TriCaster Server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that lets Claude control a Vizrt TriCaster via its HTTP API. Once installed, you can talk to Claude in plain English to control your TriCaster — switch sources, trigger transitions, manage recording and streaming, control audio, run macros, and more.

Tested against: TriCaster Mini S, v8-5, 1080p29.97 and TriCaster Mini X, v8-5, 1080p29.97

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What you need before starting

• Claude Desktop installed on your computer (download from claude.ai/download)
• A Vizrt TriCaster connected to the same network as your computer, with its HTTP API accessible on port 80
• Python 3.11 or newer (see instructions below if you don't have it)
• uv — a fast Python package manager (see instructions below)
• Git — for downloading the project (see instructions below)

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Step 1 — Install the required tools

Install Python

Python is the programming language this server is written in. You need version 3.11 or newer.

macOS:

1. Open Terminal (press Cmd+Space, type Terminal, press Enter)
2. Run: python3 --version
3. If it says Python 3.11 or higher, you're good. If not, download the latest Python installer from python.org/downloads and run it.

Windows:

1. Open Command Prompt (press Win+R, type cmd, press Enter)
2. Run: python --version
3. If it says Python 3.11 or higher, you're good. If not, download the latest Python installer from python.org/downloads. During installation, check the box that says "Add Python to PATH" before clicking Install.

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Install uv

uv is a tool that automatically manages Python dependencies for you. It means you don't need to manually install any libraries — just run the server and uv handles everything.

macOS:

Open Terminal and run:

curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

After it finishes, close and reopen Terminal so the change takes effect. Verify it worked by running:

uv --version

You should see a version number like uv 0.5.x.

Windows:

Open Command Prompt and run:

winget install astral-sh.uv

Or if you prefer, download the installer from github.com/astral-sh/uv/releases — grab the .msi file and run it.

After installing, close and reopen Command Prompt. Verify by running:

uv --version

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Install Git

Git is used to download (clone) this project to your computer.

macOS:

Git usually comes pre-installed. Open Terminal and run:

git --version

If it's not installed, macOS will prompt you to install it automatically. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Windows:

Download Git from git-scm.com/download/win and run the installer. Leave all options at their defaults.

After installing, close and reopen Command Prompt. Verify by running:

git --version

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Step 2 — Download the TriCaster MCP Server

Open Terminal (macOS) or Command Prompt (Windows) and navigate to the folder where you want to store the project. For example, to put it in your Documents folder:

macOS:

cd ~/Documents
git clone https://github.com/mkammes/TriCaster_MCP.git

Windows:

cd %USERPROFILE%\Documents
git clone https://github.com/mkammes/TriCaster_MCP.git

This creates a folder called TriCaster_MCP containing all the server files. You do not need to run any install commands inside it — uv will handle everything automatically the first time the server starts.

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Step 3 — Set your TriCaster's IP address

You need to tell the server where your TriCaster is on the network. There are two ways to do this:

Option A — Environment variable (recommended)

Set the TRICASTER_HOST environment variable in your Claude Desktop config (see Step 5). This keeps your IP out of the source code and makes it easy to change without editing files.

Add an "env" section to the tricaster entry in claude_desktop_config.json:

"tricaster": {
  "command": "/path/to/uv",
  "args": [ "run", "--project", "/path/to/TriCaster_MCP", "python", "/path/to/TriCaster_MCP/server.py" ],
  "env": {
    "TRICASTER_HOST": "192.168.1.94"
  }
}

You can also set TRICASTER_PORT the same way if your TriCaster isn't on port 80.

Option B — Edit server.py directly

1. Find the folder where you cloned the project (e.g. Documents/TriCaster_MCP)
2. Open the file server.py in a text editor. On macOS you can right-click it and choose Open With → TextEdit. On Windows, right-click and choose Open With → Notepad.
3. Near the very top of the file, find this line:

   TRICASTER_HOST = os.environ.get("TRICASTER_HOST", "192.168.1.94")
   

4. Replace the fallback IP address with the IP address of your TriCaster. You can find the TriCaster's IP address in its network settings on the TriCaster itself, or by checking your router's connected devices list.
5. Save the file.

