ScaleReach’s MCP server lets Claude, Cursor, Kiro or any MCP client submit a YouTube link, wait for the AI-detected moments, download the scored clips and schedule them to Instagram, TikTok or YouTube from one conversation. The hosted server exposes 14 tools and the npm package exposes 15. I read the source of both, the backend they call and the competing MCP servers’ own pages on 8 October 2026, and this is what I found, including the parts that are weaker than they should be.
Disclosure: I run ScaleReach, which publishes this post and competes with Opus Clip, Reap and Submagic, all of which ship their own MCP servers. I did not pay for or get paid by any of them, and there is no affiliate relationship. Every competitor fact below comes from a page that vendor controls, linked and dated.
The 60-second verdict
Use it if you already live in Claude or Cursor and want the loop of submit, check status, pick a clip, schedule it, without opening a dashboard.
Skip it if you want the agent to edit clips. ScaleReach’s server has no trim, caption-fix or export tools. Opus Clip’s MCP does, and it signs you in with OAuth instead of a key.
Be careful with the API key. It sits in the connector URL, it has no read-only mode, and every key can delete videos and publish posts.
Bottom line: a small, working clip-and-schedule pipeline behind a chat window. It is not yet a full video agent.
What is the ScaleReach MCP server?
The ScaleReach MCP server is a Model Context Protocol server that wraps the ScaleReach API, so an AI app can call clipping and scheduling as tools instead of you clicking through the dashboard. MCP is the open standard that lets an AI app discover and call external tools through one interface.
Two versions exist and they are not identical:
- Hosted server at
mcp.scalereach.ai. Nothing to install. 14 tools. - npm package
scalereach-mcp, version 1.3.3, MIT licence, published 21 April 2026. Runs locally. 15 tools.
The /mcp page says all three setup options give you “the same 15 tools”. That is not accurate for the hosted URL, which has no configure_video tool. More on the other gaps below.
How do I connect ScaleReach to Claude?
You need an API key first, then one of three routes. Full steps live in the ScaleReach MCP docs.
How do I get an API key?
- Open your workspace, then Settings, API Keys.
- Create a key with a name that says where it will live, such as
claude-laptop. - Pick an expiry. The form offers Never, 30, 60, 90 days or 1 year, and defaults to Never.
- Copy the key now. It starts with
sr_live_and is shown once.
Only a workspace owner or admin can create, revoke or delete keys, and a workspace can hold at most 25. A key belongs to one workspace, and the API checks it against the workspace on workspace-scoped routes.
Route 1: Claude.ai in the browser
Add a custom connector pointing at https://mcp.scalereach.ai/mcp/sr_live_YOUR_KEY. Per Anthropic’s connector guide, custom connectors are available on Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans. On Pro and Max you go to Customize, Connectors, Add, Add custom connector, enter a name and the URL, and choose No sign in under Authentication, because the key is already in the URL. On Team and Enterprise only an Owner can add the connector.
Two notes on accuracy. Our docs still say Settings, Connectors and “leave OAuth fields empty”, which is older wording than Anthropic’s current menu. And I did not click through this on a live Claude account for this post. The “No sign in” choice follows from the server: a request without a key returns a 401 that asks for one and offers no OAuth flow.
Route 2: Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf or Kiro
Run this once, with your key:
npx scalereach-mcp setup sr_live_YOUR_KEYThe setup script writes the server into the config file of each of those four apps it finds on your machine. Restart the app afterwards. npx scalereach-mcp uninstall removes it again.
Route 3: Manual JSON config
For any other client, add the local server to its MCP config:
{
"mcpServers": {
"scalereach": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "scalereach-mcp"],
"env": { "SCALEREACH_API_KEY": "sr_live_YOUR_KEY" }
}
}
}The hosted server also accepts the key as an Authorization: Bearer sr_live_... header, which keeps it out of the URL for clients that support custom headers. Step-by-step guides for 17 tools are listed on the /mcp page.
What can the ScaleReach MCP tools do?
Fifteen tools in the npm package, fourteen on the hosted server. The only one missing from the hosted server is configure_video.
| Group | Tool | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Clipping | validate_youtube_url | Returns title, duration and channel before you commit |
| Clipping | submit_youtube_video | Submits the link with caption style, custom prompt, genre, aspect ratio and clip length |
| Clipping | configure_video | Changes settings on a submitted video (npm package only) |
| Clipping | get_video_status | Reports the stage and progress percentage |
| Clipping | regenerate_video | Re-downloads, re-transcribes and re-detects from scratch |
| Clips | get_video_clips | Lists clips with titles, virality scores, timestamps, transcripts, hooks and emotions |
| Clips | get_clip_details | One clip in detail, including recommended platforms |
| Clips | get_clip_download | A temporary signed download link, only for clips that are ready |
| Library | list_my_videos | Videos in the workspace, filterable by status on the hosted server |
| Library | delete_video | Deletes a video and all its clips. Irreversible |
| Social | list_social_accounts | Connected accounts and the IDs scheduling needs |
| Social | schedule_post | Posts now or at a set time, with caption and hashtags |
| Social | list_scheduled_posts | Pending, posted, failed and cancelled posts |
| Social | update_scheduled_post | Edits caption, hashtags or time on a pending post |
| Social | cancel_scheduled_post | Cancels a post that has not gone out |
Source: scalereach-mcp/src/tools and scalereach-mcp-remote/src/mcp-app.ts, read 2026-10-08.
