About CrewOne
CrewOne is an MCP server for film and commercial production teams seeking Taiwan equipment and studio rates, plus photographer and director references. It also offers API-key-based generation and retrieval of pre-production projects and PDF exports.
Key features
- 01Search Taiwan equipment rental rates
- 02Find studios by size, budget, and amenities
- 03Look up photographer and director references
- 04Generate and retrieve pre-production projects
- 05Export project PDFs
Use cases
- 01Estimate equipment costs for a Taipei shoot
- 02Find a Taiwan studio matching production needs
- 03Review a photographer's or director's style references
- 04Create and export a pre-production package
MCP support
The server exposes CrewOne database searches and, with a CREWONE_API_KEY, project generation, retrieval, and PDF export to MCP clients. It is designed for use with MCP-aware clients and agents.
Configuration
Local server config is the same for every client. Copy it into your client’s MCP config file.
npx -y @crewone/mcp-serverCREWONE_API_KEYSecretCrewOne API key for paid tools (create_project, get_project, export_pdf). Get one at https://crewone.ai/dashboard/settings/api. Free tools (search_equipment, search_studios, get_photographer, list_photographers, get_director, list_directors) work without a key.Local servers need a runtime on your machine (e.g. Node.js 18+). Config file locations differ by client; see your client’s docs.
Tools
8Saved tool list · updated 2w ago
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| query | string | Yes | Search term, e.g. "Sony FX6", "85mm prime", "ARRI SkyPanel". Can be in English or Traditional Chinese. |
| category | enum | No | Optional: narrow to a specific category.camera | lens | lighting | grip | sound | monitor | other |
| max_results | number | No |
Details
From the project README@crewone/mcp-server
MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for CrewOne. Lets Claude Desktop, Cursor, Continue, Cline, and any other MCP-aware AI agent query Taiwan film equipment rates, studio rentals, photographer style references, MV/commercial director references, and (with API key) generate full pre-production packages.
What is this
CrewOne maintains a structured database of:
- 1,187 real Taipei film equipment rental rates (cameras, lenses, lighting, grip, sound)
- 561 real Taiwan studio rates with size, ceiling, lighting, power, parking
- 69 commercial / fashion / portrait photographer style references with on-set lighting hallmarks and AI prompt tokens
- 30+ MV and commercial director style references with prompt tokens for video generation models
This MCP server exposes that data (and the generative pipeline) to AI agents. When you ask Claude Desktop "how much does an FX6 rent for in Taipei" or "give me a Tim Walker–style lighting setup", the agent calls this server, gets a real answer, and replies.
Two tiers of tools
Free (no API key required)
These work as soon as the server is installed. Rate-limited server-side.
search_equipment(query, category)— find Taipei rental ratessearch_studios(size_pings, max_budget_per_4h, amenities, location)— find Taiwan studiosget_photographer(name)— pull style reference for a specific photographerlist_photographers(region, cluster)— browse the 69-photographer libraryget_director(name)— director referencelist_directors(region, genre)— browse the director library
Paid (requires CREWONE_API_KEY)
These consume credits from your CrewOne plan.
create_project(brief, type, photographer_references?)— full package generation, 1 creditget_project(project_id)— fetch existing projectexport_pdf(project_id)— get PDF download URL
Get your API key at https://crewone.ai/dashboard/settings/api after signing up.
Install
Claude Desktop
Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) / %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows):
{
"mcpServers": {
"crewone": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@crewone/mcp-server"],
"env": {
"CREWONE_API_KEY": "your-key-here-or-omit-for-free-tools-only"
}
}
}
}
Restart Claude Desktop. CrewOne tools will appear in the tool palette.
Cursor
Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"crewone": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@crewone/mcp-server"],
"env": { "CREWONE_API_KEY": "..." }
}
}
}
Continue
In ~/.continue/config.json, add to the experimental.modelContextProtocolServers array:
{
"transport": { "type": "stdio", "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@crewone/mcp-server"] },
"env": { "CREWONE_API_KEY": "..." }
}
Cline / any other MCP client
Same npx -y @crewone/mcp-server command pattern. Set CREWONE_API_KEY if you want paid tools.
Example prompts
After installing, try these in your AI chat:
Free tier
- "How much does a Sony FX6 rent for per day in Taipei?"
- "Find me a 8-ping studio in Taipei under NT$ 4,000 per 4 hours with cyc wall."
- "Give me Tim Walker's lighting hallmarks and AI prompt tokens for a fashion editorial shoot."
- "List all Japanese photographers in CrewOne's library that lean into surreal high-saturation."
Paid tier (needs API key)
- "Create a CrewOne project: 30-second commercial for a Taiwan coffee brand, hero shot pour, three location options."
- "Get my CrewOne project abc-123 and summarise the call sheet."
Configuration
| Env var | Default | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
CREWONE_API_KEY | (none) | Required for paid tools. Generate at https://crewone.ai/dashboard/settings/api. |
CREWONE_API_BASE | https://crewone.ai | Override for local dev / staging. |
Privacy
The MCP server runs entirely on your local machine. Your prompts go from the AI client to this server (stdio) to crewone.ai HTTPS endpoints. CrewOne does not log MCP-originated requests differently from web requests. Free-tier tool calls are anonymous (no auth). Paid-tier calls are tied to your account via the API key.
Source
Open-source MIT, https://github.com/tzipway-dotcom/crewone-mcp-server
Pricing
CrewOne plans:
- Free trial: 2 generations
- Project Pack: $12 one-time, 1 credit
- Director: $24-29 / month, 4 credits / month
- Studio: $89-109 / month, 20 credits / month
- Founding Member: $15.84 / month lifetime (limited to first 25 sign-ups)
Free MCP tools (search_equipment, search_studios, get_photographer, etc.) do not consume credits. Only create_project and other generative tools do.
Troubleshooting
- Tools don't appear in Claude Desktop — verify
claude_desktop_config.jsonJSON is valid; restart Claude Desktop fully. Error: 401— API key invalid; regenerate at https://crewone.ai/dashboard/settings/api.Insufficient credits— top up via https://crewone.ai/pricing.- Free tools work but paid tools fail — confirm
CREWONE_API_KEYis set in theenvblock of your MCP config.
License
MIT — © Way Directs.
Comments
New to MCP?
From what the protocol is to installing your first server, these answers cover most first questions.
An open protocol that defines how AI applications connect to external tools and data in a uniform way. Clients talk to the model; MCP servers provide tools, resources and prompt templates. They exchange standard messages, so one server can be reused by many clients.