Assimilate MCP

Control Assimilate Live FX / SCRATCH — professional color grading, compositing, and virtual production software — via MCP. 88 tools across 14 categories.

Security Scan

The skill's description and usage are coherent for controlling Assimilate Live FX/SCRATCH via an npm MCP adapter, but there are mismatches (notably undocumented credentials) and an unverified npm install step that warrant caution before installing.

Purpose & Capability

Name, description, and declared binaries (npx) match the actual behavior: the skill runs an npm package (assimilate-mcp) that proxies commands to the Assimilate REST API. Required tooling is appropriate for the stated purpose.

Instruction Scope

SKILL.md stays within the domain of controlling Assimilate (listing tools, configuring host/port, examples). It does reference operations that access local paths (e.g., importing media from /Volumes/...), and advises SSH tunneling for remote access — these are expected for a media control tool but mean the invoked package will be able to read local files and network endpoints. Also, the docs reference an ASSIMILATE_KEY and other env vars that the runtime will use.

Install Mechanism

Installation is via the public npm package 'assimilate-mcp' (executed with npx). This is a normal distribution method for this type of tool, but it implies code will be fetched and executed from the npm registry at runtime; the SKILL bundle contains no code to audit locally. Verify the npm package and GitHub repo prior to allowing execution.

Credentials

Registry metadata lists no required env vars, but SKILL.md documents ASSIMILATE_HOST, ASSIMILATE_PORT, ASSIMILATE_KEY, and ASSIMILATE_TIMEOUT — notably an authorization key (ASSIMILATE_KEY). The declared metadata should have listed required credentials. Requesting a local REST API key is plausible for this integration, but the mismatch (no required env vars declared) is an incoherence and increases risk because sensitive credentials could be supplied without the skill explicitly declaring them.

Persistence & Privilege

always is false and the skill does not request elevated persistence or modify other skills. It suggests adding configuration to client config files but does not claim to alter system-wide settings automatically. Normal agent autonomy remains enabled (default).

Scan Findings in Context

[no_code_files_to_scan] expected: This is an instruction-only skill (SKILL.md + _meta.json). The regex scanner had no code to analyze. However, the runtime will fetch and execute the 'assimilate-mcp' npm package via npx, so the scanner couldn't vet the package contents.

What to consider before installing

This skill appears to be what it claims (a npx-based MCP adapter for Assimilate), but proceed with caution: 1) The SKILL.md references an ASSIMILATE_KEY (authorization token) but the skill metadata does not declare required env vars — treat this as an incoherence and avoid supplying sensitive keys until you verify the package. 2) npx will pull and execute code from npm at runtime; inspect the package on npm and the linked GitHub repository (check publisher, recent commits, and package contents) before running. 3) Because the tool can access local filesystem paths and network endpoints (it imports media and speaks to a REST API), run it first in an isolated environment or sandbox and audit network calls. 4) Prefer pinning a specific vetted package version, or install the package locally and review its source, rather than allowing ad-hoc npx downloads. If you need help auditing the npm package or confirming the GitHub repo matches the published package, gather the package tarball or repository link and re-run an evaluation.

Control Assimilate Live FX / SCRATCH — professional color grading, compositing, and virtual production software — via MCP. Complete 1:1 integration of the Assimilate REST API with 88 tools across 14 categories.

Prerequisites

• Assimilate Live FX or SCRATCH with REST API enabled
• Node.js v18+
• Live FX HTTP server enabled: System Settings → General → Enable HTTP Server (default port 8080)

Setup

MCPorter

mcporter config add assimilate --command npx --args '["-y", "assimilate-mcp"]'
mcporter list assimilate

Claude Desktop

Add to claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "assimilate": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "assimilate-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Claude Code

claude mcp add assimilate -- npx -y assimilate-mcp

Configuration

Flag	Env Var	Default	Description
--host	ASSIMILATE_HOST	127.0.0.1	Live FX host
--port	ASSIMILATE_PORT	8080	REST API port
--key	ASSIMILATE_KEY	—	Authorization key
--timeout	ASSIMILATE_TIMEOUT	30000	HTTP timeout (ms)

Example with custom port:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "assimilate": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "assimilate-mcp", "--port=9090"]
    }
  }
}

Tools (88)

Category	Count	Key Tools
System	8	get_system check_connection list_users select_user
Projects	7	list_projects enter_project create_project
Groups	9	list_groups get_current_group create_group
Constructs	10	list_constructs create_construct enter_construct
Slots	5	list_slots get_slot set_slot create_slot
Versions	5	list_versions get_version set_version
Shots	7	get_shot set_shot create_shot import_media
Inputs	4	get_inputs get_input set_input
Color Grading	5	get_grade set_grade get_framing set_framing
Player	8	enter_timeline set_playmode enter_shot exit_player
Render	10	start_render stop_render get_render_status
Outputs	6	list_outputs create_output set_output
Snapshots	2	render_snapshot get_shot_metadata
Files	2	list_directory find_media

Usage Examples

Talk to your AI assistant in natural language:

• "What projects are available?"
• "Import the ARRIRAW files from /Volumes/Shuttle/Day_14"
• "Warm up the gamma on this shot"
• "Set up ProRes 4444 output and render the timeline"
• "Take a snapshot of this frame"

MCPorter CLI

mcporter call assimilate.check_connection
mcporter call assimilate.list_projects
mcporter call 'assimilate.enter_project(name: "Commercial_Nike_Q3")'
mcporter call assimilate.get_grade

Remote Access

Live FX accepts connections on localhost by default. For remote machines, use an SSH tunnel:

ssh -f -N -L 8080:127.0.0.1:8080 user@livefx-host

Links

• GitHub
• npm
• Assimilate REST API
• Assimilate Inc