Show HN: Broll – an MCP server that gives coding agents a content studio

Broll, an MCP server for coding agents, launches as an open-source tool that lets developers generate media, render videos and carousels, and publish content through a draft-first outbox using their own API keys. The tool integrates with Claude Code and Codex, offering deterministic rendering and platform validation before posting.

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 your OPENAI 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 requires confirm: true , validates per-platform rules char limits, media counts, file sizes before anything leaves the machine, and reports per-platform results. The export 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-requires confirm: 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.