# footage.cool: 4K Drone & Aerial Stock Footage (remote · www.footage.cool)

Search and license 54,000+ drone, aerial, and ocean clips, mostly 4K, from filmmaker Phil Maher.

- Trust score: 75/100 (medium)
- Registry status: active
- Liveness: live
- Owner verified: no
- Last scored: 2026-09-25

## Components

- remote · `www.footage.cool`: 75/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/cool-footage-mcp-server/www.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/cool-footage-mcp-server/www)

## Channel facts

- Endpoint: `https://www.footage.cool/mcp`
- Transports: `streamable-http`
- Auth: `none`
- Version: `1.1.0`

## Trust breakdown

How this component scores in each security and reliability category. Every signal is checked automatically against the live server, and we only credit what we can confirm. Scores are 0–100 per category. Scoring method: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring (what has changed: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring/changelog)

Scored 2026-09-25.

- **Endpoint Security**: 80/100
  - The endpoint's TLS certificate is valid, in date, and uses a strong key.
  - No authorisation is required to call this server. Every tool declares its destructiveHint and none is destructive, so open access doesn't expose one.
  - HTTPS is enforced; there's no plaintext access path.
  - The HSTS (Strict-Transport-Security) header is present.
  - DNSSEC check failed: this domain isn't protected by DNSSEC.
- **Transport & Reachability**: 100/100
  - Verified streamable-http transport via a live MCP handshake.
- **Schema Quality & AI Usability**: 72/100
  - AI-judged instruction clarity (excellent).
  - Context-footprint check failed: tool/resource definitions use about 2018 tokens (~201/item across 10 items; 10 tools + 0 resources), over budget; trim descriptions and params.
  - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples.
- **Stability & Change Management**: 13/100
  - Stability observed for 4 of 30 days with no destabilising changes; credit accrues until the full window elapses.
- **Tool Coverage**: 100/100
  - 100% of tools have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the tool's name).
  - 100% of tool parameters carry a description.
- **Tool Safety**: 100/100
  - No prompt-injection markers were found in the server instructions, tool names or descriptions we captured.
  - We read all 10 captured tool definition(s), and no name or description among them implies an irreversible operation.
  - An AI judge read all 11 captured unit(s) of tool text and found none that tries to manipulate the model reading it.
- **Capabilities**: 100/100
  - Implements a supported MCP spec version (2025-11-25); the latest is 2026-07-28.

## Install

### How do I install the footage.cool: 4K Drone & Aerial Stock Footage MCP server?

footage.cool: 4K Drone & Aerial Stock Footage is a hosted endpoint at https://www.footage.cool/mcp, so there is nothing to install locally. Ready-made configuration for Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Codex and 5 more is on this page, copied from each client's own documentation.

### Claude

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http cool-footage-mcp-server 'https://www.footage.cool/mcp'
```

### Cursor

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cool-footage-mcp-server": {
      "url": "https://www.footage.cool/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "cool-footage-mcp-server": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://www.footage.cool/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### Codex

```toml
[mcp_servers.cool-footage-mcp-server]
url = "https://www.footage.cool/mcp"
```

### opencode

```json
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "cool-footage-mcp-server": {
      "type": "remote",
      "url": "https://www.footage.cool/mcp",
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}
```

### OpenClaw

```bash
openclaw mcp add cool-footage-mcp-server --url 'https://www.footage.cool/mcp' --transport streamable-http
```

### Hermes

```yaml
mcp_servers:
  cool-footage-mcp-server:
    url: "https://www.footage.cool/mcp"
```

### Netclaw

```json
{
  "McpServers": {
    "cool-footage-mcp-server": {
      "Transport": "http",
      "Url": "https://www.footage.cool/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### Vellum

```bash
assistant mcp add cool-footage-mcp-server -t streamable-http -u 'https://www.footage.cool/mcp'
```

### Other

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cool-footage-mcp-server": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://www.footage.cool/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

The mcpServers block is a cross-client convention. Remote transports vary, so check your client's docs.

## Changelog

Every change recorded for this component, newest first. Days that predate change tracking, or that we cannot explain, say so: "we were watching and nothing happened" and "we were not watching" are different claims.

### 2026-09-25 (score 75, +1)

- [functional] We updated how we score, so this day's move reflects our rubric, not a change to the server

### 2026-09-24 (score 74, −1)

- [security regression] DNSSEC: pass → fail

### 2026-09-22 (score 75, +1)

- [functional improvement] Stability: unverified → 0.03

### 2026-09-21 (score 74)

First indexed and scored.

