Troubleshoot Video Editing MCP Workflows
Most MCP video failures are one of six known problems, and each has a specific status and a specific fix. This guide covers OpenClip's real failure modes, from a video that fails the moment you submit it to an assistant that suddenly cannot see the tools, so you diagnose in seconds instead of re-running jobs blind.
Prerequisites
- OpenClip connected to an MCP client (any of Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Perplexity, or an agent)
Steps
Video fails immediately after submit: check the subscription
If get_video_status (or submit_video itself) reports failed almost instantly, the cause is almost always that the team has no active subscription. Processing requires a paid plan; ask the account owner to subscribe at OpenClip, then resubmit. Nothing about the video or the assistant is wrong.
Status stuck at pending_credits: top up processing minutes
pending_credits means the team is out of credits, which are counted in minutes of processing. The job is not lost; it waits. Check the balance with get_usage, top up or wait for the monthly refresh (150 minutes on Starter, 300 on Pro), and the job continues without resubmission.
download_failed: fix the source, not the workflow
download_failed means OpenClip could not fetch the source URL. Verify the link opens in a private browser window, confirm the platform is accepted with list_supported_providers, and watch for private or region-locked videos and expiring signed URLs. For stubborn sources, download locally and use create_upload plus complete_upload instead.
Assistant cannot reach OpenClip: re-authorize, do not change the URL
There is exactly one server URL, https://openclip.app/mcp, so connection problems are never fixed by finding a different URL. Re-authorize the OAuth connection in your client (remove and re-add the connector, or re-run the sign-in), and confirm you approved access with the account that owns the videos. Header-only agents using a personal access token should mint a fresh token and use the https://openclip.app/mcp/key endpoint.
Tools missing from the assistant: reload the client
If the assistant says it has no video tools, the client has stale server state. Reload the client (or in Claude Code re-run /mcp), which re-fetches the tool list from the server. Tool discovery is client-side; the server publishes the same tools to everyone.
Polling that never ends: know when to stop
Healthy jobs move through downloading and processing to completed, with the assistant polling every 10 to 15 seconds. If a status has not changed in about 15 minutes, stop polling and retry later rather than looping forever. If a rerun shows the same stall, capture the video id from list_videos and contact support with it.
What You'll Achieve
You can read any OpenClip MCP failure status and apply the right fix immediately
Features
Failures are named
OpenClip returns distinct statuses (failed, pending_credits, download_failed) instead of a generic error, so the assistant can tell you the actual fix.
Money problems look like job problems
The two most common failures are account-side: no subscription and no credits. Check get_account and get_usage before debugging anything technical.
Sources fail more than servers
Private videos, dead links, and unsupported platforms cause download_failed far more often than infrastructure does. list_supported_providers settles it fast.
One URL, per-user auth
Since every client uses https://openclip.app/mcp, auth issues are always about the OAuth grant or token, never about finding the right address.
Stale clients, fresh server
Missing tools and phantom errors usually clear with a client reload, because tool lists are cached client-side between sessions.
Bounded patience
Fifteen minutes without a status change is the signal to stop polling and retry later, not to keep burning the session.
Frequently Asked Questions
Get unstuck and back to clipping
Most fixes here take under a minute. Reconnect, top up, or fix the source, and your assistant picks the job right back up.