Overview

Redbee MCP Server implements the Model Context Protocol (MCP) adapter for Red Bee Media streaming services. It exposes Red Bee backend capabilities (authentication, content search, user/profile management, playback info, purchases, and system utilities) through an MCP-compatible interface so local AI agents (e.g., Claude Desktop) and web apps can call Red Bee tools as RPCs or receive real-time events.

The server supports multiple operating modes: the original stdio mode (for local MCP clients), an HTTP JSON-RPC mode suitable for web integration, and an SSE (Server-Sent Events) mode for streaming events. This makes it easy to prototype integrations, build AI assistants that interact with streaming services, or wire Red Bee functionality into web frontends without rewriting service plumbing.

Features

MCP-compatible toolset exposing ~33 Red Bee operations (authentication, search, playback, EPG, purchases)
Multiple operating modes: stdio, HTTP (JSON-RPC), SSE (events), or both simultaneously
Quick CLI using uvx or direct package invocation (Python 3.8+)
HTTP endpoints for JSON-RPC calls and health checks
Real-time SSE stream for tools/events and client lifecycle messages
Environment-driven configuration for credentials, timeouts, and API base URL
Lightweight Python package for local deployment or containerization

Installation / Configuration

Requirements: Python 3.8+

Install from PyPI:

pip install redbee-mcp

If you use uvx (recommended for easy CLI usage):

# show help / validate installation
uvx redbee-mcp --help

# stdio mode (for MCP local clients)
uvx redbee-mcp --stdio --customer YOUR_CUSTOMER --business-unit YOUR_BU

# http mode (JSON-RPC)
uvx redbee-mcp --http --customer YOUR_CUSTOMER --business-unit YOUR_BU

# run both modes
uvx redbee-mcp --both --customer YOUR_CUSTOMER --business-unit YOUR_BU

Run directly:

redbee-mcp --http --customer YOUR_CUSTOMER --business-unit YOUR_BU

Common environment variables

Variable	Required	Purpose
REDBEE_CUSTOMER	Yes	Red Bee customer identifier
REDBEE_BUSINESS_UNIT	Yes	Business unit name
REDBEE_EXPOSURE_BASE_URL	No	API base URL (default Red Bee Exposure API)
REDBEE_USERNAME	No	Username for interactive login tool
REDBEE_PASSWORD	No	Password for interactive login tool
REDBEE_SESSION_TOKEN	No	Provide existing session token
REDBEE_DEVICE_ID	No	Device identifier for session creation
REDBEE_CONFIG_ID	No	Configuration ID (e.g., environment)
REDBEE_TIMEOUT	No	Request timeout in seconds

Claude Desktop MCP configuration (example)

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Example snippet:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "redbee-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["redbee-mcp", "--stdio"],
      "env": {
        "REDBEE_CUSTOMER": "CUSTOMER_NAME",
        "REDBEE_BUSINESS_UNIT": "BUSINESS_UNIT_NAME"
      }
    }
  }
}

HTTP Endpoints

The HTTP server defaults to http://localhost:8000 with endpoints:

Method	Path	Description
GET	/	API information
GET	/health	Health check
POST	/	JSON-RPC (MCP) requests (tools/list, tools/call, etc.)
GET	/sse	Server-Sent Events stream (real-time messages)

JSON-RPC examples

Health check:

curl http://localhost:8000/health

List tools:

curl -X POST http://localhost:8000/ \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"tools/list","id":"1"}'

Call a tool (search content):

curl -X POST http://localhost:8000/ \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc":"2.0",
    "method":"tools/call",
    "params":{
      "name":"search_content_v2",
      "arguments":{
        "query":"french films",
        "types":"MOVIE",
        "pageSize":5
      }
    },
    "id":"search-1"
  }'

SSE example (browser)

const es = new EventSource('http://localhost:8000/sse');
es.onmessage = e => {
  const payload = JSON.parse(e.data);
  console.log('SSE message:', payload);
};

Available Tools

High-level categories (representative tool names):

Authentication
- login_user, create_anonymous_session, validate_session_token, logout_user
Content & Search
- search_content_v2, search_assets_autocomplete, get_public_asset_details, get_asset_details
Playback & EPG
- get_playback_info, get_epg_for_channel, get_episodes_for_season
User & Purchases
- get_user_profile, create_purchase, validate_purchase
System & Utilities
- health_check, get_configuration, tools/list, tools/call

Each tool accepts structured arguments and returns JSON responses compatible with MCP/JSON-RPC.

Use Cases

AI assistant (Claude Desktop): run redbee-mcp in stdio mode and configure Claude Desktop MCP to call Red Bee tools for tasks such as searching content, retrieving episodes, or starting playback flows.
Web application integration: run HTTP mode and call tools via JSON-RPC from frontend or backend services. Example: implement a search bar that forwards queries to search_content_v2 and renders results.
Real-time updates: use SSE mode for streaming system notifications, tool availability messages, or live user-session events into dashboards or web clients.
Rapid prototyping: combine anonymous sessions and content tools to build proof-of-concept voice or chat experiences that query Red Bee catalogs without managing heavy backend logic.

Repository and source

GitHub: https://github.com/Tamsi/redbee-mcp

This MCP server simplifies connecting AI agents and web clients to Red Bee services by exposing a consistent, RPC-driven toolset with flexible transport modes.

Redbee MCP Server for Redbee API Integration