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This page registers the Pictory MCP server directly in Claude Code.
If you have already added the Pictory connector in Claude and Claude Code is signed in to the same account, you are done: claude mcp list shows it under the name you gave the connector, prefixed claude.ai, and its tools are available in every session. The steps below are for a machine that is not signed in to claude.ai, or for a project-wide setup shared with a team.

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Prerequisites

  • Claude Code installed: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
  • A Pictory account with a purchased Pictory API subscription: app.pictory.ai. A standard Pictory plan on its own is not enough.

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Add the server

pictory-ai-video is the name you will use to refer to the server; any name works. --callback-port 3118 is required, see why the callback port is fixed.

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Sign in

A browser window opens on the Pictory sign-in page. Sign in with your Pictory email and password, or Continue with Google. The browser returns to Claude Code, which stores the sign-in for future sessions. You can also sign in from inside a session: type /mcp, select pictory-ai-video, and choose Authenticate.

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Verify

The server shows as connected. Start a session and ask for a video:
Claude settles a few details with you first (narration and voice, music, shape, whether to save it as a project), then creates the video and gives you the link. A preview takes 2–5 minutes and a final render 5–15 minutes.

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Why the callback port is fixed

Claude Code completes the sign-in on a local listener at http://localhost:<port>/callback. Pictory’s sign-in service checks that address against an exact list of registered return addresses, and http://localhost:3118/callback is the one registered for Claude Code. Without --callback-port, Claude Code picks a random free port for each sign-in, the address does not match, and the sign-in page shows an error before you can log in. Always pass --callback-port 3118.

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Scope

By default the server is registered for the current project only, for you. Two other scopes are available: For example, to make it available everywhere:

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Sign out, refresh, remove

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Troubleshooting

Cause: The server was added without --callback-port, so Claude Code used a random port and the return address did not match the registered one.Resolution:
  1. Remove the server: claude mcp remove pictory-ai-video
  2. Add it again with the flag: claude mcp add --transport http --callback-port 3118 pictory-ai-video https://mcp.pictory.ai/mcp
  3. Sign in: claude mcp login pictory-ai-video
Cause: Another process is listening on port 3118, so Claude Code cannot open the callback listener. The port cannot be changed, because it is the one registered with Pictory.Resolution:
  1. Find the process: lsof -i :3118
  2. Stop it, or wait for it to finish, then sign in again.
Cause: Claude Code reads the server’s tool list when it connects, so a tool added since then is not visible.Resolution:
  1. Type /mcp in the session, select pictory-ai-video, and choose Reconnect.
  2. If it is still missing, start a new session.
Cause: The stored sign-in has expired, or the Pictory account does not carry a subscription that permits API use.Resolution:
  1. Sign out and in again: claude mcp logout pictory-ai-video, then claude mcp login pictory-ai-video
  2. Check your subscription at app.pictory.ai.

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Next Steps

Pictory MCP Server

What the server can do, the tools, and the two design modes

Text-to-Video Skill

The Claude Code skill that works with your API key and carries its own design playbook