Resolve Session

Start a Resolve Session

Run this at the top of an editing conversation so the session begins with known state instead of four rounds of discovery. Report findings compactly; this is orientation, not an audit.

Steps

1. Connect and identify the host.

   resolve_control(action="get_version") — or the nearest capability action.

   Capture: Resolve version, Studio vs free edition, and whether this connected over external scripting or the in-app bridge. If the connection fails, read the error's own remediation field and follow it — it names the applicable fix. A connection error does not mean the free edition is unsupported; the bridge path (Workspace > Scripts > resolve_bridge) covers it, and is used automatically once running — DAVINCI_RESOLVE_BRIDGE=1 only forces it.

   Report both versions: version_string is the Resolve build, mcp.version is this server. They fail differently, and one of them is easy to forget — a running MCP keeps executing the version it started with, so a git pull does not refresh its ledger until restart.

2. Ask what this build cannot do.

   get_version already answers this in its build.unavailable_on_this_build block, so read that first; resolve_control(action="check_version_support") is for asking about one named symbol, or for re-checking after a reconnect.

   The scripting API changes per patch release, so "Resolve 21" is not a usable label: GetFairlightPresets needs 20.2.2, and three surfaces exist in 21.0.4 but not 21.0.2. Knowing this at the top of the session is the difference between "that needs 21.0.4, here is the alternative" and discovering it halfway through a task.

   Two things to hold on to:

   • An empty list means nothing recorded is missing, not that everything exists. Most of the API has never been version-bisected, so a symbol with no gate returns unknown — which means probe it, not yes.
   • Probe with name in dir(obj). Never bare hasattr: on a Resolve object it returns True for every name, real or invented, so it can only say yes.

3. Report the current project.

   project_manager(action="get_current_project"). If none is open, list available projects and stop — ask which to open rather than guessing.

4. Report timelines.

   timeline(action="list") plus the current timeline's frame rate, resolution, duration, and track layout. Frame rate and resolution matter before any edit decision; note them explicitly.

5. Report media pool shape.

   Bin structure and clip count. Enough to know what is available — not a full inventory.

6. Flag anything that will bite later.

   Offline or unlinked media, mixed frame rates in the pool, a timeline resolution that disagrees with the project, or missing render presets.

Output

A short block: version and edition, project, current timeline with its format, pool summary, then warnings — and list anything check_version_support reported missing, since a capability gap changes what is worth proposing. Say what you are ready to do and wait — do not start editing off the back of this.

Notes

• If Resolve is not running, the MCP tools will launch it; the first call can take up to 60 seconds. Say so rather than appearing to hang.
• Do not open, create, or switch projects without being asked. Reporting state is the whole job here.