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io.github.arijit-gogoi/mpv-mcp-server

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Control mpv media player — playback, playlists, YouTube streaming, and downloads.

Source code Documentation

Install

Add this to your client's MCP configuration (Claude Desktop: claude_desktop_config.json; Cursor: .cursor/mcp.json; VS Code and others use the same "mcpServers" shape).

NPM package mpv-mcp-server
Claude Code 
claude mcp add mpv-mcp-server -e 'MPV_PATH=<MPV_PATH>' -e 'MPV_IPC_PATH=<MPV_IPC_PATH>' -e 'MPV_MEDIA_DIRS=<MPV_MEDIA_DIRS>' -e 'MPV_DOWNLOAD_DIR=<MPV_DOWNLOAD_DIR>' -- npx -y mpv-mcp-server@1.2.0
JSON configuration (Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code) 
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "mpv-mcp-server": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "mpv-mcp-server@1.2.0"
            ],
            "env": {
                "MPV_PATH": "<MPV_PATH>",
                "MPV_IPC_PATH": "<MPV_IPC_PATH>",
                "MPV_MEDIA_DIRS": "<MPV_MEDIA_DIRS>",
                "MPV_DOWNLOAD_DIR": "<MPV_DOWNLOAD_DIR>"
            }
        }
    }
}

Environment variables

  • MPV_PATH Path to mpv executable (default: mpv from PATH)
  • MPV_IPC_PATH IPC socket path (default: named pipe on Windows, Unix socket on macOS/Linux)
  • MPV_MEDIA_DIRS Comma-separated media directories to scan (default: ~/Music,~/Videos)
  • MPV_DOWNLOAD_DIR Download directory for YouTube downloads (default: ~/Downloads)

Documentation

From the project's README on GitHub, refreshed weekly. Links open on GitHub.

Contents
  1. mpv-mcp-server
  2. Prerequisites
  3. Quick Start
  4. Configuration
  5. Tools
  6. How It Works
  7. Platform Support
  8. License

mpv-mcp-server

MCP server for controlling mpv media player. Browse your music library, control playback, stream from YouTube, and download tracks — all from inside an MCP client like Claude Code.

Prerequisites

  • mpv — media player (must be on your PATH, or set MPV_PATH)
  • Node.js 22+
  • yt-dlp (optional) — required for YouTube streaming and downloading
  • ffmpeg (optional) — required for audio extraction, metadata reading (ffprobe), and tagging

Quick Start

Claude Code

Add to your project's .mcp.json:

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

Or add at user scope (available in all projects):

claude mcp add mpv --scope user -- npx -y mpv-mcp-server
Claude Desktop

Add to your Claude Desktop config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mpv": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mpv-mcp-server"]
    }
  }
}
With environment overrides
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mpv": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mpv-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "MPV_PATH": "/usr/local/bin/mpv",
        "MPV_MEDIA_DIRS": "/home/user/Music,/home/user/Podcasts",
        "MPV_DOWNLOAD_DIR": "/home/user/Music"
      }
    }
  }
}

Configuration

All configuration is via environment variables. Everything has sensible defaults.

VariableDefaultDescription
MPV_PATHmpvPath to mpv executable
MPV_IPC_PATH\\.\pipe\mpvpipe (Windows) or /tmp/mpv-ipc.sock (Unix)IPC socket path
MPV_MEDIA_DIRS~/Music,~/VideosComma-separated media directories to scan
MPV_DOWNLOAD_DIR~/DownloadsWhere downloaded files are saved

Tools

Playback
ToolDescription
mpv_playPlay a file by path or search term
mpv_pausePause playback
mpv_resumeResume playback
mpv_stopStop playback
mpv_statusGet current playback status
mpv_seekSeek to position ("90", "1:30", "+10", "-30")
mpv_volumeGet or set volume (0-150)
Library
ToolDescription
mpv_browseList and search available media files
mpv_playlistShow current playlist
mpv_addAdd a track to the playlist
mpv_load_playlistLoad a playlist file (.m3u, .pls, .txt)
mpv_nextSkip to next track
mpv_prevGo to previous track
YouTube
ToolDescription
mpv_youtubeSearch YouTube and stream through mpv (supports append mode)
mpv_downloadDownload from YouTube (audio or video)

YouTube tools require yt-dlp on your PATH. Audio downloads also require ffmpeg.

Metadata
ToolDescription
mpv_infoGet metadata for the current track or any file by search term
mpv_tagWrite metadata tags (artist, title, album, genre, date, comment) to a file

Both tools infer artist/title from the "Artist - Title" filename pattern. Requires ffmpeg (includes ffprobe).

How It Works

The server communicates with mpv via its JSON IPC protocol. On Windows this uses a named pipe, on macOS/Linux a Unix domain socket. If mpv isn't running, the server spawns it automatically in idle mode. The mpv process is detached, so it keeps playing even if the MCP server exits.

Platform Support

Developed and tested on Windows. macOS/Linux support is implemented but untested — issues and PRs welcome!

License

MIT

Frequently asked questions

What is io.github.arijit-gogoi/mpv-mcp-server?

Control mpv media player — playback, playlists, YouTube streaming, and downloads.

How do I install io.github.arijit-gogoi/mpv-mcp-server?

It runs on your machine. In Claude Code: claude mcp add mpv-mcp-server -e 'MPV_PATH=<MPV_PATH>' -e 'MPV_IPC_PATH=<MPV_IPC_PATH>' -e 'MPV_MEDIA_DIRS=<MPV_MEDIA_DIRS>' -e 'MPV_DOWNLOAD_DIR=<MPV_DOWNLOAD_DIR>' -- npx -y mpv-mcp-server@1.2.0. For other clients, paste the JSON configuration from this page into their MCP settings.

Does io.github.arijit-gogoi/mpv-mcp-server need an API key?

Its registry entry lists no required key or secret. Some features may still need an account with the service it connects to.

Is io.github.arijit-gogoi/mpv-mcp-server open source?

Its code is public on GitHub, but the repository does not declare a standard license.

Who maintains io.github.arijit-gogoi/mpv-mcp-server?

It is published by arijit-gogoi. AI.tn lists it but does not maintain or endorse it.

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