PandaStudio MCP Server

Model Context Protocol server for PandaStudio — a local-first desktop video editor. It exposes the editor's full automation surface (148 tools) to Claude, ChatGPT/Codex, Cursor, Cline, Continue, and any MCP-compliant client.

Most video MCP servers wrap FFmpeg or call a cloud rendering API. This one drives a real desktop editor running on your machine: transcript-based cutting, filler-word removal, motion graphics, captions, background removal, thumbnails, and publishing to YouTube/Instagram. Your footage never leaves your computer.

"Transcribe the recording, cut the filler words and dead air, add captions,
 punch in a zoom whenever I click something, and export it."

…and the agent actually does it, end to end.

Requirements

• PandaStudio installed (macOS or Windows). This server is a thin translator between MCP and PandaStudio's loopback automation API — it needs the app.
• Node.js ≥ 18.

Install

Runs on demand via npx; no global install.

Claude Desktop — ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pandastudio": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@writepanda/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Cursor — .cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pandastudio": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@writepanda/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Cline / Continue / Codex / others — same shape in their MCP config.

Restart the client afterwards. The server auto-launches PandaStudio if it isn't running and waits for its local API (~5s).

What the agent gets

148 tools, full parity with the desktop UI — anything you can do by clicking, an agent can do by asking.

| Category | Tools | What it covers | |---|--:|---| | project_* | 60 | Project lifecycle, clips, trims, zooms, speed, motion graphics, FX, lower thirds, background removal, spotlight, crop, layouts, aspect ratio, wallpaper, focal point, shorts layouts, podcast composites | | export_* | 13 | Render to MP4, export library, AI thumbnails (generate/edit/revert), publish to YouTube + Instagram, find shots for shorts | | workspace_* | 11 | Multi-client workspaces, brand kit, per-workspace project defaults | | transcript_* | 10 | Transcribe (local, word-level), edit by transcript, remove fillers, remove silences, find bad takes, find/replace, insert/restore words | | system_* | 9 | Status, command discovery, transcription language, local model management | | motion_* | 8 | Motion-graphic templates, multi-scene storyboards, custom HTML compositions, frame verification | | youtube_* / instagram_* | 9 | Account connection, channel listing, publishing | | asset_* | 5 | Bundled music, sound effects, LUTs, transitions, FX | | llm_* | 4 | Generate titles, descriptions, chapter timestamps from the transcript | | caption_* | 3 | Toggle, templates, per-style overrides | | media_* | 3 | Generate images, music, narration | | preview_* / job_* / agent_* / audio_* / timeline_* | 14 | Live preview overlay, async job polling, agent sessions, audio cleanup, time-base conversion |

Plus pandastudio_call — a raw verb.noun escape hatch for anything not yet a first-class tool.

Example

Edit the two clips in ~/Downloads/raw/ — transcribe them, remove filler words, add a "How I Built This" intro card, turn on bold captions, and export the MP4.

The agent chains project_new → transcript_transcribe → transcript_remove_fillers → motion_generate → project_add_motion_graphic → caption_toggle → caption_set_template → export_start. Roughly a dozen tool calls, unattended.

How it works

MCP client (Claude Desktop / Cursor / Cline / Codex)
    ↓ JSON-RPC over stdio
@writepanda/mcp  (this server)
    ↓ HTTP POST 127.0.0.1:7878/v1/call
PandaStudio desktop app
    ↓ in-process calls
Editorial engine (transcript, motion graphics, render, publish)

Every call is bearer-authenticated against the per-launch token PandaStudio writes to ~/.config/pandastudio/token (macOS/Linux) or %APPDATA%\pandastudio\token (Windows). Loopback only — nothing leaves your machine. Credentials are discovered automatically from your local install; there is no token to paste.

Licensing

The server honours the same license gate as the desktop app. With an expired trial and no license, diagnostic tools still work and editorial tools return { ok: false, details: { code: "trial_expired" } }. Activate in the app under Settings → License.

Companions

• @writepanda/cli — the same surface as a shell command (pandastudio system.status). Better for bash/CI scripting, and cheaper on context than 148 tool schemas.
• PandaStudio Agent Skill — npx skills add kamskans/pandastudio-skills. The authoritative playbook: which verbs to call, in what order, with what defaults per destination.

Documentation

• Full surface + recipes: writepanda.ai/cli
• Desktop app: writepanda.ai

Note on this repository

This repo mirrors the published @writepanda/mcp package (the server, its README, and license) so the package has a public home for issues and MCP registries. The desktop app's source is private; the MCP server is MIT and published in full here and on npm.

License

MIT