Wistia MCP Server & CLI

A free, open source Wistia MCP server and CLI that lets Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and other AI agents upload and organize your videos, fix captions and read your analytics.

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Navid Moazzezby Navid Moazzez·Updated Oct 5, 2026·18 min read·
MCPCLI
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  1. 1

    Add it with a single command in a terminal.

    Put your own API token in place of the example.

    claude mcp add wistia \
      -e WISTIA_API_TOKEN=YOUR_API_TOKEN \
      -- npx -y @thenavidm/wistia-mcp-cli@latest
  2. 2

    In Claude Code, type /mcp. Wistia should show as connected.

    /mcp

Needs Node 22 or newer and a Wistia API token from the Account Owner. Make one in a minute.

It's free and open source. If it saves you time, star it on GitHub, so more people find it.

Rate this tool

This free Wistia MCP server and CLI gives your AI real access to your Wistia account: videos, folders, captions, player settings, channels, webinars and analytics. It uploads and organizes videos, edits captions and player settings, runs channels and webinars, and reads stats and analytics for your videos and your audience.

It's one install with two ways in. Claude, Codex, Cursor or any other MCP app calls its 169 tools for you, and the same tools work as a CLI that agents like Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode run, or that you type yourself.

In this guide, I'll show you:

  • What the Wistia MCP server & CLI is, and what you can ask it
  • How to install it and check that it works
  • When to use the MCP server, and when the CLI
  • Every tool, and how to keep your account safe

Every tool on this page comes from the server itself, and every cost was measured in Claude Code.

key_takeaways.mdTL;DR

Key takeaways

It gives Claude, Codex, Cursor and any other MCP app 169 tools for Wistia: videos and uploads, folders, captions, player settings, channels, webinars, and stats and analytics.
It uses an API token your Account Owner makes in the API tab of Account Settings, with only the permissions you pick.
Every upload, edit, delete, purchase and sharing change waits for your approval.
The same tools run as a CLI, which costs your AI nothing until it runs.

What is the Wistia MCP server & CLI?

The Wistia MCP server & CLI is a free, open source program that lets AI agents manage your Wistia videos for you, in two ways. The MCP server is what an AI app like Claude, Codex or Cursor connects to, through MCP (Model Context Protocol), the open standard AI apps use to call outside tools.

You ask in plain language. Your AI picks the right tool, and the server makes the call to Wistia's own API.

The CLI is the same program as commands. wistia-cli list-media runs the same code your AI runs when you ask for your latest videos, whether an agent like Claude Code runs it or you do.

In an AI OS, the layer that connects your AI to your context, your data and your tools, a server like this is how your AI reaches Wistia. I explain how the parts fit together in how to build an AI operating system, and here's how I use AI myself.

What can you ask it?

Once it's set up, you ask the way you'd ask an assistant. These are real prompts it handles:

Try asking
Which of my videos got the most plays last month?
Upload this video into my Course folder.
Find every caption that says "free trial" in my onboarding videos.
Fix the caption typo "recieve" in my welcome video.
Move these three videos into my Archive folder.
How many people registered for my webinar, and where did they come from?

The fourth one shows why this is useful. Your AI finds the exact wording in the caption track and fixes only that, so you never retype a caption file.

It works well next to my Vimeo MCP server and YouTube MCP server, so your AI can file your Vimeo back catalog into folders and manage your YouTube videos in the same chat. Every server I've made is on my MCP servers page.

For the videos themselves, my free video transcript generator and video caption generator help too.

How to install the Wistia MCP server

Pick your app in the box at the top of this page. Each one is a single command or a pasted block, and they all run through npx, so there's nothing to install first.