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Step 4 — Find the paths you need for configuration

Before editing the Claude Desktop config file, you need to know two things:

• Where uv is installed
• The full path to the TriCaster_MCP folder

Find the uv path

macOS — run this in Terminal:

which uv

Example output: /Users/yourname/.local/bin/uv

Windows — run this in Command Prompt:

where uv

Example output: C:\Users\yourname\.local\bin\uv.exe

Write this path down — you'll need it in the next step.

Find the TriCaster_MCP folder path

macOS — if you cloned into Documents:

/Users/yourname/Documents/TriCaster_MCP

To find your exact username, run echo $HOME in Terminal.

Windows — if you cloned into Documents:

C:\Users\yourname\Documents\TriCaster_MCP

To find your exact username, run echo %USERPROFILE% in Command Prompt.

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Step 5 — Configure Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop uses a configuration file to know which MCP servers to load. You need to add an entry for the TriCaster server.

Locate the config file

macOS:

The file is at:

/Users/yourname/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

The Library folder is hidden by default. The easiest way to open it:

1. Open Finder
2. From the menu bar, click Go → Go to Folder...
3. Paste in: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/
4. Press Enter
5. Open claude_desktop_config.json with TextEdit

Windows:

The file is at:

C:\Users\yourname\AppData\Roaming\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

The AppData folder is hidden by default. The easiest way:

1. Press Win+R, type %APPDATA%\Claude\ and press Enter
2. Open claude_desktop_config.json with Notepad

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Edit the config file

The file contains JSON. It may already have some content, or it may be empty. You need to add a "tricaster" entry inside the "mcpServers" section.

If the file is empty or looks like {}, replace the entire contents with:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tricaster": {
      "command": "/path/to/uv",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--project",
        "/path/to/TriCaster_MCP",
        "python",
        "/path/to/TriCaster_MCP/server.py"
      ]
    }
  }
}

If the file already has other MCP servers, find the "mcpServers": { line and add the tricaster entry alongside the others:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "some-other-server": {
      ...
    },
    "tricaster": {
      "command": "/path/to/uv",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--project",
        "/path/to/TriCaster_MCP",
        "python",
        "/path/to/TriCaster_MCP/server.py"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Replace the placeholder paths with your real paths from Step 4.

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macOS example (filled in)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tricaster": {
      "command": "/Users/yourname/.local/bin/uv",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--project",
        "/Users/yourname/Documents/TriCaster_MCP",
        "python",
        "/Users/yourname/Documents/TriCaster_MCP/server.py"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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Windows example (filled in)

On Windows, use forward slashes (/) in the JSON file even though Windows normally uses backslashes:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tricaster": {
      "command": "C:/Users/yourname/.local/bin/uv.exe",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--project",
        "C:/Users/yourname/Documents/TriCaster_MCP",
        "python",
        "C:/Users/yourname/Documents/TriCaster_MCP/server.py"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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Save and restart Claude Desktop

1. Save the config file
2. Fully quit Claude Desktop (on macOS: right-click the dock icon → Quit; on Windows: right-click the system tray icon → Quit)
3. Reopen Claude Desktop

To verify the server loaded correctly, look for a small hammer icon (🔨) or tools indicator in the Claude Desktop interface. You can also type "what TriCaster tools do you have?" and Claude should list the available tools.

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Step 6 — Test it

With your TriCaster powered on and connected to the network, try asking Claude:

• "What is the TriCaster's system info?"
• "What's currently on program?"
• "Switch program to input 2"
• "Start recording"

If Claude responds with real data from your TriCaster, everything is working.

