve edition is Studio and that its version is 18.5 or newer. The supported platforms are macOS, Windows, and Linux.
- Confirm that Python 3.10+ is available. Staying within Python 3.10–3.12 reduces version uncertainty.
- In Resolve, open Preferences > General and set External scripting using to Local.
- Keep Resolve open while you make the connection so the server can reach the application through its scripting interface.
If the free edition is installed, changing the scripting preference will not provide the required external-scripting support. Resolve’s official support and developer resources are the right references for edition and scripting details; the DaVinci Resolve support center is the practical starting point.
Run the setup and connect a client
Run npx davinci-resolve-mcp setup, then use one of the client configurations created by the installer. The server uses stdio transport and does not require separate MCP authentication.
Use the verified setup instruction exactly:
npx davinci-resolve-mcp setup
The universal Python installer detects the platform and Resolve paths, then configures supported clients such as:
- Claude Desktop
- Claude Code
- Cursor
- VS Code
- Windsurf
- Zed
- Continue
- Cline
- Roo Code
- JetBrains IDEs
After setup, open the client you intend to use and check whether the DaVinci Resolve MCP connection is available. MCP uses a host-client-server arrangement, so the client presents the available server tools while the server communicates with Resolve. The MCP architecture documentation explains this separation.
For a Claude workflow, the Claude client guide is a useful next step. Do not add unverified flags to the command or change transport and permission settings simply to force a connection.
Verify project and media-pool reads
Start with read-only requests for the current project and Media Pool, and treat successful reads as the connection checkpoint. Only after those reads return useful information should you ask for edits.
A practical verification sequence is:
- Ask the client to identify the current Resolve project.
- Ask it to read the project’s available information without changing anything.
- Ask it to inspect the Media Pool and report the available media or organization.
- Compare the response with what is visibly open in Resolve.
- If the result is missing or inconsistent, stop before requesting timeline or render changes.
This check confirms more than whether a client entry exists. It tests the path from the client, through the MCP server, into Resolve’s scripting interface. It also gives you a known state for later instructions.
Keep the first prompts specific and read-focused. For example, ask for the current project name and a summary of Media Pool contents rather than combining inspection with ingest, sync, timeline editing, or delivery. The MCP debugging guide can help structure diagnosis when a server appears configured but does not respond as expected.
Graduate to timeline, color, and render actions
Once project and Media Pool reads work, move from inspection to one narrowly defined write, then read the result back. This is the safest point to introduce timeline edits, markers, color changes, Fusion or Fairlight work, and render operations.
A sensible progression is:
- Create or adjust one small timeline operation.
- Read the affected timeline state.
- Add or modify review markers when required.
- Make a bounded color, Fusion, or Fairlight change.
- Read the affected state again.
- Configure a render or delivery action only after the project state is clear.
The server covers timeline editing and conform, review markers, color grading, Fusion compositions, Fairlight audio, render and deliver functions, and extension authoring. Because the available surface is broad, describe the target project, timeline, clips, markers, or delivery intent precisely.
Use compound mode when a grouped workflow is easier to review as a single action. Use granular mode when you need to see and control individual API methods. MCP security guidance recommends keeping tool use scoped to the intended task and validating actions before they affect project state; consult the MCP security best practices when designing a team workflow.
Fix scripting, version, and connection failures
Check the Resolve edition, version, Python range, and Local scripting setting first; then rerun the verified setup flow and inspect the client connection. Most setup failures can be narrowed by identifying which prerequisite or connection boundary failed.
| Symptom | Likely check | Corrective action |
|---|---|---|
| Resolve is reachable only visually | External scripting may not be enabled | Set Preferences > General > External scripting using > Local |
| Setup cannot work with the installed edition | The free edition lacks external scripting support | Use DaVinci Resolve Studio 18.5+ |
| Python-related setup issue | Python may be below 3.10 or outside the lowest-risk range | Use Python 3.10–3.12 where possible |
| Client does not show the server | Client configuration may not have been created or loaded | Run npx davinci-resolve-mcp setup and check the selected client |
| Project reads fail after connection | Resolve may not be available through the scripting path | Confirm Resolve is open, scripting is Local, and the project can be read before attempting writes |
| A tool action is unclear | The request may combine inspection and modification | Return to a read-only project or Media Pool request |
The setup installer auto-detects platforms and Resolve paths, so path assumptions should not be the first place you improvise. When the problem remains, use the config doctor as a practical configuration check, then consult Blackmagic’s official developer material and the MCP debugging documentation.