DaVinci Resolve MCP

An MCP server and Claude Code skill that expose the complete DaVinci Resolve scripting API — letting any MCP-compatible AI assistant control DaVinci Resolve programmatically.

AI Assistant  <-->  MCP Protocol  <-->  This Server  <-->  fusionscript  <-->  DaVinci Resolve

What It Can Do

440+ tools covering every aspect of DaVinci Resolve:

Category	Tools	Examples
Project Management	25	Create/load/export projects, manage databases, cloud projects
Timeline Editing	59	Add/remove tracks, insert titles & generators, manage markers, export timelines
Media Pool	27	Import media, create timelines from clips, organize folders, sync audio
Clip Operations	80	Set clip properties, manage Fusion comps, color versions, takes, CDL, stabilize, smart reframe
Color Grading	16	Node graph control, LUT management, grade application, color groups
Rendering	15	Configure render settings, formats/codecs, add render jobs, start/stop renders
Fusion Compositing	95	Add/connect nodes, set inputs, keyframe animation, expressions, render comps
Gallery & Stills	14	Manage still albums, PowerGrade albums, import/export stills
Media Storage	7	Browse volumes, import from disk, manage clip/timeline mattes
Captions & Audio	5+	Generate subtitles from audio, voice isolation, Fairlight presets, transcription
App Control	22	Page navigation, layout presets, version info, keyframe modes

Example Prompts

• "List all my projects"
• "Import all .mov files from my Desktop into the media pool"
• "Create a new timeline called 'Assembly' and add all clips from the media pool"
• "Add a Text+ title to video track 2 at the start of the timeline"
• "Set up a render job as ProRes 422 HQ at 4K to my Renders folder"
• "Apply the LUT 'Rec709' to node 1 of the current clip"
• "Generate subtitles from the audio on the current timeline"
• "Build a Fusion comp with a Background, Text, and Merge node"

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• DaVinci Resolve or DaVinci Resolve Studio (v19.0+) installed and running
• Python 3.10+
• The MCP server must run on the same machine as DaVinci Resolve

Install

pip install davinci-resolve-mcp

Configure Claude Desktop

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "davinci-resolve": {
      "command": "davinci-resolve-mcp"
    }
  }
}

Or with uvx (no install needed):

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

Configure Claude Code

claude mcp add davinci-resolve -- davinci-resolve-mcp

Claude Code Skill

This repo also includes a Claude Code skill that teaches Claude how to effectively use the 440+ MCP tools — including the object registry pattern, correct tool chaining, Fusion node wiring, and common workflow recipes.

Install the Skill

claude skill install davinci-resolve-mcp.skill

Or copy the skill/davinci-resolve-mcp/ directory into your Claude Code skills folder.

The skill provides:

• Object registry guidance — how to chain parent/child object IDs correctly
• Workflow recipes — step-by-step patterns for importing, editing, grading, rendering
• Fusion reference — node types, common inputs, connection patterns
• Render settings reference — format/codec options and configuration keys

Architecture

Object Registry

The Resolve API returns native objects that can't be serialized over MCP. The server maintains an in-memory registry mapping string IDs to live objects:

resolve_get_project_manager  -->  project_manager_id
  --> project_manager_get_current_project  -->  project_id
    --> project_get_current_timeline  -->  timeline_id
      --> timeline_get_item_list_in_track  -->  [timeline_item_ids]

1. Tools that return Resolve objects register them and return a JSON-safe ID
2. Subsequent tools accept that ID to look up the live object
3. Use clear_object_cache if objects become stale (e.g., after switching projects in the Resolve UI)
4. Use initialize to reconnect if Resolve was restarted

Server Structure

src/davinci_resolve_mcp/
  server.py              # FastMCP server with lifespan management
  resolve_connection.py  # fusionscript bridge & object registry
  models.py              # Pydantic response models
  constants.py           # Enums and API constants
  tools/
    resolve.py           # App-level tools (22)
    project_manager.py   # Project CRUD & databases (25)
    project.py           # Timeline & render management (43)
    timeline.py          # Track, marker, generator tools (59)
    timeline_item.py     # Clip properties, Fusion, grades (80)
    media_pool.py        # Import, organize, create (27)
    media_pool_item.py   # Metadata, markers, proxy (36)
    media_storage.py     # Volume browsing, import (7)
    gallery.py           # Stills & PowerGrades (14)
    graph.py             # Node graph & LUTs (11)
    color_group.py       # Color group management (5)
    fusion_comp.py       # Fusion composition tools (40)
    fusion_tool.py       # Fusion node tools (20)
    fusion_input.py      # Input connections & expressions (12)
    fusion_output.py     # Output values & cache (8)
    fusion_flow.py       # Node layout & selection (8)
    fusion_spline.py     # Keyframe animation (5)
    fusion_misc.py       # Fonts, registry, image cache (11)
    folder.py            # Folder browsing (8)
    utility.py           # Cache & init (3)

Environment Variables

Variable	Purpose	Default
RESOLVE_SCRIPT_LIB	Path to fusionscript.dll/.so	Auto-detected
RESOLVE_SCRIPT_API	Path to Resolve scripting modules	Auto-detected

Default paths by platform

Platform	fusionscript location
Windows	C:\Program Files\Blackmagic Design\DaVinci Resolve\fusionscript.dll
macOS	/Applications/DaVinci Resolve/DaVinci Resolve.app/Contents/Libraries/Fusion/fusionscript.so
Linux	/opt/resolve/libs/Fusion/fusionscript.so

API Coverage

Based on the DaVinci Resolve 20.2.2 Scripting API. Works with Resolve 19.0+, but some tools require newer versions:

Feature	Min Version
Voice isolation APIs	20.1
SetName for clips/items	20.2
Fairlight presets	20.2.2
MonitorGrowingFile	20.0
Graph/ColorGroup objects	19.0

Limitations

• Must run on the same machine as DaVinci Resolve
• DaVinci Resolve must be running before the server starts
• Some operations require specific pages (e.g., thumbnails need the Color page)
• Some features are Studio-only (scripting access may be limited in the free version)
• Wraps the Scripting API only — no GPU plugin control

Development

git clone https://github.com/lordhoell/davinci-resolve-mcp.git
cd davinci-resolve-mcp
pip install -e ".[dev]"

Adding Tools for New API Versions

1. Check Scripting/CHANGELOG.txt in the Resolve SDK for new methods
2. Add the tool to the appropriate file in src/davinci_resolve_mcp/tools/
3. Add any new enum constants to constants.py
4. Add any new models to models.py

License

MIT