Getting Started with Tella MCP in Claude Desktop

Getting Started with Tella MCP in Claude Desktop

If you're creating videos with Tella, you've probably spent hours managing your content library: organizing videos into playlists, updating metadata, searching for specific clips, and extracting transcripts. What if you could do all of this through simple conversation?

Enter the Tella MCP (Model Context Protocol) - an integration that connects your Tella workspace directly to Claude Desktop. In this guide, I'll show you what MCPs are, how to install Tella MCP, and the powerful workflows you can unlock.

Tella MCP screen recorder for automated video management with Claude Desktop Tella is a powerful screen recording and video editing platform for creators and entrepreneurs.

New to Tella? Get started with Tella here and unlock powerful AI-driven video automation.

Table of Contents

1. What is MCP?
2. What is Tella MCP?
3. Installing Tella MCP
4. Your First MCP Conversations
5. Available Tools Reference
6. Real-World Workflows
7. Tips for Getting Started
8. Key Takeaways
9. Resources
10. FAQ

What is MCP?

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a standardized interface that allows AI assistants to connect directly to external tools and services. Think of it like giving Claude Desktop access to your apps and data, so it can help you get work done instead of just answering questions.

How MCP Works

Without MCP, talking to Claude is like having a conversation with someone who can't see your screen or access your tools. They can give you advice, but you have to do all the work yourself.

With MCP, Claude can:

• Read data from your connected services
• Take actions on your behalf
• Automate repetitive workflows
• Process and analyze your actual content

Example:

• Without MCP: "Claude, how should I organize my videos?" → You get advice, then manually organize everything
• With MCP: "Claude, organize my videos by topic into playlists" → Claude analyzes your content and does it automatically

Model Context Protocol (MCP) architecture diagram showing AI application connections MCP provides a standardized way to connect AI applications to external systems - like a USB-C port for AI.

Note: MCP works with Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, and other AI tools that support the protocol. This guide focuses on Claude Desktop, but the same concepts apply to other platforms.

Learn more: Read the official Model Context Protocol documentation to understand how MCP works across different applications.

What is Tella MCP?

The Tella MCP is a specific MCP server that connects Claude to your Tella workspace. It gives Claude the ability to:

• Browse all your videos
• Read transcripts and metadata
• Create and manage playlists
• Update video settings
• Duplicate videos
• And much more...

All through natural language conversation.

Installing Tella MCP

There are two ways to install Tella MCP in Claude Desktop. Choose the method that works best for you:

Option 1: GUI Method (Recommended for Beginners)

This is the easiest way to get started - no config files required!

Step 1: Open Account Settings

In Claude Desktop, click on your profile icon or settings, then navigate to Connectors.

Step 2: Add Custom Connector

Scroll to the bottom and click "Add a Custom Connector".

Step 3: Configure Tella

Fill in the details:

• Name: Tella
• Remote MCP Server URL: https://api.tella.com/mcp

Click Add to save.

Claude Desktop connectors settings showing custom connector setup Adding Tella as a custom connector in Claude Desktop settings.

Step 4: Enable in New Chat

1. Start a new chat
2. Click the + button before typing
3. Under "Connectors", you should see Tella
4. Enable it by clicking the toggle

Step 5: Authenticate

The first time you use it, click Connect and you'll be redirected to authenticate with your Tella account via OAuth 2.1.

That's it! You're ready to start using Tella MCP.

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Option 2: Config File Method (Advanced)

For developers who prefer editing configuration files directly.

Step 1: Locate Config File

Find your Claude Desktop configuration file:

macOS:

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Windows:

%APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Step 2: Add Tella Configuration

Open the file and add this configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tella": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["mcp-remote", "https://api.tella.com/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

If you already have other MCP servers configured, add the tella entry to your existing mcpServers object.

Step 3: Restart Claude Desktop

Close and reopen Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect.

Step 4: Enable and Authenticate

Follow steps 4-5 from the GUI method above.