## MCP tools (10)

### `search_footage` (~444 tokens)

Search 4K Stock Footage

Search footage.cool's library of 54,000+ drone, aerial, ocean, underwater, wildlife, and travel clips (4K UHD masters on nearly all), filmed by Phil Maher mostly in Baja California Sur (Los Cabos, Cabo Pulmo, East Cape, La Paz, Todos Santos), plus the Colorado Rockies and the California coast, 2014 to 2024. Understands place names, years, synonyms (drone = aerial), and typos. Returns clips with metadata, verified master resolution when known, thumbnail and watermarked preview URLs, clip page links, and prices. Real camera and drone footage, not AI-generated.

Input parameters:

- `category`: Optional scene category (Aerial, Beach, Ocean, Wildlife, People, Road, Landscape, Desert, Urban, Sunset, Architecture, Nature, Mountain, Forest, Agriculture, Other) or a curated slug such as drone, u…
- `limit`: Results per page, 1 to 50 (default 10).
- `location`: Optional place filter matched against city, region, and country (for example "Cabo Pulmo", "Colorado", "Mexico").
- `max_duration_seconds`: Longest clip length to include, in seconds.
- `min_duration_seconds`: Shortest clip length to include, in seconds.
- `page`: Page number for more results (default 1).
- `people`: 'none' returns clips with no people flagged (easier commercial clearance), 'with' only clips with people. Default any.
- `query` (string, required): What to find, in plain words. Descriptive works best: 'humpback whale breaching aerial', 'turquoise bay with boats cabo pulmo', 'desert highway at sunset'. Places and years in the query become filter…
- `sort`: Default 'relevance'. 'best' sorts by visual quality score.
- `year_from`: Earliest shot year (for example 2019).
- `year_to`: Latest shot year (for example 2023).

### `get_clip_details` (~93 tokens)

Get Clip Details

Get full details for one footage.cool clip: description, tags, location, shot year, duration, people and release notice, collection, thumbnail, watermarked preview, clip page, the master's verified resolution and codec when known, and licensing options with prices.

Input parameters:

- `clip_id` (string, required): The clip_id returned by search_footage (numeric, or a filename-style id). A footage.cool clip URL also works.

### `find_similar_footage` (~96 tokens)

Find Similar Footage

Find clips similar to a given clip: shared subjects, scene, location, and shot year, spread across different shoots so the results are not near-duplicates. Use it to offer alternatives or to keep a sequence consistent.

Input parameters:

- `clip_id` (string, required): Clip to find similar footage for (clip_id from search_footage).
- `limit`: Number of results, 1 to 24 (default 8).

### `build_rough_cut` (~223 tokens)

Build Rough Cut Timeline

Plan a timed edit from a description: picks and orders clips across different shoots and locations, sets a cut length for each at the chosen pace, and totals the license cost. Returns an edit decision list with preview URLs for a storyboard or rough cut. It does not render video or license anything.

Input parameters:

- `category`: Optional scene category or curated slug, as in search_footage.
- `location`: Optional place filter.
- `pace`: Editing pace: slow (4 to 8s per clip), balanced (3 to 6s), fast (2 to 4s). Default balanced.
- `people`: Use 'none' for a people-free cut. Default any.
- `query` (string, required): Description of the sequence, for example 'baja road trip along the coast' or 'whales and dolphins in the Sea of Cortez'.
- `target_seconds`: Target timeline length in seconds, 20 to 600 (default 60).
- `year_from`: Earliest shot year.
- `year_to`: Latest shot year.

### `check_clip_rights` (~148 tokens)

Check Clip Rights

Screen whether a license covers an intended use for a clip and which tier fits: commercial, editorial, documentary, internal_corporate, digital (web and social), broadcast, theatrical, or ai_training. Reports chain of title, people and property flags, and the release policy. Catalog screening, not legal advice.

Input parameters:

- `clip_id` (string, required): The clip to check.
- `expected_distribution`: Optional expected views or copies. Above 1,000,000 needs the Extended license.
- `intended_use`: Intended use: commercial, editorial, documentary, internal_corporate, digital, broadcast, theatrical, or ai_training. Default commercial. AI training needs a separate data license.

### `license_clip` (~98 tokens)

Get Clip Licensing Options

Get licensing options and prices for a clip without charging anything: Royalty-Free Standard (from $79), Extended for broadcast (from $199), and Exclusive Buyout (quoted by email). This tool never issues a license or takes payment; quote_4k_license starts a purchase.

Input parameters:

- `clip_id` (string, required): The clip_id returned by search_footage (numeric, or a filename-style id). A footage.cool clip URL also works.

