Getting Started

Connect your agent to the Kino MCP server

Download the Kino desktop app

The MCP server is built into the Kino desktop app for macOS, Windows, and Linux. While the app is running, the server is available at:

http://127.0.0.1:45680/mcp

There are no API keys or tokens to manage. The server runs locally and uses the account already signed in to the desktop app.

The server runs only while the desktop app is open. A Kino tab in your browser does not start it.

One-click install from the desktop app

In the Kino editor, click Install MCP in the action row. From the desktop app you can install directly into:

• Claude Desktop — opens Claude Desktop with a bundled Kino extension. Review it and click Install. The extension is a small adapter that forwards to the local server above; it defines no tools of its own.
• ChatGPT (desktop app) — opens ChatGPT’s plugin install screen for the bundled Kino plugin, which points at the same local URL.

Both flows land in the host app’s own review screen — nothing is added to your config silently. The same dialog also has the Cursor install prompt and copyable commands for Claude Code and the Codex CLI.

When a Kino update ships a new version of the extension or plugin, the copy inside Claude Desktop or ChatGPT does not update itself. Run the one-click install again to get the new version.

Connect to Claude Code

The one-click flow above is for the Claude Desktop app. For the Claude Code CLI, run this in your terminal:

claude mcp add kino --transport http http://127.0.0.1:45680/mcp --scope user

Start a new Claude Code session and run /mcp. You should see kino listed as connected.

Connect to Codex

The one-click flow above is for the ChatGPT desktop app. For the Codex CLI, add Kino to ~/.codex/config.toml:

[mcp_servers.kino]
url = "http://127.0.0.1:45680/mcp"

In the ChatGPT desktop app, you can instead go to Settings → MCP Servers, choose Streamable HTTP, and paste the URL.

Connect to Claude Desktop manually

If you are not using the one-click install, go to Settings → Developer → Edit Config and add Kino to your config file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kino": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["mcp-remote", "http://127.0.0.1:45680/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop after saving.

Connect to Cursor

Add Kino to .cursor/mcp.json in your project (or ~/.cursor/mcp.json for all projects):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kino": {
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:45680/mcp"
    }
  }
}

You can also add it from Cursor Settings → MCP → Add new MCP server with the same URL.

Verify the connection

Ask your agent:

List my recent Kino projects

The agent should call the listProjects tool and return projects from your library. If you want a deeper check, ask it to open one and take a screenshot of the timeline.

Troubleshooting

• Make sure the Kino desktop app is open. The server stops when the app quits, and Claude Desktop and ChatGPT will report that Kino is not running.
• Restart your agent session after adding the server — most hosts only discover tools at session start.
• If tools were working and stop responding, restart the agent session first, then the host app (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.). Very long sessions are the most common cause.
• In Claude Code, claude mcp list shows whether kino is registered and /mcp shows whether it’s connected.
• If the port is unreachable, check that nothing else is bound to 45680 and that the desktop app finished launching.
• After updating Kino, rerun the one-click install if Claude Desktop or ChatGPT are on an older copy of the extension or plugin.