The content studio MCP for coding agents. broll gives Claude Code, Codex, and any MCP client real hands for content work: generate media with your own API keys, render videos and carousels deterministically with code, and publish through a draft-first outbox.
The model plans. Code renders. Nothing posts without confirmation.
Every developer running a coding agent hits the same wall: the agent can write the marketing plan, but it can't make the carousel, cut the video, or post it. Existing tools are credit-metered schedulers built for social media managers. broll is built for developers:
BYO keys, no markup. Image/video generation uses yourOPENAI_API_KEY
/GEMINI_API_KEY
directly. broll never proxies your inference or resells credits. A built-in mock provider keeps every workflow runnable before you add any keys.Deterministic rendering. Videos and slides are compiled from declarative plans into exact ffmpeg/sharp invocations. Same plan + same inputs = same output. When AI output drifts, the fix is code — so layout, fonts, captions, and branding live in code.Draft-first publishing. Posts are reviewable JSON files in an outbox.publish_post
requiresconfirm: true
, validates per-platform rules (char limits, media counts, file sizes) before anything leaves the machine, and reports per-platform results. Theexport
platform always works: it writes a ready-to-post bundle.
Requires Node 20+ and ffmpeg (brew install ffmpeg
).
cd broll
npm install && npm run build
Register with Claude Code (or use the checked-in .mcp.json
when working inside this repo):
claude mcp add broll -- node /path/to/broll/dist/index.js
Optional environment:
| Variable | Purpose |
|---|---|
OPENAI_API_KEY |
|
| gpt-image-1 image generation | |
GEMINI_API_KEY |
|
| Imagen images + Veo video generation | |
BLUESKY_IDENTIFIER / BLUESKY_APP_PASSWORD |
|
| live Bluesky posting (use an app password) | |
MASTODON_ACCESS_TOKEN (+ optional MASTODON_INSTANCE ) |
|
| live Mastodon posting — no app review, any instance | |
X_API_KEY / X_API_SECRET / X_ACCESS_TOKEN / X_ACCESS_TOKEN_SECRET |
|
| live X posting (free API tier works) | |
BROLL_HOME |
|
workspace location (default ~/.broll ) |
|
BROLL_FFMPEG / BROLL_FFPROBE |
|
| explicit binary paths |
Brand kit: drop a broll.config.json
next to where the server runs (see this repo's for an example) — name, handle, colors, font, logo. Every render picks it up automatically.
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
broll_status |
|
| Workspace, ffmpeg, provider + platform readiness. Call first. | |
generate_image / generate_video |
|
| BYO-key generation → workspace assets (mock fallback when keyless) | |
import_asset / list_assets / probe_asset |
|
| Bring in and inspect media | |
render_video |
|
| Declarative RenderPlan → mp4: clips (video/image/color), trims, cover/contain fits, burned-in titles + timed captions, music bed, 9:16 / 1:1 / 4:5 / 16:9 | |
render_carousel |
|
| Branded slide sets (the Instagram/LinkedIn format): kicker, headline, body, accent bar, page numbers, watermark — layout is 100% code | |
extract_frame |
|
| Pull a PNG frame so the agent can visually QA its own render | |
create_post_draft |
|
| Text + media + platforms → validated, reviewable draft in the outbox | |
list_drafts / publish_post |
|
Inspect the outbox; publish with explicit confirm: true |
npm run smoke
drives the real server through a real MCP client: generates a background, renders a 3-slide carousel and a 9:16 teaser video with captions, extracts a QA frame, then drafts and "publishes" an export bundle — all into ./.broll/
.
The local server you're looking at stays MIT and free. broll cloud adds the parts a local server can't do well: the app-review-walled platforms (Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok) through broll's own approved credentials, schedules that run while your laptop is closed, and a swipe-to-approve inbox on your phone. ~$29/mo when it ships.
** Join the waitlist → 👍 issue #1** — subscribers get the launch note; comments set the platform build order.
- Nothing is published without a draft file on disk first.
publish_post
hard-requiresconfirm: true
— agents are instructed to obtain the user's explicit go-ahead.- Constraint violations block publishing; they never auto-truncate your text.
- Keys are read from your environment and sent only to their own vendor's API.
Early but real: 96 tests including real-ffmpeg integration renders and a full MCP round trip.
- Bluesky video upload
- X chunked video upload
- LinkedIn adapter (needs app review)
- Mastodon adapter
- YouTube Shorts via user OAuth
- Ken Burns / crossfade transitions
- Word-level caption timing from transcripts
npx broll-mcp
distribution
npm test # unit + integration (real ffmpeg)
npm run typecheck
npm run smoke # end-to-end artifact check
MIT.