What does a clipping request actually do?
You say something like “Clip this video and focus on the business advice, hormozi captions: https://youtube.com/watch?v=…” and the agent chains tools. I am describing the calls from the source, not a recorded session.
validate_youtube_urlconfirms the video exists and shows you its length.submit_youtube_videosends the link. The tool description tells the model to ask you only three things: caption style, a custom prompt, and whether you want AI thumbnails (Pro and Agency plans only). Genre, aspect ratio (9:16), clip length (15 to 90 seconds) and language auto-detect all use defaults.- The backend deducts minutes from the workspace at submit time, one per started minute of the selected range. A 62-minute podcast costs 62 minutes whether or not you keep every clip, unless the job fails, in which case the minutes are refunded.
- The agent polls
get_video_statusuntil it reportscompleted. The server does not push updates, so the agent has to ask. Across our pipeline the median time from start to clips ready was 140 to 330 seconds depending on source length (measured 27 July 2026). get_video_clipsreturns the clips sorted however the agent chooses. Each carries a 0 to 100 virality score and a written reason. Treat the score as a sort key, as we explained in how accurate the Opus Clip virality score is, because ours bunches near the top in the same way.get_clip_downloadorschedule_postfinishes the job.
Our docs show a longer example in which Claude asks about genre, aspect ratio and clip length. That example predates the current tool description, which tells the model not to ask about those. Which questions you actually get depends on the model and the client.
What can’t it do yet?
- YouTube links only. The tools are named for YouTube and validate YouTube URLs. The dashboard also accepts Twitch and Kick, so for a stream VOD use the app, as in our Twitch to TikTok workflow.
- No editing. No trim, caption fix, filler-word removal or reframe after the fact. To change a clip’s settings you re-run it, which costs minutes again.
- No export to an editor. Downloads are the rendered MP4. If you need a Premiere or DaVinci project file, read which AI clip makers export to Premiere Pro and DaVinci.
- Videos under 3 minutes are rejected, and the maximum is 4 hours.
- The hosted server cannot set a timeframe, topic keywords or split-screen. The npm package can, and a timeframe reduces the minutes charged. If you clip long podcasts through the hosted URL, you pay for the whole video.
- No TikTok post has published yet. Of 6 TikTok posts scheduled, 0 published. YouTube published 105 of 116 and Instagram 45 of 55 (queried 2026-10-08). Our TikTok app has not passed TikTok’s audit, and unaudited apps can only post to private accounts. The tool will still accept a TikTok account, so check the status afterwards with
list_scheduled_posts. The reasons are in which clip tools auto-post to TikTok, Reels and Shorts. - No dubbing or translation tools, although the app has them.
Is it safe to put an API key in the connector URL?
It is a trade-off, and you should know its shape before you paste a key into a chat app.
- The URL is the credential. Anyone who sees the connector URL can act as the person who created the key, inside that one workspace.
- There are no scopes. The database has a
scopescolumn that defaults to everything, but the create-key request does not accept scopes and nothing checks them. A key that only needs to list videos can still calldelete_videoandschedule_postwithpostType: "immediate". - Keys rarely expire. The form defaults to Never. Of the 14 keys in our production database, none has an expiry set (queried 2026-10-08).
- Rate limit: the clip routes allow 200 requests per minute per key.
- Team plans share the key. Anthropic’s own guidance says a connector that uses a shared credential such as an API key gives everyone who uses it that credential’s access.
What to do about it: create one key per app, name it for the machine, set 30 or 90 days, revoke it from the same Settings page when you stop using it, and prefer the Bearer header where your client supports it. The honest fix on our side is OAuth, which is also what blocks us from the Claude connectors directory.
How does it compare with Opus Clip, Reap and Submagic?
