ATEM MCP Server

ATEM MCP Server

Control Blackmagic ATEM video switchers with AI assistants using the Model Context Protocol. Works with Claude Desktop, claude.ai, Claude Mobile, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible client.

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."

Supports both local (stdio) and remote (Streamable HTTP with OAuth 2.0) transports.

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.

Remote Access (claude.ai, Claude Mobile, HTTP)

The HTTP transport exposes the MCP server as a web endpoint with built-in OAuth 2.0. This enables remote access from claude.ai, Claude Mobile, and any HTTP-capable MCP client.

Quick Start (HTTP Mode)

TRANSPORT=http BASE_URL=https://atem.yourdomain.com ATEM_HOST=192.168.1.100 node dist/index.js

The server starts on port 3000 with:

• MCP endpoint: POST /mcp (Bearer token required)
• OAuth 2.0: Full auto-provisioning flow (discovery, registration, authorization, token exchange)
• Health check: GET /health

Connect from claude.ai

1. Go to claude.ai/settings/connectors
2. Click Add custom connector
3. Enter your MCP URL (e.g., https://atem.yourdomain.com/mcp)
4. Click Connect — the OAuth flow completes automatically
5. Start a conversation and control your ATEM remotely

Connect from Claude Desktop (Remote)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "atem": {
      "url": "https://atem.yourdomain.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

No command or args needed — the server runs remotely.

OAuth 2.0 Implementation

The HTTP server implements a complete OAuth 2.0 flow for MCP authentication:

The OAuth server auto-provisions tokens without user interaction — designed for personal/trusted use. For production environments, consider adding proper authentication.

Expose with Cloudflare Tunnel

Use a named Cloudflare Tunnel for a permanent URL — no port forwarding, no dynamic DNS, no changing URLs.

Prerequisites

• A free Cloudflare account
• A domain managed by Cloudflare DNS
• cloudflared CLI installed (brew install cloudflared on macOS)

Setup

1. Authenticate and create tunnel

cloudflared login
cloudflared tunnel create atem-mcp

Note the tunnel ID (a UUID).

2. Route DNS

cloudflared tunnel route dns at