jackjozwik/deadline-mcp-server

Deadline MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides AI assistants with intelligent access to Deadline (Thinkbox) documentation. Search and retrieve information from User Manual, Scripting Reference, and Python Reference with natural language queries.

✨ Features

• 🔍 Smart Documentation Search - Full-text search across all Deadline documentation
• 📚 Multiple Documentation Types - User Manual, Scripting Reference, Python Reference
• 💻 Code Example Extraction - Find relevant code snippets and examples
• 🌐 Dual Mode Operation - Local documentation with remote fallback
• 🚀 Universal Compatibility - Works with all MCP clients (Cursor, Claude Desktop, Windsurf, etc.)
• 📦 NPX Distribution - Easy installation and updates

🚀 Quick Start

NPX Installation (Recommended)

npx deadline-mcp-server

Global Installation

npm install -g deadline-mcp-server
deadline-mcp-server

🔧 Configuration

Environment Variables

Set the path to your local Deadline documentation:

# Windows
DEADLINE_DOCS_PATH=C:\Path\To\Your\Deadline-Documentation

# macOS/Linux  
DEADLINE_DOCS_PATH=/path/to/your/deadline-documentation

MCP Client Setup

Cursor

Add to your Cursor settings (Ctrl+Shift+P → "Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON)"):

{
  "mcp": {
    "mcpServers": {
      "deadline-docs": {
        "command": "npx",
        "args": ["deadline-mcp-server"],
        "env": {
          "DEADLINE_DOCS_PATH": "C:\\Path\\To\\Your\\Deadline-Documentation"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop

Add to claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "deadline-docs": {
      "command": "npx", 
      "args": ["deadline-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "DEADLINE_DOCS_PATH": "/path/to/your/deadline-documentation"
      }
    }
  }
}

🛠️ Available Tools

search_deadline_docs

Search across all Deadline documentation with natural language queries.

"Search for job submission in Python"
"How to use DeadlineCon commands"
"Find information about render farm setup"

get_deadline_document

Retrieve specific documents by ID from search results.

get_deadline_code_examples

Find code examples for specific Deadline functionality.

"Show me DeadlineCon examples"
"Python job submission code"

browse_deadline_sections

Browse documentation by section or topic.

"Browse the Jobs section"
"Show Plugin documentation"

📁 Local Documentation Setup

1. Download Deadline Documentation

   • Download HTML documentation from Thinkbox
   • Includes User Manual, Scripting Reference, Python Reference

2. Organize Documentation

   Deadline-Documentation/
   ├── Deadline-X.X.X-User-Manual/
   ├── Deadline-X.X.X-Scripting-Reference/
   └── Deadline-X.X.X-Standalone-Python-Reference/
   

3. Set Environment Variable Point DEADLINE_DOCS_PATH to your documentation folder

4. First Run Indexing The server automatically indexes documentation on first run, creating a SQLite database for fast searching.

🏗️ Architecture

• Local Mode: Indexes HTML docs into SQLite with FTS5 full-text search
• Remote Mode: Fallback with curated responses when local docs unavailable
• Universal MCP: Compatible with all MCP clients

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"No local documentation found"

• Verify DEADLINE_DOCS_PATH environment variable
• Check that documentation folders exist
• Ensure folder structure matches expected pattern

"Database indexing failed"

• Check file permissions and disk space
• Verify HTML files are readable

"MCP connection failed"

• Check MCP client configuration
• Restart your AI client after configuration changes

Debug Mode

DEBUG=* npx deadline-mcp-server

📄 License

MIT License

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Submit a pull request

📞 Support

• Issues: Report bugs and feature requests on GitHub
• Documentation: Check the Setup Guide for detailed instructions
• Community: Join discussions in GitHub Issues