HeyMotion MCP Overview
What the HeyMotion MCP server is, the eight tools it exposes, and the two ways to connect it — local install or remote connector — so an AI assistant can drive the studio for you.
#Overview
The HeyMotion MCP server lets an AI assistant — such as Claude — drive the studio for you using plain language. MCP (the Model Context Protocol) is a standard way for AI assistants to call external tools. With the HeyMotion MCP connected, you can ask your assistant to list templates, describe how one works, render a still preview, or render a finished MP4 clip, and it does the work by calling the studio directly.
It is the same 101 templates and the same brand engine you use in the app at https://heymotion.io/app — just reachable through a conversation instead of the editor.
MCP access is included on every plan, each with its own monthly render allowance: Free 3, Creator and Founding 20, Studio 200, Agency 2,000. See Manage Your Subscription for plan details.
#When to Use It
Reach for the MCP server when you would rather describe the graphic you want than click through the editor — for example, while you are already working inside Claude on a script or a video plan and want a matching clip without switching tabs. It is aimed at power users and anyone building an AI-assisted content workflow. If you just want to make one graphic by hand, the web studio is the simpler path.
#The Eight Tools
The server exposes list_templates, describe_template, render_preview, render_clip, get_brand, set_brand, list_brand_kits, use_brand_kit — eight tools in total. Each does one job:
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
list_templates | Returns the full template library so the assistant can pick the right one. |
describe_template | Explains a single template — its purpose, fields, and default duration. |
render_preview | Renders a still PNG captured mid-animation, so you can check the look before committing. |
render_clip | Renders a finished MP4 clip and returns it as a download. |
list_brand_kits | Lists every brand kit saved on your account, so the assistant can see what "the Acme brand" refers to. |
use_brand_kit | Switches the conversation's renders to a named kit — say "make these in the Acme brand" and every render after that uses it. For a single render, the assistant can instead pass the kit name on render_clip or render_preview directly. |
get_brand | Shows the brand kit a render will actually use — your saved kit when you are connected with a personal key, plus anything set_brand changed in the conversation. |
set_brand | Overrides the brand for the current conversation only, on top of your saved kit. Partial changes merge, so setting one accent colour leaves the rest of the palette alone. |
Your active brand kit is applied automatically when you connect with your personal key — you do not have to call anything first. If your team keeps several kits (one per client, say), just name the one you want: "render a stat card in the Acme brand" and the assistant selects it with use_brand_kit. Edit a colour, font or logo in the studio and the next render picks it up within about a minute, without reconnecting.
All renders come out as H.264 MP4, the same format the web app exports. Overlay templates render on a solid green background (#00FF00) so you can chroma-key them over your footage — see the overlay notes in the app for which templates are green-screen.
#Two Ways to Connect
There are two connection modes, and they behave differently:
#Local install (power user)
You install the server on your own machine. It renders locally inside your own copy of Google Chrome, so there are no rate limits, everything stays private on your computer, and finished files land in your browser's Downloads folder. This mode requires Node 22+ and Google Chrome (macOS, Linux or Windows).
Install with:
curl -fsSL https://heymotion.io/install-mcp.sh | bash
#Remote connector (no install)
You add a custom connector in your AI assistant's settings pointing at https://mcp.heymotion.io/mcp. Nothing is installed — renders happen server-side. This is the fastest way to try MCP, but it has rate limits: Monthly render cap by plan (Free 3, Creator/Founding 20, Studio 200, Agency 2,000), metered per calendar month and reset on the 1st. A short hourly/daily burst limit runs underneath as a fair-use backstop. 20 seconds max per clip..
Full, step-by-step setup for both paths is in Connect HeyMotion to an AI Assistant.
#Options and Settings
| Choice | Local install | Remote connector |
|---|---|---|
| Install required | Yes — Node 22+ and Google Chrome (macOS, Linux or Windows) | No |
| Where it renders | Your own Chrome, on your machine | HeyMotion servers |
| Privacy | Fully local | Renders happen server-side |
| Limits | Unlimited | Monthly render cap by plan (Free 3, Creator/Founding 20, Studio 200, Agency 2,000), metered per calendar month and reset on the 1st. A short hourly/daily burst limit runs underneath as a fair-use backstop. 20 seconds max per clip. |
| Output | MP4 to your Downloads | MP4 returned to the assistant |
#Best Practices
Connect with your personal key and your saved brand kit comes along by itself, so the first render is already on-brand. Reach for set_brand only when you want a one-off look for that conversation — it sits on top of your kit and never overwrites what you saved. When you are experimenting, prefer render_preview (a fast still) over render_clip so you are not spending render time on a look you might change.
#Common Mistakes
The most common mismatch is expecting the remote connector to behave like the local install. The remote connector is capped at Monthly render cap by plan (Free 3, Creator/Founding 20, Studio 200, Agency 2,000), metered per calendar month and reset on the 1st. A short hourly/daily burst limit runs underneath as a fair-use backstop. 20 seconds max per clip.; if you need unlimited or private rendering, use the local install. Also remember that overlay templates come back green — that is intentional for chroma-key, not a bug.
#Related Articles
Set it up next in Connect HeyMotion to an AI Assistant. For what a render costs you against your plan — and why still-image previews are free — see Renders vs Exports.