All four now ship an MCP server. The differences that matter are sign-in, breadth and what the agent can touch after the clip exists.
| ScaleReach | Opus Clip | Reap | Submagic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign-in | API key in URL or Bearer header | OAuth, no key for MCP | API key | API key as a Bearer header |
| Tools | 14 hosted, 15 npm | 27 per its FAQ (its page metadata says 25) | 10 listed (a stat on the page says 8) | Not checked |
| Editing after clipping | No | Yes: trims, caption fixes, retiming | Captions, dubbing, translation, reframe | Not checked |
| Export | MP4 download | HD, 4K or Premiere XML | MP4, WebM, 720p to 4K | Not checked |
| Scheduling | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not checked |
| Free access | Depends on your plan and minutes | Free trial, then metered per render minute | Free plan with 1 hour of processing | Not checked |
Sources: opus.pro/mcp, reap.video/mcp and docs.submagic.co/mcp-server, read 2026-10-08. Vendors disagree with themselves on tool counts, so treat those figures as claims.
Opus Clip is ahead on what an agent can do after the clips exist, and it removes the key handling entirely with OAuth. Reap covers dubbing and translation, which ours does not expose (more in our Reap review). Where ScaleReach is competitive is the price of the minutes the agent spends, which is why the per-source-minute comparison of Opus Clip alternatives is the page to read before choosing. Check the pricing page for current plans.
Does anyone actually use it?
Not many people yet, and I would rather say so. We have 14 API keys, created across 7 workspaces by 6 people since 3 April 2026. 10 have ever been used and 2 were used in the last 30 days (queried 2026-10-08). The database cannot tell MCP calls from direct REST calls, so those numbers include both. Two key names look like AI-client keys. The honest read is that this is a niche entry point today, which is also why it has rough edges like the tool-count mismatch above.
FAQ
What is the ScaleReach MCP server?
It is a Model Context Protocol server that lets AI apps such as Claude, Cursor and Kiro clip YouTube videos and schedule the clips to social accounts through ScaleReach. You give it a workspace API key, then ask in plain English. The hosted version at mcp.scalereach.ai has 14 tools and the npm package scalereach-mcp has 15.
Which AI apps work with the ScaleReach MCP server?
Claude.ai works as a custom connector, and one command configures Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf and Kiro automatically. Any other MCP client can use the manual JSON config or the hosted URL. The docs list guides for 17 tools including ChatGPT, VS Code, n8n and Zapier. I tested none of them live for this post, so follow the docs for your client.
Do I need an API key to use ScaleReach with Claude?
Yes. A workspace owner or admin creates it under Settings, API Keys. It starts with sr_live_, belongs to one workspace and is shown once. The key controller has no plan check, but our docs say you need an account with an active plan, and I did not test creating one on the Free plan.
Does clipping through MCP cost extra minutes?
It uses the same minutes as the dashboard. The submit call goes to the same upload endpoint, which deducts one minute per started minute of the selected range from the workspace balance. There is no separate MCP fee in the code I read. The hosted server cannot select a timeframe, so it charges for the full video.
Can Claude post to TikTok through ScaleReach?
The schedule_post tool accepts a TikTok account, but none of the 6 TikTok posts scheduled so far has published, while YouTube published 105 of 116 and Instagram 45 of 55 (queried 2026-10-08). Schedule TikTok through the tool only if you will check the result with list_scheduled_posts.
How is the ScaleReach MCP server different from Opus Clip’s?
Opus Clip signs you in with OAuth and exposes about 25 to 27 tools, including editing and export to Premiere. ScaleReach uses an API key and exposes 14 or 15 tools focused on clipping and scheduling. If you want an agent that edits clips after detection, use Opus Clip’s. If you want a simpler clip-and-schedule loop, ScaleReach’s is enough.
The bottom line
The ScaleReach MCP server does one loop well: validate a YouTube link, clip it, read the scored moments, download or schedule them. The npm package is MIT-licensed, the hosted URL needs no install, and the minutes work exactly as they do in the dashboard.
It is also early. There is no OAuth, no read-only key, no editing, no Twitch support and a hosted server that lags the npm package by a tool and three submit options. If you try it, use a dedicated key with an expiry, clip a video you can afford to lose minutes on, and confirm any TikTok post by hand. If you find a number here that looks wrong, tell us at hevin@scalereach.ai.
Changelog
October 2026 update. First published. Tool lists read from source on 2026-10-08. Competitor MCP facts read from vendor pages on 2026-10-08. Post and key counts queried from the production database on 2026-10-08. Pipeline timings are from the measurement of 27 July 2026.
Last reviewed: October 2026
Next planned refresh: January 2027
Update hooks: whether the hosted server gains configure_video and timeframe options; whether ScaleReach adds OAuth or read-only keys; whether TikTok publishing completes; Opus Clip, Reap and Submagic tool counts.
About the author
Hevin K runs ScaleReach, an AI clip maker with an MCP server for Claude and other AI apps. Opus Clip, Reap and Submagic are competitors and there is no affiliate relationship. Competitor facts here come from pages those vendors control, linked and dated, and ScaleReach figures come from our own source code and database.