Windsurf, Zed and Cline take the same server, though they don't have a tab in the box yet. Follow the box's Cursor tab, and put its block here instead:

AppWhere the block goes
WindsurfIn the Cascade panel, open the Actions menu (…) and choose Open MCP config file, then paste the block.
ClineClick the MCP Servers icon in the Cline panel, open the Configure tab, click Configure MCP Servers, and paste the block.
ZedGo to Settings, then AI, then MCP Servers, and choose Add Server, then Add Local Server. Enter the block's command, arguments and variables, and Zed saves them under context_servers.
Before you start0/3

Watch out: Wistia lets you copy a new token only when you create it. Copy it before you leave or refresh the page.

Set up your Wistia account

It takes a minute.

Create an API token0/4

Only the Account Owner can open the API tab. If that's not you, ask the owner to make a token for you. A token can be edited or deleted on the same page later.

To keep the token out of your app's config, save it alone in a file only you can read, and point WISTIA_TOKEN_FILE at that file's full path instead.

Check that it works

Run the doctor with --network. It checks your settings, then reads your account to prove the token works. It doesn't change anything.

npx -y @thenavidm/wistia-mcp-cli doctor --network

When every line has a check mark, restart your app and ask it for your latest videos. If the token can't read account details, the account check fails even though narrower tools still work.

In Claude Code, /mcp also shows whether the Wistia server is connected. It's one of the Claude Code commands worth knowing.

Use the Wistia CLI

The CLI is the same 169 tools as commands. AI agents that run commands, like Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode, use it on their own, and you can type the same commands in a terminal or a script.

Every tool name becomes a command with dashes, so list_media runs as wistia-cli list-media.

npm install -g @thenavidm/wistia-mcp-cli
wistia-cli
wistia-cli list-folders --per-page 5
wistia-cli list-media --per-page 10
wistia-cli upload-media-file --file ~/videos/welcome.mp4 --project-id YOUR_FOLDER_ID --confirm
wistia-cli find-caption-matches --media-ids YOUR_MEDIA_ID --target-text recieve

The bare wistia-cli lists every command, wistia-cli which <words> finds the command for a task, and wistia-cli <command> --help shows what a command takes. Every upload, edit, delete, purchase and sharing change needs --confirm, the terminal's version of your approval.

wistia-cli install <app> adds the server to Claude Code, Codex, Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code or Gemini CLI, in each app's own format.

These are the flags you'll use most:

FlagWhat it does
--jsonPrints JSON
--compactPrints the JSON on one line
--select a,b.cKeeps only those fields, and a dotted path goes deeper
--agentMachine mode: compact JSON, no prompts, and it never confirms anything
--confirmLets a write that asks first go ahead
--dry-runShows what a write would do, without doing it

A script can branch on the exit code:

Exit codeWhat it means
0It worked
1Something unexpected went wrong
2The command was typed wrong, or a write needed --confirm
3It wasn't found
4Wistia rejected the credentials
5Wistia failed or couldn't be reached
7You hit a rate limit, so wait and try again
10Nothing is set up yet

MCP server or CLI: which one?

Both are the same program with the same 169 tools. The difference is when your AI pays for them, in the tokens it reads.

Every message, in an app that loads every tool
MCP server
147,800 tokens
CLI
Nothing
Every message, in Claude Code
MCP server
2,600 tokens
CLI
Nothing
When Wistia comes up
MCP server
Nothing more, or in Claude Code the tools it picks
CLI
1,500 tokens, once
20 messages with Wistia in one, every tool loaded
MCP server
2,955,000 tokens
CLI
1,500 tokens
Works in Claude Desktop's chat
MCP server
Yes
CLI
No, there's no terminal there
Works in a script, a cron job or CI
MCP server
No
CLI
Yes

An app that loads every tool up front sends the full list with every message, whether you mention Wistia or not. Claude Code doesn't by default: its tool search sends only the tool names and the server's instructions, and loads a tool's full definition when your AI reaches for it.

The CLI costs nothing until Wistia comes up. Then your agent reads its skill file once and runs the commands it needs. With the skill added, Claude Code also lists its one-line description with every message, about 50 tokens.

