footage.cool for AI agents

footage.cool runs a public MCP server. An AI assistant connected to it can search all 54,000+ clips, open clip details and watermarked previews, plan a timed edit, check a clip against an intended use, and buy a license for the clean 4K master. The user pays on Stripe's hosted checkout page, and the license comes straight from Phil Maher, who shot the footage and owns the copyright.

Connect

Endpoint: https://www.footage.cool/mcp
Transport: Streamable HTTP. Stateless, with plain JSON responses.
Authentication: None. No account, API key, or OAuth login. Buying a license uses private tokens that the tools issue during checkout.

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http footage-cool https://www.footage.cool/mcp

Claude on the web and in the desktop app

Add a custom connector in Claude's settings and paste the endpoint URL.

Claude Desktop config file (through mcp-remote)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "footage-cool": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://www.footage.cool/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Cursor (`.cursor/mcp.json`)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "footage-cool": {
      "url": "https://www.footage.cool/mcp"
    }
  }
}

VS Code (`.vscode/mcp.json`)

{
  "servers": {
    "footage-cool": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://www.footage.cool/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Any other client that supports remote MCP servers over Streamable HTTP works with the same URL. The endpoint speaks JSON-RPC over POST; opening it in a browser brings you back to this page.

Tools

The tools follow the same workflow as Stockfilm's MCP server for vintage home movies, including the same three licensing tools. footage.cool adds get_catalog_overview for its location and subject categories.

Tool	What it does	Cost
`search_footage`	Search by description, place, year, category, people, and clip length. Handles synonyms (drone finds aerial) and typos.	Free
`get_clip_details`	Full metadata, tags, location, release notice, thumbnail and preview links, and prices for one clip.	Free
`find_similar_footage`	Clips that share subjects, scene, location, and year, spread across different shoots.	Free
`build_rough_cut`	A timed edit plan from a description: clip order, cut lengths, preview links, and the license total.	Free
`check_clip_rights`	Whether a license covers an intended use, which tier fits, and whether people or private property appear.	Free
`license_clip`	Prices and terms for each license option. Never charges.	Free
`get_catalog_overview`	Clip counts by year, scene, subject, and location, plus the category values search accepts.	Free
`quote_4k_license`	Checks the clean master on storage, confirms it is 4K, and returns the exact price, terms, and a private quote token.	Free quote
`create_4k_checkout`	Opens Stripe hosted checkout once the user approves the quote.	License price, paid on Stripe
`get_4k_order`	Confirms payment with Stripe, then returns the license, receipt, certificate link, and download link.	No extra fee

Buying a license through an agent

The agent asks the user for the buyer's email and the license type, then calls quote_4k_license. The server opens the master file, confirms it is 4K, and returns the price, what the license covers, a link to the terms, and a quote token that is good for 30 minutes.
The agent shows the quote to the user. It calls create_4k_checkout with confirmed: true only after the user approves.
The user pays on Stripe's hosted page. Card details never pass through the chat or the agent. Calling checkout again for the same quote returns the same checkout, so a retry can't start a second purchase.
The agent calls get_4k_order with the private order token. It reports the purchase as complete only when purchase_completed is true, which happens after Stripe confirms the payment.
The response carries the license terms, the order number and Stripe receipt, a link to the license certificate PDF, and a private download link for the master. Downloads resume with HTTP Range requests, and the receipt email carries the same links.

What the server enforces along the way:

No checkout without confirmed: true.
Prices come from the site's price list at quote time. If a price changes, the quote stops working and the agent requests a new one.
Quote and order tokens are signed. A token with an altered price, or one used for the wrong step, fails.
A refunded or disputed payment gets no download link.
Order tokens last 30 days. The order lookup page reissues download links from the order number and checkout email at any time.

What the licenses cover

Royalty-Free Standard, $79 on most clips: all media, worldwide, perpetual, commercial and editorial use, up to 1,000,000 views or copies.
Extended (Broadcast), $199 on most clips: everything in Standard plus unlimited distribution, broadcast TV, theatrical, and streaming originals.
A small set of premium hero clips costs $149 Standard and $399 Extended. Every clip reports its own price.
Exclusive buyouts and data licenses for AI training are quoted by email. Standard and Extended licenses don't cover AI training.
Editorial use is cleared as shot. For commercial use of a recognizable person or private property, the licensee secures any release needed. check_clip_rights flags clips where people or property appear.

The license terms page has the full details.

An example request

A user asks: "Find a drone shot of humpback whales in Baja for my YouTube documentary and license it."

The assistant searches for humpback whale drone footage and shows a few matches with preview links. The user picks one. The assistant checks that clip for web use, quotes the Royalty-Free Standard license at $79, and asks for approval. After the user approves, it opens Stripe checkout. Once the user pays, get_4k_order returns the license and the download link.

Machine-readable files

/.well-known/mcp.json: MCP server discovery.
/.well-known/footage-cool-agent.json: agent manifest with endpoints, tools, the licensing model, and live catalog counts.
/llms.txt and /llms-full.txt: plain-text guides to the library and the license terms.
/sitemap.xml: every clip page, with video metadata.

Limits

Search returns up to 50 clips per page. Similar footage returns up to 24.
Rough cuts plan 20 to 600 seconds with up to 60 clips. They are edit plans built on previews, not rendered video.
Each IP address gets 240 requests per minute across the endpoint, 10 quotes and 10 checkouts per minute, and 60 order checks per minute. Check an order no more than once every 10 seconds.

Questions

Email licensing@footage.cool. It reaches Phil Maher, who shot the footage.

Last updated September 21, 2026.