ATEM MCP Server

Control Blackmagic ATEM video switchers with AI assistants (Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.) using the Model Context Protocol.

Talk to your switcher in plain English: "Put camera 2 on program and dissolve to it" or "Start streaming and recording" or "Run macro 3."

How It Works

You (natural language)
  │
  ▼
Claude (Anthropic Cloud)
  │ translates to MCP tool calls
  ▼
ATEM MCP Server (your Mac/PC)
  │ uses atem-connection library
  ▼
ATEM Switcher (network)
  │ executes commands
  ▼
ATEM Software Control / hardware
  │ reflects changes in real time

Supported ATEM Models

The underlying atem-connection library (by NRK/Sofie) supports every ATEM generation:

• ATEM Mini, Mini Pro, Mini Pro ISO, Mini Extreme, Mini Extreme ISO
• ATEM Television Studio HD, HD8, HD8 ISO
• ATEM 1 M/E, 2 M/E, 4 M/E Production Studio / Constellation
• ATEM SDI, SDI Pro ISO, SDI Extreme ISO
• And all other Blackmagic ATEM models

Quick Start

1. Install

cd atem-mcp-server
npm install
npm run build

2. Configure Claude Desktop

Edit your Claude Desktop config file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "atem": {
      "command": "/opt/homebrew/bin/node",
      "args": ["/path/to/atem-mcp-server/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "ATEM_HOST": "192.168.1.100"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: Replace /opt/homebrew/bin/node with your full Node.js path (run which node to find it). Replace the IP with your ATEM's address.

3. Restart Claude Desktop

Quit and relaunch Claude Desktop. You should see the hammer (🔨) icon indicating MCP tools are available.

4. Start Talking to Your Switcher

• "Connect to my ATEM at 192.168.1.100"
• "Show me the current switcher status"
• "Put camera 3 on preview and dissolve to it"
• "Fade to black"

Environment Variables

If ATEM_HOST is set, the server auto-connects on startup. Otherwise, use atem_connect to connect manually.

Available Tools (30 tools)

Connection

Switching

Transitions

Routing & Keyers

Macros

Recording & Streaming

Audio Mixer

Common Input IDs

Example Conversations

Basic switching:

"Put camera 1 on program"
"Set preview to camera 3 and do a 2-second dissolve"
"Cut to color bars"

Show setup:

"Set transition style to mix with a 45-frame rate"
"Route camera 1 to aux 1 for the confidence monitor"
"Put DSK1 on air for the lower third graphic"

Streaming/Recording:

"Start streaming and recording"
"What's the recording status?"
"Stop streaming but keep recording"

Audio:

"Set camera 1 audio to audio-follow-video mode at 0dB"
"Mute audio on input 3"
"Set master output to -3dB"

Architecture

This server uses the atem-connection library (by NRK/Sofie TV Automation) which implements Blackmagic's proprietary ATEM protocol over UDP. It's the same protocol that ATEM Software Control uses, so all changes are reflected in real time across all connected clients.

The MCP server wraps atem-connection methods as MCP tools that Claude (or any MCP-compatible AI) can call. Each tool maps to one or more ATEM commands.

Troubleshooting

Hammer icon not showing in Claude Desktop:

• Make sure you're using the full path to node (run which node)
• Check logs: ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log
• Restart Claude Desktop completely (quit, not just close window)

Can't connect to ATEM:

• Verify the ATEM is on the same network
• Try pinging the ATEM IP from terminal
• Default ATEM port is 9910 (UDP)
• Make sure ATEM Software Control isn't blocking the connection

Commands not working:

• Some features require specific ATEM models (e.g., streaming/recording on Mini Pro+)
• Check atem_get_status to verify connection

Credits

• Guy Cochran (Office Hours Global) — Creator and project lead
• Claude by Anthropic — AI pair-programming partner

• atem-connection by NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation) — the ATEM protocol library
• MCP TypeScript SDK by Anthropic

License

MIT