Windsurf

Windsurf is an agentic IDE powered by Cascade. Connect the Pictory MCP server and Cascade gains a set of Pictory tools: you describe the video you want and it creates it through your Pictory account, without writing any API code. You do not need an API key or an API subscription. Sign in with your Pictory account through the Pictory sign-in page.

Motion graphics for Pictory 3.0 accounts. Create expressive animated scenes and continue editing the same project in Pictory 3.0. See what you can create.

Prerequisites

Windsurf installed
A Pictory account with an active subscription or eligible Free Trial: app.pictory.ai. Available video minutes, voice-over usage, and AI Credits depend on your plan.

Connect

Open the MCP settings

In Windsurf, open Settings, then Cascade, then Model Context Protocol. You can also edit the configuration file directly at ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json.

Add the Pictory server

Remote servers use serverUrl:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pictory": {
      "serverUrl": "https://mcp.pictory.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}

The URL is all that is needed. The server supports dynamic client registration, so Windsurf registers itself. Do not add an API_KEY header; this server does not take one.

Start the sign-in from the MCP settings panel. A browser opens on the Pictory login page. Sign in with your Pictory email and password, or continue with Google. The browser hands control back to Windsurf and the server shows as connected.

Reload Cascade

Reload Cascade to pick up the new tools, then ask it for a video.

What You Can Ask For

Create a teaser for a smart lamp. Show me a preview before making the finished video.
Turn this blog post into a video: https://example.com/post
Show me a preview first, then render it once I approve.
Make the title on scene 2 smaller and swap its clip for a close-up.
How much video quota do I have left?

Pictory 2.0 and Pictory 3.0 are versions of the Pictory video app. Your account determines the only type of new video you can create through the MCP connector:

Your account	Videos you can create through MCP	What they look like
Pictory 2.0	Standard Pictory videos only, also called classic videos	Scenes with footage or images, text, narration, and music.
Pictory 3.0	Motion Graphics videos only, available by default	Animated text, shapes, charts, and diagrams, with optional footage or images.

Cascade checks your account automatically. It does not ask you to choose between these video types. Pictory 3.0 users do not need separate activation for Motion Graphics. The MCP server rejects Motion Graphics creation requests from Pictory 2.0 accounts.

Moving to Pictory 3.0 is a one-way change. If you use Pictory 2.0 and want Motion Graphics, contact Pictory support to enable Pictory 3.0 for your account. After your account moves to Pictory 3.0, you cannot switch back to Pictory 2.0. New videos you create through MCP will use Motion Graphics only.

For motion graphics, choose a Brand Kit 2.0 from Pictory 3.0 or None early in the conversation. Settle narration, music, and transitions. The assistant asks about stock media, AI-generated media, both, or none only if you have not already given a preference. Finalize narration, narrator, music, and scene count before creation. Later chat revisions can change the visual design. The project is saved automatically and opens in the Motion Studio editor in Pictory 3.0. On plans that charge render credits, Motion Graphics videos made through MCP cost 200 AI Credits per video minute for the project’s first successful render. Before rendering the finished motion video, the assistant shows your available credits and the cost, then waits for your confirmation. This applies even if you asked to render in your first message or the render costs zero credits. See credits and rendering. Only Standard videos ask whether Pictory designs the scenes or you design them together. They offer the choice to save an editable project. A Standard preview takes 2–5 minutes and a render 5–15 minutes. See the Pictory MCP Server overview for details.

Get the New Features: Existing Users

Disconnect Pictory in your MCP settings, remove its existing registration, then add it again using the connection steps above. Sign in with the same Pictory account and start a new conversation. Your saved Pictory projects stay in your account.

Troubleshooting

MCP Tools Do Not Appear in Cascade

Cause: Cascade reads the tool list when it loads, and shows none for a server that has not been authenticated.Resolution: Confirm the server shows as signed in, reload Cascade, and check the panel for registration errors.

Cause: The return address Windsurf used is not one Pictory recognizes.Resolution: Start the sign-in from the MCP settings panel rather than by opening the server URL in a browser. If it persists, the editor’s callback address may not yet be registered with Pictory; contact support with the error shown in the browser.

Every Request Fails After Signing In

Cause: The sign-in has expired, or the connected account does not have access to the requested feature or sufficient remaining usage.Resolution: Check the subscription at app.pictory.ai, then disconnect and reconnect the server.

Next Steps

Pictory MCP Server

Standard videos, motion graphics, and the options available through your connection

Use Pictory with an LLM

Connect your assistant and create videos through conversation

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The same server, in Cursor

Claude Code

The same server, in the terminal

Storyboard Video Preview

n8n Workflow Automation

Make.com Workflow Automation

Zapier Workflow Automation

LLM Integration

AI Tools Integration

Prerequisites

Connect

What You Can Ask For

Get the New Features: Existing Users

Troubleshooting

Next Steps

Pictory MCP Server

Use Pictory with an LLM

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Claude Code

​Prerequisites

​Connect

​What You Can Ask For

​Get the New Features: Existing Users

​Troubleshooting

​Next Steps

Pictory MCP Server

Use Pictory with an LLM

Cursor

Claude Code

Prerequisites

Connect

What You Can Ask For

Get the New Features: Existing Users

Troubleshooting

Next Steps