When the whole conversation is about Wistia, the gap closes. Then the MCP server is the better experience, because you ask in plain language and your AI never has to look up a command.

How to spend less

In Claude Code, leave tool search on, which it is unless you've set ENABLE_TOOL_SEARCH=false.

Turn the server off when you aren't working on your videos. In Claude Code that's the /mcp panel, and every AI app has its own switch. WISTIA_READ_ONLY=1 cuts it to the 86 reading tools.

Or install the CLI and connect the server later, on the days it earns its place. Every tool stays in reach, and the standing cost drops to nothing.

Every number here was measured on October 5, 2026 in Claude Code 2.1.286 with Claude Opus 5.5. It's the same one-line prompt with and without the server connected, once with tool search off so every tool loads, and once with Claude Code's default. The skill was measured the same way, and other apps and models count tokens a little differently.

Uploads, captions and paid orders

upload_media_file uploads a video from your computer, up to 250 MB, and upload_media has Wistia fetch one from a public link. Either way, Wistia keeps processing after it answers, so a new video's ID doesn't mean it's ready to play.

Caption edits are careful. find_caption_matches finds exact wording across up to 50 videos without changing anything, and edit_captions_text changes up to 20 bits of wording at once, all or nothing. It needs the caption track's current version, so an edit based on an old read is refused instead of overwriting newer changes.

Ordering captions, translations, dubs or audio descriptions can cost money, so your AI checks the video, the language and your balance first.

Deleting a video moves it to Recently Deleted for a while, and restore_deleted_media can bring it back. Folder sharing, allowed domains and share links decide who can watch, so changes to them ask first.

Watch out: Wistia allows 600 requests a minute for your whole account, across every app that uses it. A list with --all-pages counts every page, so it stops at 1,000 items unless you set more.

Every Wistia tool

The tables below list all 169 tools, grouped by what they're for. Of these, 86 only read, and 83 change something in your Wistia account or cost money.

Videos, uploads and tags

upload_media
What it does
Uploads a video from a public link, which Wistia fetches.
Kind
Asks first
upload_media_file
What it does
Uploads a video from your computer, up to 250 MB.
Kind
Asks first
list_review_bundles
What it does
Lists your review bundles.
Kind
Reads
create_review_bundle
What it does
Creates a review bundle.
Kind
Asks first
delete_review_bundle
What it does
Deletes a review bundle.
Kind
Asks first
list_deleted_media
What it does
Lists recently deleted videos.
Kind
Reads
restore_deleted_media
What it does
Brings back a recently deleted video.
Kind
Asks first
list_media
What it does
Lists your videos, filtered by folder, name, type or tag.
Kind
Reads
get_media
What it does
Reads one video's details.
Kind
Reads
update_media
What it does
Changes a video's details.
Kind
Asks first
delete_media
What it does
Deletes a video, which first goes to Recently Deleted.
Kind
Asks first
copy_media
What it does
Copies a video.
Kind
Asks first
swap_media
What it does
Replaces one video with another and keeps the original's ID, so its embeds keep working.
Kind
Asks first
get_media_stats
What it does
Shows a video's overall stats.
Kind
Reads
translate_media
What it does
Translates a video's transcript.
Kind
Asks first
import_media_from_url
What it does
Imports a video from a link.
Kind
Asks first
archive_media
What it does
Archives a video.
Kind
Asks first
move_media
What it does
Moves videos to another folder.
Kind
Asks first
restore_media
What it does
Restores an archived video.
Kind
Asks first
bulk_copy_media
What it does
Copies many videos at once.
Kind
Asks first
create_media_from_trims
What it does
Makes a new video from trimmed parts of an existing one.
Kind
Asks first
list_speakers
What it does
Lists speakers.
Kind
Reads
list_tags
What it does
Lists tags.
Kind
Reads
create_tags
What it does
Creates tags.
Kind
Asks first
delete_tag
What it does
Deletes a tag.
Kind
Asks first
create_bulk_actions
What it does
Runs up to 1,000 create, change, delete and move actions in the background.
Kind
Asks first
bulk_tag
What it does
Tags many videos at once.
Kind
Asks first

