OpenScreen MCP Server: Setup for Claude, Cursor and Other Apps

• List what can be recorded

  Lists the displays, windows, microphones and cameras OpenScreen can record, so the assistant can pick one.

  Try: “What windows can you record right now?”

  Read · listSources

• Start recording a window or display

  Starts recording one window (preferred) or one display, with the pointer saved as data so the export draws a clean cursor and plans zooms from clicks. It can add a microphone or webcam.

  Try: “Record my browser window.”

  Write · startRecording

• Stop recording and make a project

  Stops the recording and saves it as an OpenScreen project with the given title.

  Try: “Stop recording and call it Signup demo.”

  Write · stopRecording

• Give the cursor path of a scripted recording

  For recordings driven by a script rather than a real mouse, you pass the pointer's path so OpenScreen draws the cursor and zooms on its clicks.

  Try: “Add the cursor path from my Playwright script.”

  Write · setPointerTrack

• Render the project to MP4 or GIF

  Renders the project to an MP4 or a GIF with its background, cursor, zooms, cuts, speed changes and annotations, and returns the file path.

  Try: “Export the project as an MP4.”

  Write · exportVideo

• Look at still frames of a video

  Returns still images of a video or project at the moments you pick, so the assistant can check each zoom and callout.

  Try: “Show me the frames where each zoom happens.”

  Files · getFrames

• Create a new project

  Creates a project, empty or from a video file laid out as one clip, with zooms planned from the clicks when the video has them.

  Try: “Create a project from /Users/me/demo.mp4.”

  Write · createProject

• List your projects

  Lists the OpenScreen projects the assistant can work on.

  Try: “Which OpenScreen projects do I have?”

  Read · listProjects

• Rename a project

  Changes the project's title.

  Try: “Rename the project to Launch demo.”

  Write · setProjectInfo

• Add a video or audio file to a project

  Adds a video or audio file from an absolute path on your computer to the project's media.

  Try: “Import /Users/me/music.mp3 into the project.”

  Write · importMedia

• Remove a file from a project

  Removes an asset from the project's media.

  Try: “Remove the unused music file from the project.”

  Delete · removeMedia

• Transcribe the speech

  Transcribes the recording's speech so the transcript and captions can be edited. Only present when the server supports it.

  Try: “Transcribe the recording.”

  Write · transcribe

• Save a restore point

  Saves the project's current state and returns a checkpoint id. It changes nothing.

  Try: “Save a checkpoint before you start editing.”

  Read · createCheckpoint

• Go back to a restore point

  Puts the project back exactly as it was at the checkpoint, discarding every edit made since, including yours.

  Try: “Restore the checkpoint.”

  Write · restoreCheckpoint

• Read the whole project

  Reads a compact snapshot of the project: media, clips, trims, and the zoom, speed, annotation, layout, audio and effect regions.

  Try: “What is in this project right now?”

  Read · getCurrentDocument

• Read the transcript

  Reads the transcript segments, speech and silence, with times and text.

  Try: “Show the transcript.”

  Read · getTranscript

• Read the cursor path

  Reads where the pointer was over time in a recording.

  Try: “Where did my cursor go in the first 10 seconds?”

  Read · getCursorTrack

• Read the transcript word by word

  Reads the transcript one word at a time, with ids that the word tools use.

  Try: “List the words with their ids.”

  Read · getTranscriptWords

• Fix a misheard word

  Corrects one word in the transcript. Captions follow it, but the film and audio are untouched.

  Try: “Change the word 'cube control' to 'kubectl'.”

  Write · setWordText

• Cut spoken words out of the film

  Cuts the chosen words, such as fillers, a repeated phrase or a false start, out of the film.

  Try: “Cut all the 'um's.”

  Delete · removeWords

• Cut a span out of a clip

  Adds one trim range, a span that will not play or export, without splitting the clip.

  Try: “Cut from 12 to 15 seconds.”

  Delete · addTrim

• Cut many spans in one call

  Adds many trim ranges at once, for example to remove every silence.

  Try: “Remove all the silences longer than a second.”

  Delete · addTrims

• Change a cut

  Moves or resizes an existing trim range.

  Try: “Make the first cut 2 seconds longer.”

  Write · setTrim

• Undo a cut

  Deletes a trim range so that span plays and exports again.

  Try: “Undo the cut at 12 seconds.”

  Delete · removeTrim

• Shorten a clip's start or end

  Sets a clip's in and out points, and optionally its crop. Other clips close the gap.

  Try: “Trim the first 3 seconds off the clip.”

  Write · setClipRange

• Reorder a clip

  Moves a clip so it plays before another clip, or last.

  Try: “Move the intro clip to the start.”

  Write · moveClip

• Add a clip to the timeline

  Places a clip of a video asset on the timeline, before another clip or last.

  Try: “Add the second take at the end.”

  Write · insertClip

• Copy a clip

  Copies a clip and its trims, zooms, speed regions and annotations, placed right after it.

  Try: “Duplicate the first clip.”

  Write · duplicateClip

• Delete a clip

  Deletes a clip from the timeline. Other clips close the gap and effects anchored to it are dropped.

