Content
# Video Watch MCP
Let Claude "watch" videos with you. Send a TikTok, YouTube, or any video link - Claude sees the frames and reads the transcript.
**Fully cloud-hosted.** No local processing. Works on Claude Desktop, Claude mobile, anywhere MCP works.
## What it does
Three tools, pick based on content:
| Tool | Returns | Best for |
|------|---------|----------|
| `video_listen` | Transcript only | Talking heads, podcasts, commentary |
| `video_see` | Frames only | Dance, visual art, memes, scenery |
| `watch_video` | Both | When audio AND visuals both matter |
1. You send Claude a video link
2. Claude picks the right tool (or you tell it which)
3. Cloud service downloads, extracts what's needed
4. Claude receives just what it needs - no context bloat
5. You watch it "together"
## Quick Start (5 minutes)
### 1. Create a Modal account
Go to [modal.com](https://modal.com) and sign up. Free tier gives you $30/month in credits - enough for thousands of short videos.
### 2. Install Modal CLI
```bash
pip install modal
modal token set --token-id YOUR_TOKEN_ID --token-secret YOUR_TOKEN_SECRET
```
(Get your token from Modal's dashboard after signup)
### 3. Deploy
```bash
git clone https://github.com/nekyialabs/video-watch-mcp.git
cd video-watch-mcp
modal deploy mcp_remote.py
```
You'll get a URL like: `https://yourusername--video-watch-mcp-mcp-server.modal.run`
### 4. Add to Claude Desktop
Edit your `claude_desktop_config.json`:
**Windows:** `%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json`
**Mac:** `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
Add under `mcpServers`:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"video-watch": {
"url": "https://yourusername--video-watch-mcp-mcp-server.modal.run"
}
}
}
```
### 5. Use it
Restart Claude Desktop. Send any video link and ask Claude to watch it:
> "Watch this with me: https://tiktok.com/..."
Claude will see the frames and read the transcript.
## Supported Platforms
Anything [yt-dlp](https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp) supports:
- TikTok
- YouTube
- Instagram Reels
- Twitter/X videos
- Reddit videos
- Facebook
- Vimeo
- And [1000+ more](https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/blob/master/supportedsites.md)
## Cost
With Modal's free tier ($30/month credits):
| Video Length | Approx. Cost | Videos per Month |
|--------------|--------------|------------------|
| 30 sec | ~$0.002 | ~15,000 |
| 5 min | ~$0.01 | ~3,000 |
| 30 min | ~$0.05 | ~600 |
You'll never hit the limit with normal use.
## How it works
```
You send a link
↓
Claude calls watch_video(url)
↓
Modal spins up a container with ffmpeg + whisper
↓
yt-dlp downloads the video
↓
ffmpeg extracts frames (with timestamps burned in)
↓
Whisper transcribes the audio
↓
Returns frames as images + transcript text
↓
Claude sees everything, you discuss it together
```
## Files
- `mcp_remote.py` - The full MCP server (deploy this)
- `video_watch.py` - Standalone video processor with web endpoint (if you just want the API)
## Configuration
In `mcp_remote.py` you can adjust:
- `fps` - Frames per second to extract (default 0.5 = one frame every 2 seconds)
- `max_frames` - Maximum frames to return (default 10, max 20)
- `whisper model` - Using "base" for speed, can use "small" or "medium" for accuracy
## Updating
Pull the latest code and redeploy — that's it:
```bash
cd video-watch-mcp
git pull
modal deploy mcp_remote.py
```
Your MCP URL stays the same, no client config changes needed.
**Coming from the old `maryfellowes/video-watch-mcp` repo?** That repo has been removed. Update your remote:
```bash
git remote set-url origin https://github.com/nekyialabs/video-watch-mcp.git
git pull
modal deploy mcp_remote.py
```
## Limitations
- Very long videos (30+ min) may timeout
- Audio-only content won't have frames (obviously)
- Some DRM-protected content won't download
- Whisper transcription is good but not perfect
## Privacy
- Videos are processed in ephemeral containers - nothing stored
- No logs of what you watch
- Your Modal account, your data
## License
MIT - do whatever you want with it.
---
Built by [Codependent AI](https://codependentai.io).
## Support
Built by [Codependent AI](https://codependentai.io).
<a href="https://ko-fi.com/codependentai"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/Ko--fi-Support%20Us-ff5e5b?logo=ko-fi&logoColor=white" alt="Ko-fi" /></a>
MCP Store