| name | resolve-media-analysis |
| description | Media intelligence layer for the DaVinci Resolve MCP. Uses FFprobe, FFmpeg, and optionally Whisper to READ and ANALYZE source media — never modify, transcode, convert, or create derivatives. Provides the MCP with full context of what footage actually is so it can take informed actions within Resolve. |
Resolve Media Analysis — Claude Code Skill
This skill wraps the project's canonical media analysis guide with Claude Code-specific integration.
Read docs/guides/media-analysis-guide.md for the complete guide. Everything below is Claude Code-specific context.
The First Rule
Never touch the source. Your relationship to source media is READ-ONLY. See docs/guides/media-analysis-guide.md section "The First Rule: Never Touch the Source" for the full rationale from every post-production department.
What this build cannot do (check before you offer it)
The scripting API changes per patch release, so "Resolve 21" is not a usable
label. Read resolve_control get_version → build.unavailable_on_this_build
before offering a gated surface; check_version_support asks about one named
symbol. Gated in this domain — note all of it is Resolve's own analysis,
not this repo's:
| Surface | Needs | If absent |
|---|
MediaPoolItem / Folder.AnalyzeForIntellisearch | 21.0 | No IntelliSearch index |
Project.ResetIntellisearchAnalysis | 21.0 | The index cannot be cleared from a script |
MediaPoolItem / Folder.AnalyzeForSlate | 21.0 | No automatic slate detection |
MediaPoolItem / Folder.PerformAudioClassification / ClearAudioClassification | 21.0 | No Resolve-side audio classification |
MediaPoolItem / Folder.RemoveMotionBlur | 21.0 | Unavailable |
Project.GenerateSpeech | 21.0 | No AI speech generation |
This repo's own analysis stack does not depend on any of them. analyze_media
reads frames and audio off disk and runs its own vision/transcription/embedding
tiers, so an older Resolve loses Resolve's AI features, not this pipeline. Say
which one the user is actually missing.
An empty unavailable_on_this_build means nothing recorded is missing, not
that everything exists — most of the API has never been version-bisected. A
symbol with no gate returns unknown, which means probe it. Probe with
name in dir(obj), never bare hasattr: on a Resolve object hasattr returns
True for every name, real or invented, so it can only say yes.
MCP Integration
When using the DaVinci Resolve MCP tools alongside media analysis:
Getting File Paths from Resolve
- From media pool clips:
media_pool_item -> get_clip_property(clip_id) returns "File Path"
- From timeline items:
timeline_item -> get_media_pool_item(item_id) -> then get clip properties
- From media storage:
media_storage -> get_files(path) lists files in a directory
Workflow: Analyze Before Acting
- Identify the media — Use MCP to get clip IDs and file paths
- Check for existing analysis — Look for sidecar JSON files
- Analyze if needed — Run FFprobe (+ optional tools) on the files
- Act with context — Use MCP tools with full knowledge of what the media is
Analysis informs Resolve actions. At no point do we create intermediate files that enter the media pipeline.
Deliverables from a transcript
generate_captions(clip_ref, format='srt'|'vtt', with_chapters=?) — caption
blocks under broadcast rules: line-length and lines-per-block caps, max and
min block duration, breaks at sentence ends then pauses then clauses, timings
snapped to spoken words, a minimum inter-block gap, no single-word orphan.
Never drops a word to make text fit — it refuses instead.assess_grade — numeric grade-damage QC on a decoded frame. See the
color-grade skill; it is exposed here because it lives beside the other frame
analysis. image_qc_capabilities reports numpy/ffmpeg availability and the
cost tiers.
Setup
On first use, ask the user the three setup questions documented in the guide:
- Where to save analysis files (alongside / directory / project)
- Tool detection (FFprobe required, FFmpeg/Whisper optional)
- Analysis depth (quick / standard / deep)
Full Reference
All analysis commands, output format, examples, proactive warnings, and principles are in docs/guides/media-analysis-guide.md. Do not duplicate that content — read and follow it.
