rough-cut-mcp

Remotion MCP Server

A minimal MCP server for Remotion video creation. Claude Desktop generates JSX intelligently - this server just handles file operations and process management.

Quick Start

NPM Package Installation (Recommended)

• Install globally:

  npm install -g rough-cut-mcp
  

• Automated setup:

  rough-cut-setup
  

  This will:

  • Detect your platform automatically
  • Find Node.js installation
  • Test the MCP server
  • Write Claude Desktop configuration automatically
  • Provide restart instructions

Local Development Setup

• Install dependencies:

  npm install
  

• Build and setup:

  npm run setup
  

Platform-Specific Setup

Windows

For PowerShell experience:

npm run setup:windows

macOS/Linux

npm run setup

Manual Build Only

npm run build          # Cross-platform build script
npm run build:windows  # Windows PowerShell build (if preferred)

Claude Desktop Configuration

The setup script will generate the correct configuration for your system. Example configurations:

Windows (automatically generated):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rough-cut-mcp": {
      "command": "C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node.exe",
      "args": ["C:\\Users\\username\\AppData\\Roaming\\npm\\node_modules\\rough-cut-mcp\\build\\index.js"]
    }
  }
}

macOS (automatically generated):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rough-cut-mcp": {
      "command": "/usr/local/bin/node",
      "args": ["/usr/local/lib/node_modules/rough-cut-mcp/build/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Linux (automatically generated):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rough-cut-mcp": {
      "command": "/usr/bin/node",
      "args": ["/usr/lib/node_modules/rough-cut-mcp/build/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Config File Locations

• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Linux: ~/.config/claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Architecture

• Claude Desktop: Generates all JSX intelligently
• MCP Server: Handles file operations and process management only
• No templates: Claude's JSX is accepted exactly as provided
• Ultra-simple: ~400 lines total code

Available Tools

1. create-project(name, jsx)

Creates a new Remotion project with Claude's JSX.

• Takes JSX exactly as Claude provides it
• Creates src/VideoComposition.tsx with the JSX
• Generates minimal Root.tsx that imports VideoComposition
• Runs npm install automatically

2. edit-project(name, jsx, duration?)

Replaces VideoComposition.tsx with new JSX and optionally updates video duration.

• Simple file replacement, no AST parsing
• Optional duration parameter (in seconds) updates Remotion config
• Returns "refresh browser to see changes"

3. launch-studio(name, port?)

Starts Remotion Studio for a project.

• Auto-detects available port in 6600-6620 range
• Returns working URL

4. stop-studio(port)

Kills studio process on specified port.

5. list-projects()

Returns all project names and basic info.

6. delete-project(name)

Removes project directory completely.

• Stops any running studios first

7. get-project-info(name)

Returns detailed project information and status.

8. get-studio-status()

Returns all running studios with ports and project names. (Note: This shows active studio processes, not existing projects. Use list-projects to see all created projects.)

9. configure-audio(apiKey?, enabled?)

Configure optional AI audio generation features.

• Set ElevenLabs API key for sound effects generation
• Enable/disable audio features
• Safely stores API key in environment variables

10. generate-audio(projectName, prompt, type, duration?)

Generate AI sound effects or music for your video project.

• Requires ElevenLabs API key (configure with configure-audio)
• Types: 'sfx' (sound effects) or 'music'
• Downloads audio to project's public/audio/ directory
• Returns Remotion code snippet for easy integration
• Example: "bouncing ball sound effect", "upbeat background music"

11. debug-audio-config()

Debug tool to check audio environment variables and configuration status.