Folders and sharing

list_folders
What it does
Lists folders.
Kind
Reads
create_folder
What it does
Creates a folder.
Kind
Asks first
get_folder
What it does
Shows a folder.
Kind
Reads
update_folder
What it does
Updates a folder.
Kind
Asks first
delete_folder
What it does
Deletes a folder.
Kind
Asks first
copy_folder
What it does
Copies a folder.
Kind
Asks first
list_folder_sharings
What it does
Lists folder sharings.
Kind
Reads
create_folder_sharing
What it does
Creates a folder sharing.
Kind
Asks first
get_folder_sharing
What it does
Shows a folder sharing.
Kind
Reads
update_folder_sharing
What it does
Updates a folder sharing.
Kind
Asks first
delete_folder_sharing
What it does
Deletes a folder sharing.
Kind
Asks first
list_subfolders
What it does
Lists subfolders.
Kind
Reads
create_subfolder
What it does
Creates a subfolder.
Kind
Asks first
get_subfolder
What it does
Shows a subfolder.
Kind
Reads
update_subfolder
What it does
Updates a subfolder.
Kind
Asks first
delete_subfolder
What it does
Deletes a subfolder.
Kind
Asks first
bulk_delete_subfolders
What it does
Deletes many subfolders at once.
Kind
Asks first

