Watch CLI MCP Server - install, status & alternatives [2026]

01 · Install Watch CLI

before you install - you'll need

Set WATCH_CLI_VERSION, KYMA_API_KEY before connecting.

Claude Code

claude mcp add sonpiaz-watch-cli -- npx -y @sonpiaz/watch-cli-mcp

Claude Desktop / Cursor / VS Code - add to config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sonpiaz-watch-cli": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@sonpiaz/watch-cli-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Same JSON for Cursor. For VS Code, rename the top-level key from `mcpServers` to `servers`.

Using another client? Same JSON, different key

Claude Desktop · mcpServers

Cursor · mcpServers

VS Code · servers

Windsurf · mcpServers

Zed · context_servers

Cline · mcpServers

Roo Code · mcpServers

Continue · mcpServers

LibreChat · mcpServers

Gemini CLI · mcpServers

Codex CLI · mcp_servers

Full setup guides: every client.

02 · Evidence

Security posture

What to check before giving this server access to your agent - from the registry, GitHub, and our own probes. We don't score safety; we show what's verifiable.

runs as local process (stdio) - runs on your machine with your user's permissions

license MIT - declared in the repository

npm package @sonpiaz/watch-cli-mcp - published under the repo owner's npm scope (@sonpiaz)

registry namespace io.github.sonpiaz is GitHub-verified and matches the repo owner

03 · What Watch CLI can do

Prose above is summarized from the project's README and registry record - no invented capabilities.

Limitations (from the README)

Watch-cli is fast and cheap because it composes primitives instead of calling a video LLM. The tradeoffs are honest. Transcription is the only paid step. Frame extraction is local ffmpeg, free.

Latest releases

v0.3.2 · 2026-07-29

Highlights · _(edit me before publish)_ · What's new · Schema version · Output schema: v1. See output-schema.md. · Install · bash · brew tap sonpiaz/tap && brew install watch-cli # macOS · curl -fsSL | bash…

v0.3.1 · 2026-05-20

Highlights · _(edit me before publish)_ · What's new · Schema version · Output schema: v1. See output-schema.md. · Install · bash · brew tap sonpiaz/tap && brew install watch-cli # macOS · curl -fsSL | bash…

v0.3.0 · 2026-05-19

Highlights · _(edit me before publish)_ · What's new · Initial tagged release. · Schema version · Output schema: v1. See output-schema.md. · Install · bash · brew tap sonpiaz/tap && brew install watch-cli #…

04 · Who maintains Watch CLI

watch-cli is maintained by sonpiaz. It's the only MCP server we track from this author; the repo dates to Apr 2026.

05 · Facts

repository: github.com/sonpiaz/watch-cli
category: media - ranked #33 of 155 actively-maintained media servers as of 2026-08-25.
release cadence: 1 release in the last 90 days (latest 2026-07-29)
registry: io.github.sonpiaz/watch-cli (active, first published 2026-05-20)
packages: npm:@sonpiaz/watch-cli-mcp

06 · Watch CLI FAQ

What is Watch CLI?

Watch any social video → get an architecture diagram, working component, runnable notebook, or step-by-step cheat sheet - automatically. It runs locally over stdio via the published package.

Is Watch CLI still maintained?

Yes - as of 2026-08-25, its last commit was 2026-07-29 and it shipped 1 release in the last 90 days. We re-verify nightly.

How do I install Watch CLI?

Run `npx -y @sonpiaz/watch-cli-mcp`. The README documents 2 environment variables (WATCH_CLI_VERSION, KYMA_API_KEY) to set first. Set WATCH_CLI_VERSION, KYMA_API_KEY before connecting. You can also paste the ready-made client config above.

Does Watch CLI run locally?

Yes - it's a stdio server: it runs on your machine (via npx) with your user's permissions. Your data stays local unless the server itself calls external APIs.

07 · Alternatives to Watch CLI

Alternatives to Watch CLI

Maintained media servers if Watch CLI isn't the fit.

More media MCP servers · Transcription · Ssemble AI Clipping · Media Gen MCP · Super CMO · Image Reader MCP