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Troubleshooting Authentication

If you encounter authentication issues:

1. Clear the MCP auth cache:

   rm -rf ~/.mcp-auth
   

2. Restart Claude Desktop

3. Try connecting again to initiate a fresh OAuth flow

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Your First MCP Conversations

Now that you're connected, let's try it out! Here are five practical examples to get you started, from simple to advanced.

Example 1: List Your Recent Videos

Let's start with the basics - seeing what videos you have.

What to say:

"Can you list the last 5 videos in my Tella account?"

What happens:

• Claude connects to your Tella workspace
• Retrieves your 5 most recent videos
• Displays title, duration, creation date, and view count for each

First-time users: You'll see a "Connect" button. Click it to authenticate with Tella, then Claude will show your videos.

Claude Desktop listing recent Tella videos with metadata Your recent videos displayed in Claude Desktop - no need to log into Tella!

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Example 2: Search for Specific Videos

Now let's find videos by topic using natural language search.

What to say:

"Can you find me all videos that include webflow in the title?"

What happens:

• Claude searches through all your videos
• Filters for videos with "webflow" in the title
• Returns a filtered list with links

Pro tip: You can search by any keyword, not just title. Try "videos about automation" or "videos longer than 10 minutes".

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Example 3: Get Video Details

Let's dive deeper into a specific video.

What to say:

"Can you share some of the details about the first video?"

What happens:

• Claude looks at the conversation context (the first video from your list)
• Retrieves comprehensive metadata:
  • Duration, aspect ratio, views
  • Privacy settings, caption status
  • Publish date, description
  • Direct link to watch

Context awareness: Notice how Claude understood "the first video" from our earlier conversation. You can reference videos by position, title, or ID.

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Example 4: Access Transcripts and Content

Now let's work with the actual content inside your videos.

What to say:

"Can you give me the transcript along with a short summary of what this video is about?"

What happens:

• Claude retrieves the full transcript (Tella generates these automatically)
• Reads and analyzes the content
• Provides a summary of key points
• Shows the complete timestamped transcript

This is where it gets powerful: Once Claude has the transcript, you can:

• Turn it into a blog post
• Extract key quotes
• Identify main topics
• Create social media snippets

We'll cover this in detail in Part 2 of this series.

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Example 5: Update Video Information

Finally, let's modify information in your Tella workspace - no login required!

What to say:

"Can you list all playlists in my account, please?"

Then after seeing the playlists:

"What playlist do you recommend I add the above video to?"

And finally:

"Can you add the video to the first and second playlist?"

What happens:

• Claude lists all your playlists
• Analyzes the video content and your playlists
• Makes a recommendation based on relevance
• Actually updates the playlists in Tella

The magic: You just organized your content through conversation. No clicking through Tella's interface, no manual drag-and-drop. Just describe what you want.

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Available Tools Reference

Now that you've seen what Tella MCP can do, let's look at all available tools.

Quick Reference: The Tella MCP provides 11 powerful tools. You don't need to memorize these - just ask Claude what you want to do in natural language, and it'll figure out which tools to use. This section is for reference when you want to know exactly what's possible.

Click to expand: Complete Tools List

Video Management Tools

Tella MCP available tools including video and playlist management APIs The Tella MCP provides powerful video and playlist management tools accessible through natural language.

Video Management Tools

1. list_videos Browse all videos in your workspace with powerful filtering options.

Parameters:

• cursor - For pagination (optional)
• limit - Number of videos to return (default: 20, max: 100)
• playlistId - Filter by specific playlist (optional)

Example commands:

• "Show me all my videos"
• "List my 10 most recent videos"
• "Show me all videos in my 'Client Testimonials' playlist"

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2. get_video Retrieve detailed information about a specific video.

What you get:

• Basic metadata (title, description, duration, views)
• Transcript with timestamped sentences (optional)
• Chapter markers (optional)
• Thumbnail URLs (optional)
• Export status (optional)

Example commands:

• "Get the transcript for video vid_123abc"
• "Show me details for my latest video including chapters"
• "Read the transcript from the video titled 'Product Demo'"

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3. update_video Modify video settings and metadata.

