Sonicmatch

Video-native MCP server for license-safe BGM. Watches the footage — not the script — and returns a shortlist, a 12–20s hook, and an ffmpeg ducking spec.

Package / CLI: sonicmatch-mcp. A Model Context Protocol server for Claude Desktop, Cursor, Codex, and other MCP clients. Drop an Instagram Reel, YouTube Short, or TikTok-style clip. Get royalty-free / Creative Commons matches with the license printed on every row.

Video-to-BGM already exists. The wedge is not “I also match music”:

it watches the footage, not the script
it returns a hook window + ffmpeg ducking spec
it is agent-native
it prints the license instead of lying

Catalog quality will kill or save this. More tools will not.

Video or URL in
  → scene / mood / pace / speech analysis
  → license-safe BGM shortlist
  + beat/cut hints
  + optional mix preview

Do not treat this as “script in → YouTube Music search out.” That already exists (mcp-bgm-recommender). Sonicmatch watches the video.

You own	You do not own
Local file / public URL ingest	Platform music licenses
Mood, energy curve, speech vs silence, scene cuts	Meta/TikTok “trending audio” graph
CC / royalty-free catalogs + optional paid adapters	Spotify / IG official libraries
Ranked tracks, preview URLs, mix spec, ffmpeg	Auto-publish to Instagram

North star: ingest_video → analyze_video_music → recommend_bgm → preview_mix → export_mix_spec

License warning (read this)

The code is MIT.
Every track has its own license. It is printed on every recommendation.
Nothing here is an official Instagram sticker, TikTok Commercial Music Library track, or YouTube Audio Library API result.
Do not recommend commercial pop unless the adapter is explicitly a user-owned licensed library.
CC-BY still needs attribution. CC-BY-NC is not ok for ads / shops. Non-commercial tracks are never auto-recommended.
For ads / shops, wire a user-owned Artlist / Epidemic JSON (examples/user_library.example.json). Do not scrape those sites.
Content ID can still hit you if you point at the wrong source. A CC label is not a waiver.

Demo

I dropped ./clip.mp4. Analyze it for an Instagram Reel and recommend 5 instrumental BGMs. Then mix the top pick with ducking and give me the ffmpeg command.

That prompt is the product. Install below, wire Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Codex, and paste it.

Quick start

Requires Python 3.10+ and ffmpeg / ffprobe on PATH. yt-dlp is optional and off by default (SONICMATCH_ALLOW_YTDLP=0) because platform extractors break and may violate ToS. Prefer a local file.

The PyPI project is sonicmatch-mcp. The console script is sonicmatch-mcp, which is what uvx and pipx run. python -m sonicmatch is the same server. The PyPI badge stays empty until the first tag is published. Install from git until then. Maintainer steps: PUBLISH.md.

Works today (git)

uvx --from git+https://github.com/js713-lab/sonic-match-mcp.git sonicmatch-mcp

pip install git+https://github.com/js713-lab/sonic-match-mcp.git
sonicmatch-mcp --version   # or: python -m sonicmatch --version

After the first PyPI release

uvx sonicmatch-mcp
# or
pipx install sonicmatch-mcp
sonicmatch-mcp --version

From a clone (editable + tests)

git clone https://github.com/js713-lab/sonic-match-mcp.git
cd sonic-match-mcp
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -e ".[dev]"
cp .env.example .env   # optional keys

# stdio (Claude Desktop / Cursor / Codex)
sonicmatch-mcp

# streamable HTTP (web editors). No authentication. Keep it on loopback.
sonicmatch-mcp --http --port 8765

# same clone, uv
uv venv && uv pip install -e ".[dev]"
uv run sonicmatch-mcp

pytest          # generates tiny color mp4s with ffmpeg
ruff check src tests

The seed catalog is about 20 Reel-editor rows (cafe, product, talking-head, travel, food, fashion, event) plus a vocal fixture and a CC-BY-NC fixture. It runs without API keys. Gemini, Jamendo, and Freesound are optional and degrade with a note in the tool response. Seed rows have no hosted audio on purpose — preview_mix synthesizes a demo bed. For real ads, point SONICMATCH_LIBRARY_PATH / EPIDEMIC_LIBRARY_PATH / ARTLIST_LIBRARY_PATH at JSON you already licensed.

