Shotcut MCP — Claude Code MCP server: edit video with AI
An MCP server that lets your assistant open saved Shotcut projects, change the timeline, review it and render the result.
Open on GitHubWhat Shotcut MCP does
The server talks to Shotcut project files (.mlt) over a local stdio connection. Your assistant builds a timeline from clips in a folder, adds transitions, titles and subtitles, and the output stays a normal project you can open and edit in Shotcut. You can ask for preview frames or a short clip before anything is exported.
Every edit is compared against the revision the server already inspected, checked with Melt and copied to a backup before the file is swapped in atomically. Ambiguous changes get rejected, unfamiliar XML is left untouched. Each export runs on a frozen project snapshot, so later timeline tweaks cannot disturb a job that is already rendering.
You need Python 3.10+ and a local Shotcut install (26.8.1 with bundled MLT 7.41.0 is recommended); no extra Python packages are involved. It works only with saved files, so unsaved work in the Shotcut window stays invisible, and you should not overwrite the same project from the GUI while an MCP edit is running. Network resources and dubious consumer properties are blocked unless an administrator opens the runtime configuration.
What it helps with
- build one project from every clip in a folder at a chosen resolution and frame rate
- add crossfades between clips and keep the result as an editable
.mlt - check source quality and colour before cutting
- look at frames or a short fragment before committing to a full export
- export the whole project, a range or a named marker to a video file
Example prompts for the agent
- Run
shotcut_statusandshotcut_doctor, then list tool paths, versions and any failed checks. - Generate a contact sheet from the project frames so I can look at the cut before rendering.
How to install Shotcut MCP
Install
The MCP registry has no launch command for it: see the repository README
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to add an MCP server to Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI and more
Questions about Shotcut MCP
How do I install Shotcut MCP in Claude Code?
Add the marketplace with /plugin marketplace add matrodrigs/shotcut-mcp, install the plugin with /plugin install shotcut-mcp@matrodrigs, then reload plugins using /reload-plugins.
What does Shotcut MCP do?
It gives the assistant editing control over a saved Shotcut project: tracks, clips, transitions, titles and subtitles. The same connection inspects source media, shows previews and exports video.
Can it edit a project that is open in Shotcut right now?
Only saved project files are read and written, so unsaved changes in the editor are not visible to the server. Let an MCP edit finish before you save that project from the Shotcut window, then inspect it again.
