resolve-mcp

name

resolve-mcp

description

Orientation and index for DaVinci Resolve MCP work — grading, editing, conforming, delivery, media analysis, and .drp/.drt/.drx file work, live in a running Resolve or offline with none open. Load this for a map of the domain skills, the live-vs-offline servers, and the cross-cutting safety rules. The per-domain skills (resolve-color / resolve-edit / resolve-conform / resolve-delivery / resolve-media-analysis) carry the depth and self-trigger on their own descriptions; use this as the map, or when a task spans several domains.

DaVinci Resolve MCP — Index

Orientation for any Resolve MCP task. This is the map, not the depth — each domain skill below carries its own routing and triggers on its own description. Open the one that matches, or use this when a task spans several domains. This skill does not auto-load the others; it points at them.

Two servers — compute offline, apply live

• Live — davinci-resolve (Python): drives a running Resolve via the scripting API.
• Advanced / offline — davinci-resolve-advanced (Node): authors .drp/.drt/.drx files and patches the project DB with no Resolve open.

Rule of thumb: compute grades, QC, and conform math offline; apply the result live. Node never drives Resolve.

Domains

Task	Skill	Kernel	Any-MCP-client prompt
Grading, looks, shot match, LUT/CDL/DRX	resolve-color	color-grade-kernel.md	/color_grade_workflow
Cutting, trimming, ranges, variants, changelist	resolve-edit	timeline-edit-kernel.md	/timeline_edit_workflow
Conform, relink, finishing QC, grade tracing	resolve-conform	timeline-conform-interchange-kernel.md	/conform_workflow
Render, deliverable QC, media/provenance	resolve-delivery	render-deliver-kernel.md	/delivery_workflow
Fusion comps (titles, MG, VFX)	resolve-fusion	fusion-composition-kernel.md	/fusion_workflow
Audio / Fairlight (tracks, buses, loudness)	resolve-audio	audio-fairlight-kernel.md	/audio_workflow
Media pool ingest / organize / multicam	resolve-media-pool	media-pool-ingest-kernel.md	/media_pool_workflow
Reading/analyzing source media	resolve-media-analysis	media-analysis-guide.md	/analyze_media

Less-common domains (no dedicated skill — go straight to the kernel/tool)

These have real coverage but low enough traffic that they route through this index rather than their own skill:

• Project lifecycle — create/export/import/archive/restore projects, databases, settings, presets: project_manager compound tool → docs/kernels/project-lifecycle-kernel.md. Offline DB read/patch: advanced project_read / project_db (project CLOSED + quit/relaunch).
• Review / annotations — timeline markers, review reports, annotation copy/move/scope: timeline_markers → docs/kernels/review-annotation-kernel.md. Offline audit/lineage: advanced provenance.
• Extension authoring — install/remove Fuse/DCTL/Lua-Python plugins: script_plugin → docs/kernels/extension-authoring-kernel.md, docs/authoring/.
• Pipeline (DB-as-truth) — YAML-authored canonical project DB, staged runs with gates + provenance + drift: advanced pipeline tool → resolve-advanced/README.md.

Read the build before you promise a capability

The scripting API changes per PATCH release, not per major one. "Resolve 21" is not a fine enough label to reason from: GetFairlightPresets exists on 20.2.2 and not on 19.1.3, and three surfaces reported in 21.0.4 are absent from 21.0.2. Guidance given without knowing the build is how an agent ends up insisting a method is there when it is not (issue #132).

So, before describing what is possible:

1. resolve_control get_version → note both version_string (the Resolve build) and mcp.version (this server).
2. resolve_control check_version_support → every recorded gate this build does not clear. With a symbol, it answers for one method.
3. resolve_control api_truth "<topic>" → each fact now carries a version_context saying whether it was measured on an older, newer, or identical build. An older measurement is a prior, not a finding.

Two failure modes worth naming, because neither announces itself:

• unknown is the common answer, and it means probe — not yes. Only surfaces with recorded evidence are gated; most of the API has never been version-bisected. Absence from the unavailable list is not a promise that a method exists.
• mcp.version is the version this process STARTED with. A running server keeps executing it, so git pull does not refresh the ledger until restart — an api_truth miss may mean "stale server", not "no known issues".

When a build is too old for what was asked, say so and name the floor. Do not offer the call and let it fail.

Cross-cutting rules (always)

• Source media is sacred (AGENTS.md): never modify, transcode, convert, proxy, relink, or derive source media unless explicitly asked. Outputs go to sidecars, scratch, or the analysis project root.
• Frame-first color: inspect Resolve-rendered frames before applying any grade/look/LUT/CDL/DRX, and preserve a recoverable grade version.
• Guards refuse rather than fabricate on the advanced server — read a "refused" message before retrying (usually wrong value space, log-encoded frames, missing media, or a missing optional dep; call the advanced capabilities tool).

Deeper references

• AGENTS.md — canonical brief + the ## Domain Routing index (all platforms).
• docs/SKILL.md — operating reference for both servers.
• docs/kernels/ — per-action depth. resolve-advanced/README.md — offline catalog.