Getting Started

Requirements

• macOS — AppleScript and Compressor’s headless CLI are macOS-only
• Node.js ≥ 20
• The Apple apps you want to use (Final Cut Pro, Compressor, Motion, Pixelmator Pro, Logic Pro, Keynote, Pages, or Numbers)

Install — full CLI

The umbrella package ships the creator-studio-os binary, MCP server, verify command, smoke harness, and the entire 78-tool surface across all 10 packages:

npm install -g @creator-studio-os/creator-studio-os

Or run without installing via npx:

npx -y @creator-studio-os/creator-studio-os serve

Install — single app

If you only need one app’s tools (for example, you’re embedding FCPXML authoring inside another tool), pull in only that package:

npm install @creator-studio-os/fcp           # Final Cut Pro
npm install @creator-studio-os/motion        # Motion
npm install @creator-studio-os/pixelmator    # Pixelmator Pro
npm install @creator-studio-os/compressor    # Compressor
npm install @creator-studio-os/keynote       # Keynote
npm install @creator-studio-os/logic         # Logic Pro
npm install @creator-studio-os/iwork-docs    # Pages + Numbers
npm install @creator-studio-os/protocols     # Cross-app pipelines

All 10 packages are published under the @creator-studio-os npm scope with signed provenance attestations.

See Packages for the full list with tool counts.

Verify your setup

creator-studio-os verify

This checks:

• Platform is macOS
• osascript is available
• xmllint is available (used for FCPXML DTD validation)
• Final Cut Pro is installed
• FCPXML 1.14 DTD is accessible in the FCP app bundle
• Data directory is writable
• FCPXML round-trip through the bundled DTD completes cleanly

If any check fails, the output tells you exactly what’s missing and how to fix it.

MCP client config

Add creator-studio-os to your MCP client (claude_desktop_config.json or equivalent):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "creator-studio-os": {
      "command": "creator-studio-os",
      "args": ["serve"]
    }
  }
}

Via npx:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "creator-studio-os": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@creator-studio-os/creator-studio-os", "serve"]
    }
  }
}

macOS Automation permission

The first time the server targets an app via AppleScript, macOS prompts you to grant Automation permission in:

System Settings → Privacy & Security → Automation

This is an OS-level gate — the prompt fires once per app. Read-only AppleScript still requires the grant. After granting, no further prompts appear for that app.

Data directory

All file output writes to the data directory (never to system files or FCP library internals):

• Default: ~/creator-studio/
• Override: set CREATOR_STUDIO_DATA_DIR in your environment

creator-studio/
├── projects/
│   └── <name>/
│       ├── project.json     # ProjectV2 spec
│       ├── footage/
│       ├── audio/
│       ├── images/
│       ├── brand/
│       ├── refs/
│       ├── fcp/             # FCPXML output
│       └── out/             # rendered deliverables
└── shared/
    ├── brand/
    └── presets/

Next steps

• Usage — run your first protocol and explore the CLI
• Packages — browse the 10 npm packages
• Reference — browse all 78 tools
• Protocols — deep dive into brand-deck-minimal