What you can update:

• Name and description
• Playback rate (0.5-2.0)
• Caption settings (enabled/disabled by default)
• Privacy settings (public, private, password-protected, embed-only)
• Download permissions
• Comment settings
• Search engine indexing

Example commands:

• "Make all my draft videos private"
• "Enable captions by default for video vid_123abc"
• "Update the description of my latest video to include a call-to-action"

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4. delete_video Move videos to trash.

Example commands:

• "Delete the video titled 'Old Test Recording'"
• "Remove video vid_123abc"

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5. duplicate_video Create copies of videos with custom naming.

Options:

• Custom name for the duplicate
• Trim to specific time range (startTime/endTime)
• Extract a specific chapter

Example commands:

• "Duplicate my product demo video"
• "Create a copy of video vid_123abc named 'Version 2'"

Playlist Management Tools

6. list_playlists View all your playlists.

Parameters:

• cursor - For pagination (optional)
• limit - Number of playlists to return (default: 20, max: 100)
• visibility - Filter by personal or org-wide playlists (optional)

Example commands:

• "Show me all my playlists"
• "List all organization-wide playlists"

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7. create_playlist Generate new playlists with customizable settings.

What you can set:

• Name (required)
• Description
• Emoji icon
• Visibility (personal or org-wide)
• Access level (public, private, password-protected)
• Password (for protected playlists)

Example commands:

• "Create a playlist called 'Q1 2024 Content'"
• "Make a new private playlist for client work"

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8. get_playlist Retrieve detailed information about a specific playlist.

Example commands:

• "Show me what's in my 'Product Demos' playlist"
• "Get details for playlist pl_123abc"

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9. update_playlist Modify playlist properties and permissions.

What you can update:

• Name and description
• Emoji icon
• Access level
• Password protection
• Search engine indexing

Example commands:

• "Make my 'Internal Training' playlist private"
• "Change the name of playlist pl_123abc to 'Updated Q1 Content'"

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10. delete_playlist Remove playlists (videos remain intact).

Example commands:

• "Delete the 'Old Archive' playlist"
• "Remove playlist pl_123abc"

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11. add_video_to_playlist & remove_video_from_playlist Manage playlist membership.

Example commands:

• "Add video vid_123abc to my 'Best Clips' playlist"
• "Remove the oldest video from my 'Draft' playlist"

Example natural language prompts for Tella MCP video automation Example natural language commands you can use with Tella MCP.

Want more details? Check the official Tella MCP documentation for complete parameter specifications, response formats, and advanced usage examples.

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Real-World Workflows

Here are practical ways to use Tella MCP in your daily workflow:

Content Audit

Task: Understand what content you have and how it's performing.

Commands:

"List all my videos from the last 30 days"
"Which videos have the most views?"
"Show me all videos longer than 10 minutes"

Bulk Organization

Task: Organize 100+ videos into topic-based playlists.

Commands:

"Create playlists for: Product Demos, Client Testimonials, Training Videos, and Behind the Scenes"

"Read the transcripts from all my videos and organize them into the appropriate playlists based on content"

Content Analysis

Task: Find themes across your video library.

Commands:

"Get transcripts from my top 10 most-viewed videos"
"Analyze these transcripts and identify common topics and themes"
"Create a summary of what resonates most with my audience"

Privacy Management

Task: Update privacy settings across multiple videos.

Commands:

"Make all videos in my 'Draft' playlist private"
"Change all public videos older than 6 months to unlisted"

Metadata Updates

Task: Improve discoverability with better descriptions.

Commands:

"Read the transcript from video vid_123abc and write a compelling description based on the content"
"Update the description with this new version"

Research and Planning

Task: Plan new content based on existing videos.

