ClayStage now speaks MCP (the Model Context Protocol), the open standard that lets an AI assistant like Claude connect to an outside service and use it directly. In plain terms: you can point your Claude at ClayStage and have it work with your studio by chat. This is rolling out as a preview, with the read tools live today and scene building on the way.
What MCP is, and why it matters here
Most AI tools live in their own window. MCP is the bridge that lets them reach into the apps you already use. By exposing a small MCP "server," ClayStage becomes something your Claude can talk to: it can look up what ClayStage offers, check your account, and bring back your renders, without you copying and pasting between tabs.
Safe by design
This is the part we cared about most. A connected Claude can do only the specific things we hand it, and nothing else:
- A fixed list of tools. The connection exposes a short, named allowlist. There is no general "run code," no database access, no way to reach the app's source.
- It runs as you. Every account action uses your own ClayStage sign-in, so the exact same per-user rules apply as in the app. It can never see another customer's work or your back end.
- Read-only, for now. The preview tools only look things up. Anything that would spend credits keeps the same plan limits and paywall as the website.
What is live in the preview
Once connected, your Claude can:
- Browse the video models available in Motion Presets, with their resolutions, clip lengths, and which ones generate audio.
- List the plans and their monthly credits and pricing.
- Check your account: your plan tier and your current shared credit balance.
- Pull up your renders: list your most recent finished images and videos, and check the status of any one of them, each with a fresh, private download link.
How to connect
The connection lives at https://claystage.studio/api/mcp. Add it as a custom MCP server in a client that supports them (for example, Claude Desktop), authenticated with your ClayStage account. The full step-by-step lives in the in-app guide. One-click sign-in (so you never touch a token by hand) is the next piece we are building.
What comes next
The preview is the foundation. On top of it we are building the part that makes ClayStage special: staging and rendering by chat. Start a scene, drop in a cyc wall and a model, set a material and the light, frame the camera, then render it photoreal or turn it into video, all driven from your conversation and metered against your plan exactly like the studio. Same stage, new way in.
We build in public and ship often. MCP is a big step toward ClayStage being wherever your work already happens. Connect it, kick the tires on the read tools, and watch this space as the building tools land.