Vidlizer MCP Server

vidlizer pulls frames out of any video, image, or PDF using ffmpeg, sends them to a vision LLM, and returns a `flow` array — one entry per scene.

Local serverstdioPython

What is the Vidlizer MCP server?

Vidlizer MCP server is a locally run integration for AI assistants that speak the Model Context Protocol. vidlizer pulls frames out of any video, image, or PDF using ffmpeg, sends them to a vision LLM, and returns a flow array — one entry per scene. Each entry tells you what happened, who was on screen, what text was visible, and what.

Setting it up

The server ships on PyPI as vidlizer, so your MCP client can launch it on demand — there is no separate build step. Add the server block to your client's configuration, restart it, and the tools register themselves.

What the assistant can call

Once Vidlizer is connected, these are the calls the assistant has available:

  • Subcommands — The Subcommands tool exposed by this server

Configuration and credentials

You will need 8 environment variables: PROVIDER, OLLAMA_HOST, OLLAMA_MODEL, OPENROUTER_API_KEY, OPENROUTER_MODEL, OPENAI_BASE_URL, OPENAI_API_KEY, OPENAI_MODEL. The server will not start without them, which is usually why the tools fail to appear on a first run. Keep credentials in your client's env block or a secrets manager rather than in a file you might commit.

Before you rely on it

  • It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
  • Missing credentials fail quietly in some clients — if no tools show up, check the environment block first.
  • MCP clients confirm each tool call by default. Leave that on until you have watched what the vidlizer mcp server does with a few real requests.

Choosing this one

Plenty of AI and media services servers cover similar ground. The differences that matter in practice are scope of access and how much setup stands between you and a working tool call. Vidlizer's toolset — Subcommands — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by arizawan; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

We check each listing at SyncDev against the project's documentation before it goes live — if something here drifts out of date, it is a bug worth reporting.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
SubcommandsThe Subcommands tool exposed by this server.

How to install the Vidlizer MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vidlizer": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["vidlizer"],
      "env": {
        "PROVIDER": "your-value",
        "OLLAMA_HOST": "your-value",
        "OLLAMA_MODEL": "your-value",
        "OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "OPENROUTER_MODEL": "your-value",
        "OPENAI_BASE_URL": "your-value",
        "OPENAI_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "OPENAI_MODEL": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.

Configuration

VariableDescriptionRequired
PROVIDERConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
OLLAMA_HOSTEndpoint or connection string the server talks to.Optional
OLLAMA_MODELConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
OPENROUTER_API_KEYCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
OPENROUTER_MODELConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
OPENAI_BASE_URLEndpoint or connection string the server talks to.Yes
OPENAI_API_KEYCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
OPENAI_MODELConfiguration value read at startup.Optional

Example prompts to try

  • Use Vidlizer to Subcommands.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Vidlizer to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 1 tool (Subcommands) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Vidlizer directly.