Commands:

"Show me all videos about automation"
"Read their transcripts and identify gaps in coverage"
"Suggest 5 new video topics that would complement this content"

Tips for Getting Started

Start with Simple Queries:

• Begin by just browsing: "Show me all my videos"
• Get comfortable with natural language commands
• Explore one tool at a time

Use Specific References:

• Video IDs are more reliable than titles (titles can change)
• When possible, use playlist IDs for precision
• Claude will help you find IDs if you describe what you're looking for

Combine Tools for Power Workflows:

• First list_videos to find what you need
• Then get_video for detailed information
• Finally update_video or add_video_to_playlist to take action

Let Claude Guide You:

• Ask "What can you do with my Tella videos?"
• Describe your goal and let Claude figure out which tools to use
• Don't worry about knowing exact parameter names

Think in Workflows, Not Commands:

• Instead of: "Use list_videos with limit 50"
• Try: "Help me find all my product demo videos so I can organize them"

The Power of Natural Language

The magic of MCP is that you don't need to learn API syntax or write code. Compare these approaches:

Traditional API Approach:

const response = await fetch('https://api.tella.com/v1/videos', {
  headers: { 'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_TOKEN' },
  params: { limit: 20, playlistId: 'pl_123' }
});

MCP Approach:

"Show me the videos in my Client Work playlist"

Same result, zero code.

What's Next?

Now that you understand the basics of Tella MCP, you can:

1. Organize your library - Create playlists and structure your content
2. Analyze your content - Use transcripts to understand what's working
3. Automate repetitive tasks - Bulk update settings, descriptions, privacy
4. Plan new content - Research gaps and opportunities in your video library

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Key Takeaways

Now that you understand Tella MCP, you can:

1. Connect Claude to your Tella workspace - Install and configure MCP in Claude Desktop for seamless video management
2. Manage videos with natural language - List, update, duplicate, and organize videos through conversation
3. Create and organize playlists - Build topic-based collections and manage video organization automatically
4. Automate repetitive tasks - Bulk update privacy settings, descriptions, and metadata across your library
5. Extract and analyze transcripts - Use video transcripts for content repurposing and analysis

Next Step: Turn video transcripts into blog posts in seconds

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Resources

• Tella MCP Documentation - Official setup guide and API reference
• Model Context Protocol - Learn about the MCP standard
• Claude Desktop Download - Get the latest version of Claude Desktop
• Tella API Documentation - Explore all Tella API capabilities

Related Articles

• Part 2: Turn Video Transcripts into Blog Posts
• Part 3: Creating Highlight Clips with Tella API
• Part 4: Automate Your Tella to YouTube Workflow

Tools Mentioned

• Tella - Screen recording and video editing platform
• Claude Desktop - AI assistant with MCP support

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FAQ

Q: Should I use the GUI method or config file method to install?

A: Use the GUI method if you're new to MCP or prefer a visual interface. It's easier and requires no file editing. Use the config file method if you're comfortable editing JSON files or want to manage multiple MCP servers programmatically.

Q: Does this work with ChatGPT or other AI tools?

A: Yes! MCP is a standard protocol that works with Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, and other AI tools that support MCP. This guide focuses on Claude Desktop, but the concepts apply to other platforms. Check your AI tool's documentation for MCP setup instructions.

Q: Do I need coding experience to use Tella MCP?

A: No. Tella MCP uses natural language commands - you just describe what you want to do in plain English, and Claude handles the technical details.

Q: Is Tella MCP free to use?

A: Tella MCP is included with your Tella account. You'll need Claude Desktop (free) and a Tella subscription with API access.

Q: Can I use Tella MCP with Claude.ai in the browser?

A: Currently, MCP only works with Claude Desktop. The browser version of Claude doesn't support MCP connections.

Q: What happens if authentication fails?

A: Clear the MCP auth cache (rm -rf ~/.mcp-auth), restart Claude Desktop, and try connecting again to initiate a fresh OAuth flow.

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Ready to automate your video workflow? Install Tella MCP and start experimenting with these commands today!

Have questions about Tella MCP? Found this guide helpful? Let me know in the comments below or connect with me on social media.