Variable	Required	What it does
`GEMINI_API_KEY`	no	Gemini video understanding for `analyze_video_music`
`JAMENDO_CLIENT_ID`	no	Jamendo search
`FREESOUND_API_KEY`	no	Freesound beds and loops
`SONICMATCH_LIBRARY_PATH`	no	User-owned library JSON. Also `EPIDEMIC_LIBRARY_PATH`, `ARTLIST_LIBRARY_PATH`
`SONICMATCH_ALLOW_YTDLP`	no	`1` turns on platform URL ingest. Default `0`
`SONICMATCH_MAX_DOWNLOAD_MB`	no	Download cap. Default 200
`SONICMATCH_HTTP_HOST` / `SONICMATCH_HTTP_PORT`	no	`--http` bind. Default `127.0.0.1:8765`

Features

Watches the picture. Gemini video understanding when GEMINI_API_KEY is set; otherwise local ffmpeg / audio heuristics (optional Whisper, PySceneDetect, librosa).
License on every row. CC / royalty-free / user-owned library. Non-commercial tracks are never auto-recommended. Generated beds stay out of auto recs.
Editor-shaped output. 12–20s hook in/out, speech ducking, ffmpeg recipe, mix spec for CapCut / Premiere / DaVinci / your agent.
Agent-native MCP. stdio for Claude Desktop and Cursor; streamable HTTP for web editors. Never ships raw multi-MB video through the payload — you get an asset_id.
Works without API keys. 20-track seed catalog for Reels. Optional Jamendo, Freesound, and user-owned Artlist / Epidemic JSON.
Cuts on the beat. suggest_cuts snaps scene cuts to a BPM grid and returns EDL-ish intro / peak / outro.
Brand lock. Save BPM / mood / no-vocals kits and pass brand_kit=… into recommend_bgm.
Series, not one-offs. analyze_batch (max 20) clusters mood and returns one shared mini-playlist.
Honest about closed graphs. No fake “trending audio,” official IG stickers, or Content-ID-safe stamps. yt-dlp platform ingest is opt-in.

Tools

Tool	What it does
`status`	ffmpeg / keys / seed count / day-1 risk gates
`ingest_video`	Local path or HTTPS URL → `asset_id` (never video bytes). Platform URLs need `SONICMATCH_ALLOW_YTDLP=1`
`analyze_video_music`	Mood, energy curve, speech, scenes, hook window, BPM, search queries
`recommend_bgm`	3–7 ranked tracks + why + license + hook in/out
`search_music`	Free-text / BPM / mood over seed + optional catalogs
`get_track`	One track’s metadata, license, attribution, URLs
`preview_mix`	Hook trim, loop, optional ducking → preview files + ffmpeg + mix spec
`export_mix_spec`	Mix spec + ffmpeg + attribution (no render unless `render=true`)
`suggest_cuts`	Beat grid, snapped scene cuts, EDL, intro / peak / outro
`generate_bed`	Demo bed marked `source=generated`. Requires `i_understand_not_commercially_cleared=true`
`save_brand_kit`	Persist BPM / moods / no-vocals for `recommend_bgm(brand_kit=…)`
`analyze_batch`	Up to 20 clips → mood cluster + shared mini-playlist

Also ships a prompt template: “Score this video like an IG music sticker.”

Product rules (Instagram-like, not Instagram)

Prefer instrumental when speech_coverage > 0.25
Recommend a hook window, not the whole song
Show why (cuts at 0.8s average, 112 BPM, warm gold hour)
Always return license + attribution text
3–7 tracks, not 40
User can override mood / genre / no-lyrics / platform / energy
Never claim “cleared for Instagram official sticker” unless it actually is

Example

Prompt:

I dropped ./clip.mp4. Analyze it for an Instagram Reel and recommend 5 instrumental BGMs. Then mix the top pick with ducking and give me the ffmpeg command.

The agent should call, in order:

ingest_video with the local path. The result is an asset_id, not video bytes.
analyze_video_music with platform_hint set to instagram_reel.
recommend_bgm with that asset_id and max_results of 5.
preview_mix on the top track with ducking, then export_mix_spec.

A recommendation row carries score, reason, suggested_in_out (the hook), ducking, license_ok_for_platform, and content_id_risk (unknown or likely, never cleared). Seed fixtures include seed_golden_hour_latte (CC0-1.0) and seed_indie_porch_110 (CC-BY-4.0). They have no hosted audio. preview_mix synthesizes a demo bed. CC-BY-NC rows are searchable and are not auto-recommended.

Claude Desktop

claude_desktop_config.json. From git, no clone:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sonicmatch": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "--from",
        "git+https://github.com/js713-lab/sonic-match-mcp.git",
        "sonicmatch-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GEMINI_API_KEY": "",
        "JAMENDO_CLIENT_ID": "",
        "FREESOUND_API_KEY": ""
      }
    }
  }
}

After a clone, command can be the absolute path of .venv/bin/sonicmatch-mcp. After the PyPI release, args is just ["sonicmatch-mcp"]. Copy-paste files: examples/claude_desktop.mcp.json, examples/claude_desktop.pypi.mcp.json.

