ffmpeg-mcp

MCP.Pizza Chef: egoist

Despite the broad name, only two jobs are wired up: changing a video's speed and pulling its soundtrack out as an mp3. The finished file lands beside the original with _output added to the name, and any existing file of that name is overwritten without asking. Slowing a clip below half speed always fails, because ffmpeg's audio stretcher will not go under that. The frame-rate setting behaves as a fixed target rather than a ceiling, so a 24-frame clip is padded up to 30. You must install ffmpeg yourself first.

Unmaintained · No commits in 16 months.

Files/PDF

Images/Design

Use This MCP server To

Speed up a long screen recording to twice the pace Pull the audio out of a video as an mp3 Turn a webinar recording into a listenable audio file Shorten a slow demo video by playing it faster

README

ffmpeg-mcp

A stdio MCP server to interact with ffmpeg for common media operations.

This project is sponsored by ChatWise - All-in-one LLM Chatbot with MCP support.

Usage

You need ffmpeg installed on your system first.

Then add the following command to your MCP client:

npx -y ffmpeg-mcp

By default it uses ffmpeg from your system path. You can also specify the path to ffmpeg by setting the FFMPEG_PATH environment variable, like:

FFMPEG_PATH=/path/to/ffmpeg

Tools

View tools.ts

More tools to come.

License

MIT.

ffmpeg-mcp FAQ

Do I need an API key or an account?

Neither, and it costs nothing. You do have to install ffmpeg on your computer first, because this only drives the copy you already have.

Can I use this to convert a video to another format?

No. There are exactly two things it can do: change playback speed and save the sound as an mp3. The notes have promised more tools since March 2025 and none have arrived.

Where does the new file end up?

Beside the original with _output added to the name, unless you name one yourself. Anything already sitting at that name is replaced with no warning, so pick a fresh name if the original matters to you.

Can I slow a video down instead?

Only as far as half speed. The setting says it accepts values as low as a tenth, but ffmpeg's audio step refuses anything under half and the whole job fails.

Does the frame-rate setting put a ceiling on the frame rate?

Not really. It is applied as a fixed rate, so a 60-frame clip does come down to 30, but a 24-frame clip is padded up to 30 by repeating frames, which can look subtly different from your original.

Which apps does it work in?

Any app where you can paste a one-line command, including Claude Desktop, Cursor and the chat app that sponsors it.

Can it reach files anywhere on my computer?

Yes. It goes wherever the path points and always writes with overwriting switched on, so keep it pointed at folders whose contents you do not mind it touching.

Can I use this at work?

The notes say MIT, but there is no licence file in the project itself. If your employer checks these things, ask before shipping anything built on it.

Is it still maintained?

The last change was March 2025, with a handful of reports left open. It still works, but it is not moving.