Captions, translations and audio descriptions

list_captions
What it does
Lists a video's caption tracks.
Kind
Reads
create_captions
What it does
Adds a caption track from SRT text.
Kind
Asks first
list_all_captions
What it does
Lists all your caption tracks.
Kind
Reads
find_caption_matches
What it does
Finds exact wording in the captions of up to 50 videos, without changing them.
Kind
Reads
purchase_captions
What it does
Orders professional captions, which cost money.
Kind
Asks first
get_captions
What it does
Reads one caption track.
Kind
Reads
update_captions
What it does
Replaces a caption track.
Kind
Asks first
delete_captions
What it does
Deletes a caption track.
Kind
Asks first
edit_captions_text
What it does
Changes up to 20 bits of caption wording at once, all or nothing.
Kind
Asks first
list_localizations
What it does
Lists localizations.
Kind
Reads
create_localization
What it does
Makes a dubbed version of a video, which costs money once your free dubs run out.
Kind
Asks first
get_localization
What it does
Shows a localization.
Kind
Reads
delete_localization
What it does
Deletes a localization.
Kind
Asks first
list_media_extended_audio_descriptions
What it does
Lists media extended audio descriptions.
Kind
Reads
get_media_extended_audio_description
What it does
Shows a media extended audio description.
Kind
Reads
delete_media_extended_audio_description
What it does
Deletes a media extended audio description.
Kind
Asks first
order_extended_audio_description
What it does
Orders an extended audio description, which costs money.
Kind
Asks first
get_order_status
What it does
Reads an order's status.
Kind
Reads
create_bulk_purchase
What it does
Places up to 1,000 orders, or one order for up to 5,000 videos, in the background.
Kind
Asks first
get_customizations
What it does
Reads a video's player settings.
Kind
Reads
create_customizations
What it does
Sets a video's player settings.
Kind
Asks first
update_customizations
What it does
Changes a video's player settings.
Kind
Asks first
delete_customizations
What it does
Resets a video's player settings.
Kind
Asks first
get_appearance_customizations
What it does
Reads a video's appearance settings.
Kind
Reads
update_appearance_customizations
What it does
Changes a video's appearance settings.
Kind
Asks first
get_playback_customizations
What it does
Reads a video's playback settings.
Kind
Reads
update_playback_customizations
What it does
Changes a video's playback settings.
Kind
Asks first
get_thumbnail_customizations
What it does
Reads a video's thumbnail settings.
Kind
Reads
update_thumbnail_customizations
What it does
Changes a video's thumbnail settings.
Kind
Asks first
get_accessibility_customizations
What it does
Reads a video's accessibility settings.
Kind
Reads
update_accessibility_customizations
What it does
Changes a video's accessibility settings.
Kind
Asks first
get_chapters_customizations
What it does
Reads a video's chapter settings.
Kind
Reads
update_chapters_customizations
What it does
Changes a video's chapter settings.
Kind
Asks first
get_engagement_customizations
What it does
Reads a video's engagement settings.
Kind
Reads
update_engagement_customizations
What it does
Changes a video's engagement settings.
Kind
Asks first
get_related_media_customizations
What it does
Reads a video's related videos settings.
Kind
Reads
update_related_media_customizations
What it does
Changes a video's related videos settings.
Kind
Asks first
get_sharing_customizations
What it does
Reads a video's sharing settings.
Kind
Reads
update_sharing_customizations
What it does
Changes a video's sharing settings.
Kind
Asks first
get_lead_capture_customizations
What it does
Reads a video's lead capture settings.
Kind
Reads
update_lead_capture_customizations
What it does
Changes a video's lead capture settings.
Kind
Asks first
get_access_customizations
What it does
Reads a video's access settings.
Kind
Reads
update_access_customizations
What it does
Changes a video's access settings.
Kind
Asks first
resolve_share_link
What it does
Finds what a share link points to.
Kind
Reads
get_share_link
What it does
Shows a share link.
Kind
Reads
update_share_link
What it does
Updates a share link.
Kind
Asks first
delete_share_link
What it does
Deletes a share link.
Kind
Asks first
list_brands
What it does
Lists brands.
Kind
Reads
create_brand
What it does
Creates a brand.
Kind
Asks first
get_brand
What it does
Shows a brand.
Kind
Reads
update_brand
What it does
Updates a brand.
Kind
Asks first
delete_brand
What it does
Deletes a brand.
Kind
Asks first
apply_brand
What it does
Applies a brand's colors, fonts and logos to a video, folder or channel.
Kind
Asks first
list_allowed_domains
What it does
Lists allowed domains.
Kind
Reads
create_allowed_domain
What it does
Creates an allowed domain.
Kind
Asks first
get_allowed_domain
What it does
Shows an allowed domain.
Kind
Reads
delete_allowed_domain
What it does
Deletes an allowed domain.
Kind
Asks first

Channels

list_channels
What it does
Lists channels.
Kind
Reads
create_channel
What it does
Creates a channel.
Kind
Asks first
get_channel
What it does
Shows a channel.
Kind
Reads
update_channel
What it does
Updates a channel.
Kind
Asks first
delete_channel
What it does
Deletes a channel.
Kind
Asks first
get_channel_episode
What it does
Shows a channel episode.
Kind
Reads
list_channel_episodes_by_channel
What it does
Lists channel episodes by channel.
Kind
Reads
create_channel_episode
What it does
Creates a channel episode.
Kind
Asks first
list_channel_episodes
What it does
Lists channel episodes.
Kind
Reads
update_channel_episode
What it does
Updates a channel episode.
Kind
Asks first
delete_channel_episode
What it does
Deletes a channel episode.
Kind
Asks first
publish_channel_episode
What it does
Publishes a channel episode.
Kind
Asks first
un_publish_channel_episode
What it does
Unpublishes a channel episode.
Kind
Asks first
list_channel_collaborators
What it does
Lists channel collaborators.
Kind
Reads
create_channel_collaborator
What it does
Creates a channel collaborator.
Kind
Asks first
delete_channel_collaborator
What it does
Deletes a channel collaborator.
Kind
Asks first