  Try: “Remove the last clip.”

  Delete · removeClip

• Replace the timeline with kept intervals

  Replaces the whole timeline with the intervals of the source you want to keep. Everything else becomes a cut.

  Try: “Keep only 0 to 30 seconds and 60 to 90 seconds.”

  Delete · replaceTimeline

• Add a zoom-in

  Adds a zoom-in over a span of the edited timeline, with a depth from 1 to 6.

  Try: “Zoom in on the button from 5 to 8 seconds.”

  Write · addZoom

• Add many zooms in one call

  Adds many zooms at once, for a planned smart-zoom pass.

  Try: “Add zooms for each click.”

  Write · addZooms

• Plan zooms from your clicks

  Plans zooms from the clicks recorded with each take, as the editor's Automatic zooms does.

  Try: “Add automatic zooms.”

  Write · addAutoZooms

• Change a zoom

  Moves, resizes or restyles an existing zoom.

  Try: “Make the zoom at 5 seconds deeper.”

  Write · setZoom

• Speed up or slow down a span

  Adds a speed region between 0.25x and 16x over part of the timeline.

  Try: “Speed through the loading screen at 4x.”

  Write · addSpeed

• Change a speed region

  Moves, resizes or changes the multiplier of a speed region.

  Try: “Make that speed region 8x.”

  Write · setSpeed

• Add a text, arrow or blur

  Adds a text callout, an arrow, or a blur mask over part of the timeline.

  Try: “Blur the email address from 10 to 20 seconds.”

  Write · addAnnotation

• Change an annotation

  Changes an annotation's timing, position, size, text or look.

  Try: “Make the callout text bigger.”

  Write · setAnnotation

• Set the video shape

  Sets the exported shape, such as 16:9, 9:16, 1:1 or 4:5.

  Try: “Make it vertical for a story.”

  Write · setAspectRatio

• Change the project's look

  Changes the background, padding, shadow and other look settings of the project.

  Try: “Use a dark gradient background.”

  Write · setEditorSettings

• Add a visual effect

  Writes a visual effect as a shader and places it over part of the timeline.

  Try: “Add a soft vignette.”

  Write · addEffect

• Change an effect region

  Moves, resizes or re-tunes an effect region.

  Try: “Make the vignette stronger.”

  Write · setEffect

• Change an effect itself

  Changes an effect's name, code or parameters, and so every region that uses it. New code must compile first.

  Try: “Change the vignette color.”

  Write · setEffectDefinition

• Read one effect

  Reads one effect in full: its code, parameters and where it is used.

  Try: “Show the vignette effect's code.”

  Read · getEffect

• Add a voiceover or music

  Lays an already imported audio file over the recording for a span of the timeline.

  Try: “Put the music under the whole video.”

  Write · addAudio

• Change an audio track

  Moves, re-levels, mutes, loops or fades an existing audio track.

  Try: “Lower the music by 12 dB under the narration.”

  Write · setAudio

• Delete a zoom, speed, annotation or other region

  Deletes a zoom, speed region, annotation, layout change, audio or effect by id.

  Try: “Remove the second annotation.”

  Delete · removeModifier

• Read caption settings

  Reads whether captions show, how they look and where they sit.

  Try: “Are the captions on?”

  Read · getCaptions

• Style and place captions

  Turns captions on or off and sets their look and position.

  Try: “Turn on captions with a dark plate.”

  Write · setCaptionSettings

• Read what to translate

  Reads the transcript in phrase units, with ids, for translating into a caption language.

  Try: “Get the phrases to translate into Spanish.”

  Read · getCaptionTranslationUnits

• Store a caption translation

  Stores the assistant's translation of caption phrases in a language layer.

  Try: “Save the Spanish captions.”

  Write · putCaptionTranslation

• Delete a caption language

  Deletes one caption language layer. The transcript is untouched.

  Try: “Remove the Spanish captions.”

  Delete · removeCaptionTranslation

• Teach it names and terms

  Sets the names and technical terms the speech recognizer is primed with, so it spells them right.

  Try: “Add OpenScreen and Kubernetes to the vocabulary.”

  Write · setVocabulary

Watch out for

• It can delete clips, media entries and captions, and restoring a checkpoint discards your edits

  Tools cut spans, delete clips, remove media entries from a project and delete caption languages. Restoring a checkpoint puts the project back exactly as it was and discards every edit since, including yours. Removing media leaves the file on disk. Approve those calls yourself and keep a copy of important projects. github.com

• It can record your screen, microphone and webcam

  The recording tools capture a window or display, and can add a microphone or camera. Close private windows first, and check the output before sharing. github.com

• It reads and writes files you point it at

  Import and create take absolute file paths, and export writes MP4, GIF, WAV or M4A files. Check the paths before approving. github.com

• Project files may change between releases

  The OpenScreen docs warn that the project format can change in breaking ways. Keep a copy of important projects. getopenscreen.com

• First transcription downloads a speech model

  The transcribe tool runs Whisper on your computer. The first run downloads the speech model, about 264 MB according to the CLI docs, so allow for a download and a wait on long recordings. getopenscreen.com

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