Cursor

.cursor/mcp.json (project) or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. From git, no clone — examples/cursor.mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sonicmatch": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "--from",
        "git+https://github.com/js713-lab/sonic-match-mcp.git",
        "sonicmatch-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GEMINI_API_KEY": "",
        "JAMENDO_CLIENT_ID": "",
        "FREESOUND_API_KEY": ""
      }
    }
  }
}

After PyPI, use examples/cursor.pypi.mcp.json (uvx with args ["sonicmatch-mcp"]). From a clone: "command": "uv", "args": ["--directory", "/absolute/path/to/sonic-match-mcp", "run", "sonicmatch-mcp"]. After pip install, "command": "python3", "args": ["-m", "sonicmatch"] works if that interpreter has the package.

Codex

Codex reads ~/.codex/config.toml. The same file is shared with the Codex IDE extension and the ChatGPT desktop app. Works today — examples/codex.config.toml:

[mcp_servers.sonicmatch]
command = "uvx"
args = ["--from", "git+https://github.com/js713-lab/sonic-match-mcp.git", "sonicmatch-mcp"]

[mcp_servers.sonicmatch.env]
GEMINI_API_KEY = ""
JAMENDO_CLIENT_ID = ""
FREESOUND_API_KEY = ""

Or from the CLI:

codex mcp add sonicmatch -- uvx --from git+https://github.com/js713-lab/sonic-match-mcp.git sonicmatch-mcp

After the PyPI release, the args shrink to sonicmatch-mcp. That file is examples/codex.pypi.config.toml:

codex mcp add sonicmatch -- uvx sonicmatch-mcp

codex mcp list should show sonicmatch. A trusted project can use .codex/config.toml instead of the home file.

User-owned Epidemic/Artlist JSON shape: examples/user_library.example.json. Registry metadata: server.json. HTTP editors can point at http://127.0.0.1:8765/mcp after sonicmatch-mcp --http.

Hosted (sonic.codecrafter.dev)

The GitHub repo stays MIT. Running it yourself is not metered.

The public endpoint charges credits per tool call. A trial key is 25 credits. Pack prices: Reel 500 credits / $9, Studio 3000 credits / $39. Card checkout is not connected on the host yet.

The landing page is https://sonic.codecrafter.dev. Use Use the sample clip there, or download examples/sample-clip.mp4 and upload it, to try a match without your own footage.

Open https://sonic.codecrafter.dev and take a trial key (or use a paid key).
export SONICMATCH_API_KEY=sm_…
Add to Cursor: the button on that page, or paste examples/cursor.hosted.mcp.json into ~/.cursor/mcp.json.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sonicmatch": {
      "url": "https://sonic.codecrafter.dev/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${env:SONICMATCH_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

--http has no authentication. Keep it on loopback. The Docker image binds 0.0.0.0 so the container port works — do not publish that port to the internet. See SECURITY.md.

Architecture

flowchart TB
  subgraph mcp [MCP Server - FastMCP / Python - stdio + HTTP]
    tools[ingest_video / analyze_video_music / recommend_bgm / preview_mix / export_mix_spec / suggest_cuts]
  end
  tools --> ingest
  tools --> brain
  tools --> hub
  tools --> mixer
  ingest[Ingestor<br/>yt-dlp · ffmpeg · ffprobe · URL/file]
  brain[Video Brain<br/>Gemini / local VL · librosa · PySceneDetect · Whisper]
  hub[Music Hub<br/>seed CC · Jamendo · Freesound · user library · generate]
  mixer[Mixer<br/>ffmpeg · ducking · loop/trim · EDL cuts]
  hub --> index[Track index<br/>tags + license + embeddings · SQLite · optional LanceDB]

Hard rule: never send raw multi-MB video through the MCP payload. Store locally, pass an asset_id. Loopback, file://, and private IPs are rejected (SSRF).

VideoSonic profile

Analysis returns structured JSON, not a paragraph:

{
  "duration_sec": 18.4,
  "aspect": "9:16",
  "content_type": "lifestyle",
  "has_speech": true,
  "speech_coverage": 0.62,
  "existing_music": false,
  "overall_mood": ["warm", "playful"],
  "energy_mean": 0.62,
  "energy_curve": [{"t": 0, "energy": 0.3}, {"t": 4, "energy": 0.8}],
  "pacing": "fast-cut",
  "scenes": [{"start": 0, "end": 3.2, "description": "cafe exterior", "energy": 0.4}],
  "hook_window": [9.0, 15.0],
  "suggested_bpm": [95, 118],
  "avoid": ["dark cinematic drone", "aggressive trap", "lyrics-dense"],
  "search_queries": ["warm acoustic pop instrumental cafe"],
  "platform_hint": "instagram_reel",
  "analyzer": "local"
}

Primary: Gemini video understanding when GEMINI_API_KEY is set.
Fallback: ffmpeg scene cuts + WAV energy / silence / ZCR heuristics. Optional faster-whisper, scenedetect, librosa if installed (pip install 'sonicmatch-mcp[local-vl]').

