What is the MCP Video Converter Server?

The MCP Video Converter Server is a tool that allows you to check FFmpeg installation and convert video, audio, and image files between various formats. It’s designed to integrate with platforms like UBOS, Claude Desktop, and Cursor.

What is FFmpeg and why is it required?

FFmpeg is a free and open-source software project consisting of a large suite of libraries and programs for handling video, audio, and other multimedia files and streams. The MCP Video Converter Server uses FFmpeg as its underlying engine for conversion.

What file formats does the MCP Video Converter Server support?

The server supports a wide range of formats including:

• Video: MP4, WebM, MOV, AVI, MKV, FLV, GIF
• Audio: MP3, WAV, OGG, AAC, M4A
• Image: WebP, JPG, PNG, BMP, TIFF

How do I install the MCP Video Converter Server?

1. Clone the repository.
2. Create and activate a virtual environment (using venv or uv).
3. Install dependencies using pip install -e . and pip install fastmcp (or uv pip install -e . and uv pip install fastmcp).
4. Verify the installation by running python check_installation.py.

How do I run the server directly?

Activate the virtual environment and run python -m mcp_video_converter.server.

How do I integrate the MCP Video Converter Server with Claude Desktop?

1. Locate or create the Claude Desktop configuration file (claude_desktop_config.json).
2. Add the MCP server configuration, providing the correct path to your installation and activation script.
3. Restart Claude Desktop. The server will appear as “video-convert” in the MCP tools menu.

How do I integrate the MCP Video Converter Server with Cursor?

1. Locate or create the Cursor configuration file (config.json).
2. Add the MCP server configuration under the ai.mcpServers section, providing the correct path to your installation and activation script.
3. Restart Cursor.

What is Smithery and how can I use it to deploy the server?

Smithery is a platform that simplifies deploying and managing MCP servers. This project includes the necessary smithery.yaml and Dockerfile for easy deployment.

How do I deploy the server to Smithery?

1. Install the Smithery CLI.
2. Log in to Smithery.
3. Navigate to the repository directory.
4. Run smithery deploy (optionally with --build and --build-arg flags).
5. Configure and start the server in Smithery using smithery configure mcp-video-converter and smithery start mcp-video-converter.

What are the serverless hosting considerations when deploying to Smithery?

• Connections to your server will timeout after 2 minutes of inactivity.
• Design your server with ephemeral storage in mind.
• The server should not rely on persistent local storage.
• Video conversion outputs should be returned properly as part of the tool response.

How can I troubleshoot common issues like “Server Not Found” or “Python Module Not Found”?

• Server Not Found: Verify the paths in your configuration file are absolute and correct, check that FFmpeg is installed and in your PATH, ensure the virtual environment is activated in your command, and check the logs for specific error messages.
• Python Module Not Found: Make sure you installed all dependencies with pip install -e . and pip install fastmcp, verify the virtual environment is being activated correctly, and try reinstalling the package.

How can I test the server before deploying it?

You can test the server locally using mcp-inspector (if available) or by running the server directly with python -m mcp_video_converter.server.

Can I use the MCP Video Converter Server programmatically?

Yes, you can use the fastmcp client to interact with the server programmatically. You can check FFmpeg installation, get supported formats, and convert videos using the fastmcp client call command.

How can I contribute to the project?

Contributions are welcome! See the CONTRIBUTING.md file for details on how to contribute.