Project Structure

Created projects have this structure:

project-name/
├── src/
│   ├── VideoComposition.tsx  # Claude's JSX (exact copy)
│   └── Root.tsx             # Minimal wrapper
├── public/
│   └── audio/               # AI-generated audio files
├── package.json            # Remotion dependencies
├── remotion.config.ts      # Basic config with duration
└── .env                    # Audio API configuration (if used)

Key Features

• No JSX validation - Accepts Claude's code exactly
• Relative paths only - Avoids Windows/WSL path issues
• Auto port detection - Finds available ports 6600-6620
• Process tracking - Manages running studios
• Windows-only build - Prevents WSL path corruption

Build Protection

The build system includes WSL2 protection:

• Blocks builds in WSL2 environment
• Validates output for WSL paths
• Ensures Windows compatibility

Usage Examples

Basic Video Creation

• Ask Claude: "Create a Remotion video with a bouncing ball"
• Claude generates JSX and calls create-project("bouncing-ball", jsx)
• Server creates project and runs npm install
• Call launch-studio("bouncing-ball") to start editing
• Server returns http://localhost:6600 for immediate use

AI Audio Integration

• Configure audio (one-time setup):

  Claude: "Configure audio with my ElevenLabs API key: xi-abc123..."
  

• Generate sound effects:

  Claude: "Generate a bouncing ball sound effect for my project"
  Server calls: generate-audio("bouncing-ball", "bouncing ball sound effect", "sfx", 3)
  

• Audio is automatically saved to public/audio/ and Claude provides integration code:

  import { staticFile, Audio } from 'remotion';
  <Audio src={staticFile('audio/sfx-1234567890.wav')} />
  

Dependencies

• @modelcontextprotocol/sdk - MCP framework
• fs-extra - Robust file operations
• cross-env - Cross-platform environment variables
• slash - Cross-platform path handling
• dotenv - Environment variable management
• typescript - Build system

Development Tools

• setup.js - Cross-platform setup script
• build.js - Cross-platform build script
• utils/platform.js - Platform detection utilities
• setup-windows.ps1 - Windows PowerShell setup (alternative)
• build-windows.ps1 - Windows PowerShell build (alternative)

Error Handling

All tools return structured responses:

{
  "success": true/false,
  "message": "Description",
  "error": "Error details (if failed)"
}

Project Directory Detection

The MCP server automatically finds the best location for projects:

For Fresh Installations (No Setup Required):

• Global install: Projects created in {npm-global}/node_modules/rough-cut-mcp/assets/projects/
• Local development: Projects created in ./assets/projects/ relative to installation

For Custom Locations (Optional):

# Windows
set REMOTION_PROJECTS_DIR=D:\MyVideos\Remotion

# macOS/Linux  
export REMOTION_PROJECTS_DIR=/home/user/videos/remotion

Priority Order:

• REMOTION_PROJECTS_DIR environment variable (if set)
• Package installation directory + /assets/projects/
• ~/remotion-projects/ in user home
• Current working directory + /assets/projects/

Cross-Platform Support

This MCP server now works on:

• ✅ Windows (PowerShell scripts + Node.js scripts)
• ✅ macOS (Node.js scripts with Homebrew/NVM detection)
• ✅ Linux (Node.js scripts with package manager detection)
• ✅ WSL2 (Node.js scripts with Windows compatibility validation)

Platform Features

• Automatic Node.js detection for all platforms
• Smart path resolution (Windows, Homebrew, NVM, system packages)
• Cross-platform builds with Windows compatibility validation
• Environment-aware configurations for Claude Desktop
• Backward compatibility with existing Windows PowerShell workflows

Requirements

• Node.js v18+ (automatically detected)
• npm (comes with Node.js)
• Chromium-compatible browser (for Remotion rendering)

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

• "Node.js not found"

  • Windows: Install from nodejs.org
  • macOS: Use Homebrew brew install node or download from nodejs.org
  • Linux: Use package manager sudo apt install nodejs npm or NodeSource

• "Build fails on WSL2"

  • WSL paths are validated for Windows compatibility
  • Use the Node.js build script: npm run build

• "Claude Desktop can't find server"

  • Verify the generated config path is correct
  • Test manually: node build/index.js
  • Check Claude Desktop logs

Getting Help

• Run setup with: npm run setup
• Check build output: npm run build
• Manual path detection: node -e "console.log(require('./utils/platform').findNodePath())"

This server does exactly one thing well: takes Claude's intelligent JSX generation and turns it into working Remotion projects without any interference, now across all major platforms.