Webinars

list_webinars
What it does
Lists webinars.
Kind
Reads
create_webinar
What it does
Creates a webinar.
Kind
Asks first
get_webinar
What it does
Shows a webinar.
Kind
Reads
update_webinar
What it does
Updates a webinar.
Kind
Asks first
delete_webinar
What it does
Deletes a webinar.
Kind
Asks first
list_webinar_registrations
What it does
Lists webinar registrations.
Kind
Reads
create_webinar_registration
What it does
Registers someone for a webinar, which can email them.
Kind
Asks first
list_webinar_collaborators
What it does
Lists webinar collaborators.
Kind
Reads
create_webinar_collaborator
What it does
Creates a webinar collaborator.
Kind
Asks first
delete_webinar_collaborator
What it does
Deletes a webinar collaborator.
Kind
Asks first

Stats and analytics

get_account_stats
What it does
Shows current account stats.
Kind
Reads
get_account_stats_by_date
What it does
Shows account stats by date.
Kind
Reads
get_project_stats
What it does
Shows a folder's stats.
Kind
Reads
get_media_stats_stats_media
What it does
Shows a video's stats.
Kind
Reads
get_media_stats_by_date
What it does
Shows media stats by date.
Kind
Reads
get_media_engagement
What it does
Shows a video's engagement.
Kind
Reads
list_visitors
What it does
Lists the people who watched your videos.
Kind
Reads
get_visitor
What it does
Reads one viewer.
Kind
Reads
list_events
What it does
Lists viewing events.
Kind
Reads
get_event
What it does
Reads one viewing event.
Kind
Reads
get_account_analytics
What it does
Shows account analytics.
Kind
Reads
get_account_analytics_timeseries
What it does
Shows account analytics timeseries.
Kind
Reads
get_account_top_content
What it does
Shows account top content.
Kind
Reads
get_account_embed_locations
What it does
Shows account embed locations.
Kind
Reads
find_media_by_embed_location
What it does
Finds the videos embedded on a page.
Kind
Reads
get_media_analytics
What it does
Shows media analytics.
Kind
Reads
get_media_analytics_timeseries
What it does
Shows media analytics timeseries.
Kind
Reads
get_media_embed_locations
What it does
Shows media embed locations.
Kind
Reads
get_media_embed_locations_timeseries
What it does
Shows media embed locations timeseries.
Kind
Reads
get_media_traffic_breakdown
What it does
Shows a media traffic breakdown.
Kind
Reads
get_media_form_conversions
What it does
Shows media form conversions.
Kind
Reads
get_media_languages
What it does
Shows media languages.
Kind
Reads
get_webinar_analytics
What it does
Shows webinar analytics.
Kind
Reads
get_webinar_registration_timeseries
What it does
Shows webinar registration timeseries.
Kind
Reads
get_webinar_traffic_breakdown
What it does
Shows a webinar traffic breakdown.
Kind
Reads
get_webinar_audience
What it does
Shows a webinar audience.
Kind
Reads
get_webinar_histograms
What it does
Shows webinar histograms.
Kind
Reads

Your account and helpers

get_account
What it does
Reads your account.
Kind
Reads
get_account_usage
What it does
Reads account usage.
Kind
Reads
get_credit_balance
What it does
Reads a credit balance.
Kind
Reads
get_brand_preload
What it does
Reads the brand details Wistia found for your account's domain.
Kind
Reads
update_brand_preload
What it does
Updates a brand preload.
Kind
Asks first
get_brand_kit_colors
What it does
Reads brand kit colors.
Kind
Reads
invite_contacts
What it does
Invites people to your account by email.
Kind
Asks first
dismiss_desktop_install_prompt
What it does
Hides the desktop app's install prompt.
Kind
Asks first
start_account_trial
What it does
Starts a business-tier trial on your account.
Kind
Asks first
get_current_token
What it does
Reads the token you're using, to check its permissions.
Kind
Reads
search
What it does
Searches your whole Wistia account.
Kind
Reads
resolve_resource_urls
What it does
Finds what Wistia links point to.
Kind
Reads
create_expiring_access_token
What it does
Makes a token that expires, saved to a new private file.
Kind
Asks first
get_job_status
What it does
Reads a background job's status.
Kind
Reads
list_accounts
What it does
Lists the accounts you've set up, without their tokens.
Kind
Reads

Is the Wistia MCP server safe?

