DaVinci Resolve official MCP vs community MCP servers
Last checked
Pick the official Resolve MCP if you own Resolve Studio or are about to buy it. It's built into Studio 21.1, you set it up from the File menu, and Blackmagic maintains it
Pick a community server if you're on Resolve Free, on a version before 21.1, or need something the official server doesn't do. Check each server's edition notes, because 21.1 moved Python scripting to Studio
Side by side
| official Resolve MCP | community server | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made by | Blackmagic Design | Independent developers on GitHub. AgentCut lists 15 | link |
| Resolve edition | Studio 21.1 or later only | Most need Studio. 6 say they support Free, but some were built before 21.1 | link |
| Cost | Comes with Studio, a one time $295 license | Free and open source, mostly MIT | link |
| Assistants named | Claude, Claude Code and ChatGPT Codex | Any MCP client | link |
| Setup | File, Setup AI Assistants inside Resolve | Install from the repo, usually with Python 3.10 or later | link |
| What it can do | Analyze projects, organize media, change settings and batch render through the scripting API, which gained 20 calls in 21.1 | Depends on the server. The most starred one, samuelgursky's (3,636 stars), covers the full scripting API | link |
| Works on Resolve Free 21.1 | No | Only tools that don't need Python scripting, like ones that write FCPXML or LUT files for you to import | link |
What changed in 21.1
Blackmagic built an MCP server into Resolve Studio 21.1 and moved Python scripting out of the free version. Its release notes say the Python API was being used to hack Studio features into Free. That's why many free edition bridges stop working on 21.1
How we checked
Official server facts come from CineD's and Digital Production's 21.1 coverage, which quote Blackmagic's release notes. We didn't read Blackmagic's manual directly. Community server facts come from each repo's README and the GitHub API, checked on 19 Oct 2026
Questions
Is the official Resolve MCP free?
It comes with Resolve Studio, which is a one time $295 license. It isn't in the free version
Can I use a community server on Resolve Free 21.1?
Only if it doesn't depend on Python scripting, since 21.1 moved scripting to Studio. Tools that generate FCPXML or LUT files to import still work on any edition
Should Studio users still install a community server?
Start with the official one. Add a community server only if it does something you need that the official one doesn't, and test it on a duplicate project
Sources: CineD on Resolve 21.1, Digital Production on Resolve 21.1, samuelgursky/davinci-resolve-mcp