Music hub

Pluggable, license-first. v0 ships:

Adapter	When	License reality
Seed catalog (`data/seed_tracks.json`)	always	20 CC0 / CC-BY Reel beds + a vocal fixture + a CC-BY-NC fixture (NC is never auto-recommended)
Jamendo	`JAMENDO_CLIENT_ID`	CC, check commercial
Freesound	`FREESOUND_API_KEY`	CC, good for beds/loops not songs
User library JSON	`SONICMATCH_LIBRARY_PATH` / `EPIDEMIC_LIBRARY_PATH` / `ARTLIST_LIBRARY_PATH`	you already licensed it; we do not scrape paid sites
Generate	`generate_bed`	always `source=generated`; local sine demo unless you swap a real model

Ranking (weighted): mood/energy → instrumental if speech → duration/loop → BPM vs cut rate → license fit → tag embedding cosine → user constraints. recommend_bgm drops non-commercial and generated tracks instead of downranking them.

Tracks are indexed in SQLite (~/.cache/sonicmatch-mcp/db/tracks.sqlite) with a 24-d tag embedding. If lancedb is installed (pip install 'sonicmatch-mcp[embeddings]'), vectors are also upserted there.

Seed tracks have no remote audio files on purpose (you should host files you actually have the rights to). preview_mix synthesizes a CC0 demo bed so the mixer still runs offline. generate_bed is a catalog-miss fallback and is not cleared for ads.

Docker

docker build -t sonicmatch-mcp .
# Loopback-only publish. The process inside the container has no HTTP auth.
docker run --rm -p 127.0.0.1:8765:8765 -v sonic-cache:/data/cache sonicmatch-mcp

Roadmap

Catalog > new tools.

Why this can be a good open-source project

Yes if you nail: (1) video-native analysis, (2) license honesty on every row, (3) editor-shaped output (hook in/out, ducking, mix spec), (4) a catalog someone would keep.

No if you only wrap YouTube Music search, or if the first five recs sound like leftover stock beds.

Day-1 risk gates (enforced in code, not slogans):

Risk	Gate
Content ID	Every rec/search/get_track includes `content_id_warning`. CC/RF is never "Content-ID-safe". `content_id_risk` is `unknown` or `likely`, never `cleared`.
yt-dlp ToS / broken extractors	Platform URL ingest is off unless `SONICMATCH_ALLOW_YTDLP=1`. Failures map to `YTDLP_EXTRACTOR` and tell you to pass a local file.
Upload size / SSRF	HTTPS-only remote ingest, no `file://` / loopback / private IPs, `SONICMATCH_MAX_DOWNLOAD_MB` (default 200) on files, HTTP, and yt-dlp `--max-filesize`.
“Trending” is a closed Meta graph	Queries for trending/viral/IG audio/TikTok sound return empty + `TRENDING_UNAVAILABLE`. `recommend_bgm` always sets `trending_available=false`.
Generation-model commercial terms	`generate_bed` refuses unless `i_understand_not_commercially_cleared=true`. Generated tracks are excluded from auto `recommend_bgm`.

Use cases

IG Reel / Story · Shopee product clip · YouTube Shorts agent · CapCut/Premiere companion · campus recap · podcast clipper · travel-vlog batch · brand-kit lock (BPM + no vocals) · silent-film / accessibility · multi-agent studio.

Contributing

CONTRIBUTING.md · CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md · SECURITY.md · CHANGELOG.md · starter issues

License

MIT. Track licenses are independent of the repo license.

From CodeCrafter.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
.github		.github
data		data
docs		docs
examples		examples
src/sonicmatch		src/sonicmatch
tests		tests
.env.example		.env.example
.gitignore		.gitignore
.mcp.json		.mcp.json
.mcpbignore		.mcpbignore
CHANGELOG.md		CHANGELOG.md
CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md		CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
CONTRIBUTING.md		CONTRIBUTING.md
Dockerfile		Dockerfile
LICENSE		LICENSE
PUBLISH.md		PUBLISH.md
README.md		README.md
SECURITY.md		SECURITY.md
manifest.json		manifest.json
pyproject.toml		pyproject.toml
server.json		server.json

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Sonicmatch

License warning (read this)

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From a clone (editable + tests)

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Product rules (Instagram-like, not Instagram)

Example

Claude Desktop

Cursor

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Sonicmatch

License warning (read this)

Demo

Quick start

Works today (git)

After the first PyPI release

From a clone (editable + tests)

Features

Tools

Product rules (Instagram-like, not Instagram)

Example

Claude Desktop

Cursor

Codex

Hosted (sonic.codecrafter.dev)

Architecture

VideoSonic profile

Music hub

Docker

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Why this can be a good open-source project

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