Videos, captions and sharing settings are public-facing, and some orders cost money. So 83 tools ask first: every upload, edit, delete, move and purchase, and every change to sharing, channels, webinars and your account. They're the ones marked "Asks first" in the tool tables above.

Reading videos, captions and analytics never asks, and neither does finding caption wording, because none of them change anything.

When your AI calls one of them, the call needs a yes first. Where you use it decides who gives it:

  • Claude Code (2.1.246 and later) asks you before every call, in every one of its permission modes.
  • An app that can show forms asks you in a form.
  • Any other app takes your AI's confirm: true as the yes, so tell your AI to check with you first.
  • An agent with no person to ask needs WISTIA_CONFIRM=model, so its confirm: true counts in every app.
  • In a terminal, you add --confirm to the command.

If the answer is no, nothing reaches Wistia.

Make it read-only

Set WISTIA_READ_ONLY=1 and every tool that asks first disappears from the tool list, leaving 86 reading tools.

Keep a log of every write

Set WISTIA_AUDIT_LOG to a file path. The server writes one line per attempted write, allowed or blocked, with what it was about to do and who approved it.

Watch out: Video titles, captions and viewer details can come from other people, and one can try to give your AI orders. Treat them as data, and use WISTIA_READ_ONLY=1 for an agent working on its own.

Your data

Your requests go straight to Wistia, with no server of ours in between and no tracking. Your token stays in your app's config, your shell or your token file.

Viewer stats can name individual people, so treat them as private. An upload sends only the file you pick, and a link import has Wistia fetch the link itself.

To cut access, delete the token in the API tab of Account Settings, and remove the server from your app's config.

Connect more than one Wistia account

Set WISTIA_ACCOUNTS to a JSON list with a name and a token, or a token file, for each account, and WISTIA_DEFAULT_ACCOUNT to the one that acts when a tool names none. Every tool takes an optional account.

An account never borrows another one's token. Several names for the same token still share that account's 600 requests a minute.

Wistia MCP server settings

Every setting is an environment variable, in your app's config or your shell.

WISTIA_API_TOKEN
Default
none
What it does
Holds your API token
WISTIA_TOKEN_FILE
Default
none
What it does
Points at a private file holding the token, instead
WISTIA_ACCOUNTS
Default
none
What it does
Lists several accounts, as JSON
WISTIA_DEFAULT_ACCOUNT
Default
the first one
What it does
Picks the account that acts when a tool names none
WISTIA_API_VERSION
Default
2026-09
What it does
Sets the dated Wistia API version each request uses
WISTIA_AUTH_SCHEME
Default
Bearer
What it does
Stays Bearer, the only scheme Wistia accepts
WISTIA_REQUEST_TIMEOUT_MS
Default
30000
What it does
Gives up on a Wistia request after this many milliseconds
WISTIA_MAX_RETRIES
Default
2
What it does
Retries a rate-limited read this many times, and never a write
WISTIA_MIN_REQUEST_INTERVAL_MS
Default
150
What it does
Waits this many milliseconds between requests
WISTIA_READ_ONLY
Default
off
What it does
1 hides every tool that changes something
WISTIA_ALLOW_DESTRUCTIVE
Default
on
What it does
0 refuses the tools that ask first
WISTIA_AUDIT_LOG
Default
none
What it does
Names a file that gets one line per attempted write
WISTIA_SURFACE
Default
full
What it does
search lists three tools that find, describe and run the rest
WISTIA_TOOL_TIMEOUT_MS
Default
none
What it does
Gives up on any tool after this many milliseconds
WISTIA_CONFIRM
Default
human
What it does
model lets your AI's confirm: true approve on its own, for an agent with no person to ask
WISTIA_HTTP_PORT
Default
8787
What it does
Sets the port for --http
WISTIA_HTTP_HOST
Default
127.0.0.1
What it does
Sets the address for --http, and any other needs a token
WISTIA_HTTP_TOKEN
Default
none
What it does
Sets the bearer token every --http request needs
WISTIA_HTTP_ALLOWED_ORIGINS
Default
none
What it does
Lists other websites allowed to call --http, comma separated
WISTIA_DEBUG
Default
off
What it does
1 prints debug lines

