edit-video

name	edit-video
description	Edit video in DaVinci Resolve. Color grade footage, edit timelines, add transitions, render projects, apply LUTs, add nodes, navigate pages. Use when: "color grade", "edit timeline", "render in DaVinci", "add node", "apply LUT", "cut footage", "DaVinci Resolve", "video editing", "color correction", "deliver", "fairlight audio".
disable-model-invocation	true
allowed-tools	["mcp__sh__platform_guide","mcp__sh__apps","mcp__sh__windows","mcp__sh__focus","mcp__sh__launch","mcp__sh__menu_click","mcp__sh__key","mcp__sh__screenshot","mcp__sh__screenshot_file","mcp__sh__ui_tree","mcp__sh__ui_find","mcp__sh__ui_press","mcp__sh__click","mcp__sh__type_text","mcp__sh__drag","mcp__sh__scroll","mcp__sh__observer_start","mcp__sh__observer_status","mcp__sh__observer_stop","mcp__sh__job_create","mcp__sh__job_run","mcp__sh__job_status","mcp__sh__memory_recall","mcp__sh__memory_save","mcp__sh__memory_query_patterns"]

DaVinci Resolve Video Editing

You are controlling DaVinci Resolve via ScreenHand. DaVinci is a keyboard-first application — many operations are faster via shortcuts than UI clicking.

Intelligence Wrapper

Every tool call returns automatic hints. Watch for:

• [HINT] — menu paths, keyboard shortcuts from the DaVinci reference files
• [WARNING] — this tool/action has failed before in DaVinci, includes the fix
• [STRATEGY] — next step suggestion based on past successful DaVinci workflows

The server auto-loads the DaVinci reference when it detects the bundleId change via focus().

Available References & Playbooks

References (curated knowledge — use with platform_guide):

• davinci-resolve-keyboard — all keyboard shortcuts
• davinci-resolve-menu-map — full menu structure with paths
• davinci-resolve-menus-batch1 through batch4 — detailed menu trees

Executable Playbooks (use with job_create(playbookId=...)):

• davinci-color-grade — full color grading workflow
• davinci-edit-timeline — timeline editing workflow
• davinci-render — render/export workflow

To run a playbook as a job:

job_create(task="Color grade the timeline", playbookId="davinci-color-grade")
job_run(jobId="{id}")

Setup

1. Load platform knowledge (MANDATORY):

   • platform_guide(platform="davinci-resolve-keyboard") — all keyboard shortcuts
   • platform_guide(platform="davinci-resolve-menu-map") — full menu structure with paths
   • memory_query_patterns(scope="davinci") — verified patterns from past sessions

2. Launch & focus:

   • Bundle ID: com.blackmagic-design.DaVinciResolveLite (free) or com.blackmagic-design.DaVinciResolve (studio)
   • launch(bundleId) if not running, then focus(bundleId)

3. Start observer (recommended for multi-step workflows):

   • observer_start(bundleId, windowId) — enables popup detection (save dialogs, render prompts)
   • Check observer_status() if you suspect a popup blocked an action

Page Navigation

DaVinci has 7 pages. Switch via menu_click:

Page	Menu Path	Shortcut
Media	Workspace/Switch to Page/Media	shift+2
Cut	Workspace/Switch to Page/Cut	shift+3
Edit	Workspace/Switch to Page/Edit	shift+4
Fusion	Workspace/Switch to Page/Fusion	shift+5
Color	Workspace/Switch to Page/Color	shift+6
Fairlight	Workspace/Switch to Page/Fairlight	shift+7
Deliver	Workspace/Switch to Page/Deliver	shift+8

Always use key with the shortcut — it's faster and more reliable than menu_click for page switching.

Core Keyboard Shortcuts

Reference platform_guide output, but the most critical:

Playback

• space — Play/Stop
• j / k / l — Reverse / Stop / Forward
• left / right — Previous/next frame

Edit Page

• b — Blade tool (cut at playhead)
• a — Selection tool
• cmd+z — Undo
• cmd+shift+z — Redo
• cmd+s — Save project
• backspace — Delete selected clip
• shift+backspace — Ripple delete

Color Page

• opt+s — Add serial node
• opt+p — Add parallel node
• shift+h — Highlight mode
• cmd+d — Bypass all grades (toggle)
• ctrl+shift+w — Grab still

Deliver Page

• Use menu_click to set render format
• cmd+shift+r — Add to render queue
• Start render via menu_click("Deliver/Start Render")

Common Workflows

Color Grading

1. Switch to Color page: key("shift+6")
2. Verify with screenshot_file
3. Add serial node: key("opt+s")
4. Apply auto color: menu_click("Color/Auto Color")
5. Adjust: use node graph (coordinate clicks on the color wheels)
6. Grab still: key("ctrl+shift+w")

Timeline Editing

1. Switch to Edit page: key("shift+4")
2. Import media: menu_click("File/Import/Media...")
3. Drag clips to timeline: use drag(fromX, fromY, toX, toY) from media pool to timeline
4. Blade cut: position playhead, press key("b") then click on clip
5. Delete clip: select it, press key("backspace")

Rendering

1. Switch to Deliver: key("shift+8")
2. Set output location: menu_click("Deliver/Render Settings...")
3. Select format (H.264, ProRes, etc.) via the render settings panel
4. Add to queue: key("cmd+shift+r")
5. Start render: menu_click("Deliver/Start Render")
6. Monitor: observer_status() for popup detection during render

Verification

After every significant action:

• Take screenshot_file to confirm the UI state changed
• Especially important after page switches, node creation, render start

DaVinci-Specific Challenges

• Limited AX tree: DaVinci's timeline and color wheels are custom-drawn — AX tree may not expose individual clips or nodes. Use screenshot + coordinate-based click for these.
• Save dialogs during render: The observer daemon detects these. Check observer_status() if an action seems to hang.
• Multiple windows: DaVinci can open floating windows (scopes, inspector). Use windows to identify the correct one.

Saving

After completing the task:

• key("cmd+s") — save the project
• memory_save(task="davinci: {description}") to persist the workflow

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