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Troubleshooting

Claude says it doesn't have TriCaster tools:

• Make sure you fully quit and restarted Claude Desktop (not just closed the window)
• Double-check the paths in claude_desktop_config.json — a typo in any path will silently prevent the server from loading
• Make sure the JSON is valid (no missing commas or mismatched brackets) — you can paste it into jsonlint.com to check

Claude says "connection error" or "could not reach TriCaster":

• Verify your TriCaster's IP address is correct in server.py
• Make sure your computer and TriCaster are on the same network
• Try opening http://YOUR_TRICASTER_IP/ in a web browser — you should see the TriCaster LivePanel interface if the API is accessible

uv command not found:

• Close and reopen your Terminal/Command Prompt after installing uv
• On macOS, make sure you ran the install script in a terminal session that was restarted

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Available tools

Once installed, Claude has access to the following tools for controlling your TriCaster:

Tool	Description
System
get_system_info	TriCaster model, version, session name, resolution, and frame rate
get_tally	Shows which sources are currently on Program and Preview
list_sources	List all available source names with their friendly labels (e.g. input1 (INPUT 1))
Switcher
get_switcher_state	Program source, Preview source, active effect, T-bar position, input labels, and overlay sources
switch_program	Cut directly to a new Program source (goes to air immediately)
switch_preview	Arm a new source on Preview without going to air
auto_transition	Perform an Auto transition, taking Preview to Program using the current effect
cut_transition	Perform an instant Cut, swapping Program and Preview
set_transition_effect	Change the active transition effect — use "fade" or "dissolve" for dissolve, "cut" for cut, or a full effect file path for file-based effects
fade_to_black	Fade the program output to black; call again to fade back up
take_to_black	Instantly cut the program output to black
DSK
dsk_on / dsk_off / dsk_auto	Bring DSK 1 or 2 on air, take it off, or auto-transition it
Audio
get_audio_state	Mute status and volume level for every audio channel (master, inputs, DDRs, aux, phones)
set_audio_mute	Mute or unmute an audio channel
set_audio_volume	Set the volume/gain of an audio channel (0 = unity gain)
DDR (media players)
get_ddr_status	Playback state, elapsed/remaining time, duration, playlist position, and frame rate for a DDR
ddr_play / ddr_stop	Start or stop playback on DDR media player 1 or 2
ddr_set_loop	Enable or disable loop mode on a DDR
ddr_set_autoplay	Enable or disable autoplay mode on a DDR
Recording & Streaming
start_record / stop_record	Start or stop recording; optional recorder number for multi-recorder systems (default: 1)
get_record_state	Check whether recording is currently active
start_stream / stop_stream	Start or stop streaming
get_stream_state	Check whether streaming is currently active
Media & Macros
browse_media	List all media files on the TriCaster, grouped by folder
list_macros	List all macros available on the TriCaster by name and ID
run_macro	Execute a macro by name
Advanced
get_dictionary	Read any TriCaster state dictionary by key (returns raw XML)
get_datalink	Get all current DataLink key/value pairs (live data fields like scores, lower-thirds)
set_datalink	Set a DataLink key to a value (e.g. update a score or lower-third text)
send_shortcut	Send any raw shortcut command to the TriCaster

Audio channel names

Use these names with set_audio_mute and set_audio_volume:

master, input1–input8, ddr1, ddr2, aux1, aux2, aux3, phones

Use get_audio_state to see which channels your TriCaster model actually exposes — the exact list varies by model.

Common source names

Use list_sources to see all sources your TriCaster actually exposes. Typical names:

input1 through input8 — physical video inputs ddr1, ddr2 — DDR media players gfx1, gfx2 — graphics channels bfr1 through bfr15 — buffers black — black/no source

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Technical notes

• Uses the TriCaster HTTP API v1 (/v1/shortcut, /v1/dictionary, /v1/trigger, /v1/datalink)
• Communicates over HTTP/1.0 using Python's stdlib http.client with Connection: close
• No third-party HTTP library required — the only external dependency is mcp
• The server runs as a local subprocess launched by Claude Desktop over stdio — no ports are opened on your computer
• TriCaster IP and port are read from TRICASTER_HOST / TRICASTER_PORT environment variables, with fallback to the values hardcoded in server.py