MCP tool schemas

Every tool rekkefly mcp offers, with its arguments, as the server reports them in tools/list. Unknown arguments are rejected, and a tool that fails returns isError: true with the reason. How to connect a client, and an example session: AI agents (MCP).

Tool	What it does	Read-only
`list_cameras`	List cameras	Yes
`list_configs`	List rig configs	Yes
`get_config`	Read a config	Yes
`update_config`	Change a config	No
`start_rig`	Start a rig	No
`launch_rigs`	Start every rig in a manifest	No
`rig_status`	Rig status and live angles	Yes
`measure`	Measure a rig for a while	Yes
`stop_rig`	Stop a rig	No
`record`	Start or stop recording	No
`save_background`	Save the background	No
`snapshot`	Look at the tracking	Yes
`track_video`	Track a video file	No
`clip_video`	Cut a video	No
`benchmark`	Measure tracking speed	Yes

list_cameras

Cameras this computer can open, with the numbers to use as device.

No arguments.

list_configs

Every rig config (.toml) in the config folder with its camera or video, outputs and whether it is running, plus rig manifests (rigs.toml).

No arguments.

get_config

A rig config as JSON (every field) and as its commented TOML file, which explains each setting.

Argument	Type	Required	Meaning
`config`	string	Yes	A config name in the config folder (camera-a, bogong-moth) or a path to a .toml file.

update_config

Change fields of a rig config and save it (comments in the file are kept). changes is a JSON merge patch on the get_config JSON, for example {“tracking”: {“left”: {“spike_width_deg”: 6}}} or {“head”: {“x”: 320, “y”: 170}}. Invalid values are rejected and nothing is written. A rig running this config picks up marker and detector changes at once; source and output changes need a restart.

Argument	Type	Required	Meaning
`changes`	object	Yes	The fields to change, nested as in get_config.
`config`	string	Yes	A config name in the config folder (camera-a, bogong-moth) or a path to a .toml file.
`create`	boolean		Create the config from the defaults if it does not exist (default false).

start_rig

Start tracking headless with a config and publish its outputs (Kinefly ZMQ, UDP). Give a camera device, a video file or demo to override the config’s source for this run only; the other overrides apply to this run only too. Returns the rig’s status once it shows its first frame (or fails).

Argument	Type	Meaning
`config`	string	A config name or path. Default: the next free rig config (camera-a, camera-b, …).
`demo`	boolean	Track the simulated fly for this run.
`device`	string	Camera for this run: auto, a number from list_cameras, a device path or part of the name.
`fast`	boolean	With a video: as fast as possible instead of at its frame rate.
`frames`	integer, ≥ 0	Stop after this many frames.
`label`	string	Label (instance name) for this run; also the rig’s id here.
`loop`	boolean	With a video: play it in a loop.
`record`	boolean	Record video from the start.
`udp_port`	integer, ≥ 0	Send UDP measurements from this local port for this run.
`udp_target`	string	Send UDP measurements to this IP:port for this run.
`video`	string	Track this video file for this run (AVI natively; other formats need FFmpeg). Uses the video’s own markers if it has them.
`wait_seconds`	number, ≥ 0	How long to wait for the first frame (default 5).
`zmq_port`	integer, ≥ 0	Publish Kinefly ZMQ on this TCP port for this run.

launch_rigs

Start every enabled rig in a rig manifest (rigs.toml): each with its own label, camera or video and ports. All or none: if one cannot start, the others are stopped again.

Argument	Type	Meaning
`demo`	boolean	Use the simulated fly for every rig (to test ports and labels).
`frames`	integer, ≥ 0	Stop each rig after this many frames.
`manifest`	string	Manifest name or path (default rigs).
`record`	boolean	Record every rig.

rig_status

Status of one running rig (or all): frames, frame rate, tracking time, the latest wing angles in degrees (left, right, L−R, head, abdomen), recording and outputs.

Argument	Type	Required	Meaning
`rig`	string		A running rig’s label, as rig_status lists it.

measure

Collect every frame of a running rig for some seconds and summarise each angle in degrees (frames measured, mean, spread, minimum, maximum), for example the mean L−R of a trial. skipped_frames counts gaps in the camera’s frame numbers: exposures the camera dropped, or that could not be delivered. Optionally writes every frame to a CSV. Blocks for seconds.

Argument	Type	Required	Meaning
`csv`	string		Also write every frame here (degrees).
`rig`	string	Yes	A running rig’s label, as rig_status lists it.
`seconds`	number, ≥ 0		How long to measure (default 5, at most 600).

stop_rig

Stop a rig (or every rig if none is named), finishing any recording, and return its final status.

Argument	Type	Required	Meaning
`rig`	string		A running rig’s label, as rig_status lists it.

record

Start or stop recording a running rig’s camera to its recording folder (MJPEG AVI by default).

Argument	Type	Required	Meaning
`enabled`	boolean	Yes	true starts, false stops.
`rig`	string	Yes	A running rig’s label, as rig_status lists it.

save_background

Save the rig’s next frame as its background image, for background subtraction. Capture an empty scene first.

Argument	Type	Required	Meaning
`rig`	string	Yes	A running rig’s label, as rig_status lists it.

snapshot

An image of a frame with the tracking drawn on it (body axis, sectors, detected edges) and its angles. Use rig for the latest live frame, or video (with frame and optionally config) for any frame of a file. Check this after moving markers.

Argument	Type	Meaning
`config`	string	With video: the config whose markers to use (default: the video’s own, or the defaults).
`frame`	integer, ≥ 0	With video: the frame number (default 0).
`rig`	string	A running rig’s label, as rig_status lists it.
`video`	string	A video file, instead of a running rig.
`width`	integer, ≥ 0	Image width in pixels (default 640).

track_video

Track every frame of a video as fast as possible and summarise it: frames per second, tracking time, and mean, spread and range of each angle. Optionally writes a CSV (one row per frame) and the full measurements as JSON lines.

Argument	Type	Required	Meaning
`config`	string		Config whose markers and settings to use (default: the video’s own markers, or the defaults).
`csv`	string		Write per-frame angles here.
`frames`	integer, ≥ 0		Stop after this many frames.
`jsonl`	string		Write full measurements here.
`method`	string: `"robust"`, `"classic"`		Override the wing detector: robust (ignores legs and antennae) or classic (Kinefly’s strongest edge).
`video`	string	Yes	The video file.
`video_markers`	boolean		Use the video’s own markers (a .toml beside it) even when a config is given.

clip_video

Cut part of a video into a new, usually much smaller AVI. Never overwrites.

Argument	Type	Required	Meaning
`duration`	number, ≥ 0		Seconds to keep (default: to the end).
`every`	integer, ≥ 0		Keep every Nth frame.
`format`	string: `"mjpeg"`, `"png"`, `"raw"`		mjpeg (small, default), png (lossless) or raw.
`input`	string	Yes	The video to cut (AVI natively; other formats need FFmpeg).
`output`	string	Yes	The new AVI file.
`quality`	integer, ≥ 0		MJPEG quality 1–100 (default 90).
`start`	number, ≥ 0		Seconds to skip.

benchmark

Tracking time per frame for a config on a synthetic frame (no camera needed).

Argument	Type	Required	Meaning
`config`	string		Config to measure (default: the defaults, 640×480).
`frames`	integer, ≥ 0		Frames to time (default 2000).

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