### `quote_4k_license` (~294 tokens)

Quote a 4K License

Quote a license for a clip's clean, unwatermarked master. Verifies the master file in storage and reports its exact resolution and codec: nearly every master is 4K UHD, and when one is lower (HD 1080p or 2.7K) the quote includes a resolution_notice that you must pass on to the user. Prices the chosen license from the site's direct pricing and returns a private quote token valid for 30 minutes. Ask the user for the buyer email and the license type first; never invent an email. Does not charge anything. Show the full quote, including the resolution, and the terms link to the user before asking to check out. AI training is excluded.

Input parameters:

- `clip_id` (string, required): The clip to license.
- `customer_email` (string, required): Buyer email for the license certificate and receipt. Ask the user; never invent one.
- `expected_distribution`: Optional expected views or copies. Above 1,000,000 requires rf_extended.
- `license_type` (string, required): rf_standard: all media, worldwide, perpetual, up to 1,000,000 views or copies. rf_extended: adds unlimited distribution, broadcast TV, theatrical, and streaming originals. Let the user choose.
- `usage_scope`: Optional intended use (commercial, editorial, documentary, internal_corporate, digital, broadcast, theatrical). Broadcast and theatrical require rf_extended.

### `create_4k_checkout` (~146 tokens)

Create 4K License Checkout

Create or resume Stripe hosted checkout for a quote. Call ONLY after the user explicitly approves the quoted clip, the master resolution, license type, total price, and terms. Returns a checkout URL for the user and a private order token. The user pays securely on Stripe; never collect card details in chat. Calling again with the same quote returns the same checkout. Creating checkout is not proof of purchase.

Input parameters:

- `confirmed` (boolean, required): Set true only after the user explicitly approves the quoted clip, master resolution, license, price, and terms.
- `quote_token` (string, required): Private quote_token returned by quote_4k_license. Never put it in public links or logs.

### `get_4k_order` (~114 tokens)

Get 4K License and Download

Check an order after checkout. Verifies the payment directly with Stripe, then returns the active license, receipt, license certificate link, and a private download link for the clean master. Requires the private order token from create_4k_checkout. Never report the purchase as complete unless purchase_completed is true. Poll no faster than once every 10 seconds. Keep the token and links private.

Input parameters:

- `order_token` (string, required): Private order_token returned by create_4k_checkout. Keep it and the returned links private.

### `get_catalog_overview` (~71 tokens)

Get Catalog Overview

Overview of what footage.cool's library covers: clip counts by shot year, scene category, subject, and location (grouped by region), people versus no-people counts, and pricing. Use it to see what exists and to find valid category values for search_footage and build_rough_cut.

## Diagnostics

Captured diagnostic sections: TLS, DNSSEC, Authorisation, Transports. The full working is on the page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/cool-footage-mcp-server/www#diagnostics

## Score history

- 2026-09-25: 75
- 2026-09-24: 74
- 2026-09-23: 75
- 2026-09-22: 75
- 2026-09-21: 74

## Common questions

### What is the footage.cool: 4K Drone & Aerial Stock Footage MCP server?

footage.cool: 4K Drone & Aerial Stock Footage is an MCP server listed in the public MCP registry as cool.footage/mcp-server. Search and license 54,000+ drone, aerial, and ocean clips, mostly 4K, from filmmaker Phil Maher. This page covers its hosted endpoint (https://www.footage.cool/mcp).

### Is the footage.cool: 4K Drone & Aerial Stock Footage MCP server safe to use?

footage.cool: 4K Drone & Aerial Stock Footage scores 75 out of 100 on VerifyMCP. That is a record of what we were able to check automatically, not an endorsement. The category breakdown on this page shows every signal behind the number, including the ones we could not confirm.

### What tools does the footage.cool: 4K Drone & Aerial Stock Footage MCP server expose?

footage.cool: 4K Drone & Aerial Stock Footage exposes 10 tools: search_footage, get_clip_details, find_similar_footage, build_rough_cut, check_clip_rights, and 5 more. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 1,727 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.

### Does the footage.cool: 4K Drone & Aerial Stock Footage MCP server require authentication?

No. We connected to footage.cool: 4K Drone & Aerial Stock Footage without credentials and it answered, so anything it exposes is reachable by anyone who knows the address.

### Is the footage.cool: 4K Drone & Aerial Stock Footage MCP server still maintained?

footage.cool: 4K Drone & Aerial Stock Footage is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 25 September 2026. Those dates come from our own scans of the registry and the channel itself, not from anything the publisher announced.

## Links

- Remote endpoint: https://www.footage.cool/mcp
- Website: https://www.footage.cool/for-ai-agents
- Changelog RSS feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/cool-footage-mcp-server/www.xml
- Changelog JSON feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/cool-footage-mcp-server/www.json
- HTML version of this page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/cool-footage-mcp-server/www