Troubleshooting

Run the doctor first. It names the step that failed and the fix.

What you seeWhat to do
A 401 or 403 errorThe token lacks that permission, or your plan doesn't include the feature. Check the token in the API tab
A 404 errorCheck the ID. Wistia uses hashed IDs for videos and folders, and plain numbers elsewhere
A caption edit gets a 409 errorThe captions changed since your AI read them. Read them again and redo the edit
A new caption track is refusedSend the SRT text as the caption file, with a three-letter language code like eng
A 429 errorYour account is over 600 requests a minute. Wait as Wistia says, and read fewer pages
An upload is refusedPick a regular file of 250 MB or less, or upload it from a public link instead
"…so it will not run without confirm: true"That's the safety check working. Approve it when your app asks

If the server doesn't show up in your app at all, run the command your app runs, in a terminal, and read the error.

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FAQs about the Wistia MCP server & CLI

Here are the questions people ask most about the Wistia MCP server and CLI.

The Wistia MCP server & CLI is a free, open source program that lets an AI app like Claude, Codex or Cursor manage your Wistia videos.

It has 169 tools for videos, folders, captions, player settings, channels, webinars and analytics, and the same tools run as a CLI that agents like Claude Code and Codex use, or that you type yourself.

An MCP server is a standard way to give an AI app real access to a tool, so it can act instead of guessing.

MCP stands for Model Context Protocol, and Claude, Codex, Cursor and many other AI apps speak it.

Every server I've made is on my MCP servers page.

The Wistia CLI is the same program as the Wistia MCP server, run as commands.

AI agents like Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode run them for you, and you can type them in a terminal or a script.

One npm package installs both.

Use the Wistia MCP server in an AI app with no terminal, like Claude Desktop's chat, and the CLI in a terminal, a script or a cron job.

In an AI app that can run commands, like Claude Code, Codex or Cursor, the CLI is the lighter choice, because it costs nothing until it runs.

Yes, the Wistia MCP server is free and open source under the AGPL-3.0-or-later license.

Wistia's API comes with your account, though some orders, like captions, translations and dubs, cost money.

Only the Account Owner can, in the API tab of Account Settings.

Anyone else needs the owner to make a token for them.

Yes, it finds the exact wording and changes only that, up to 20 bits at once, after you approve.

If the captions changed since your AI read them, the edit is refused instead of overwriting them.

Yes, you can for a while.

A deleted video goes to Recently Deleted first, and restore_deleted_media can bring it back.

Yes, the Wistia MCP server connects as many accounts as you set up in WISTIA_ACCOUNTS, each with its own token.

Every tool takes an optional account, and an account never borrows another one's token.

To disconnect the Wistia MCP server, delete its token in the API tab of Account Settings, which cuts access right away.

Then remove the server from your AI app's config.

The Wistia MCP server works with any app that speaks MCP.

That includes Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, Zed, Cline, GitHub Copilot CLI, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, OpenClaw, Antigravity and Hermes.

I did.

I'm Navid Moazzez, and I made the Wistia MCP server & CLI as one of my free tools on navid.me.

You can read more about me.

The code is on GitHub under the AGPL-3.0-or-later license, and the package is on npm.

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