nim-mcp

A standardized MCP server for NIM Labs — the 5th tracker in the tracker-MCP family. It exposes NIM through the same normalized contract as shotgrid-mcp, ftrack-mcp, kitsu-mcp and ayon-mcp, so an agent (or the hub) can read, verify, migrate and roll up NIM projects alongside the other four.

No nim_core SDK dependency — it drives the NIM HTTP API (/nimAPI.php) directly over REST.

NIM data model

Job (the project)  ──►  Shows (~sequence/episode tier)  ──►  Shots  ──►  Tasks ──► Files/Versions · Elements · Renders · Review items
                   └─►  Assets                                        └─►  Tasks

NIM is the only tracker with a fixed three-level hierarchy (Job → Show → Shot); a Job is the project container, Assets hang off the Job. It's also the strongest reference for bidding / scheduling / timecards (the job lifecycle literally starts at BIDDING). See COMPARISON.md for the full 5-way mapping.

Install

pip install -r requirements.txt     # fastmcp + requests
cp .env.example .env                 # then fill in the values

Configure (.env)

NIM_URL=http://your-nim-host          # the NIM VM/app host; the API is <NIM_URL>/nimAPI.php
NIM_API_USER=yourbot                  # a NIM username (or numeric user id)
NIM_API_KEY=...                       # per-user key (Admin ▸ Security ▸ Options); may be blank if key-optional

Auth is sent as X-NIM-API-USER / X-NIM-API-KEY headers. NIM can run key-optional (the API is open) — in that case reads work with a blank key; enabling keys is recommended for anything networked.

Register with Claude Code

claude mcp add nim -- python3 /path/to/nim-mcp/server.py

Tools (25)

Tool	NIM function(s)
whoami	testAPI + getUsers — version, key validity, resolved user
list_jobs	findJobs (all) / getUserJobs (a user's assigned)
get	get{Job,Show,Shot,Asset,Task}Info
list_shows · list_shots · list_assets	getShows / getShots / getAssets (parent ID=)
list_tasks	getTaskInfo&class=shot|asset&itemID=
list_task_types · list_statuses · list_users	getTaskTypes / get*Statuses / getUsers
new_job · new_show · new_shot · new_asset · new_task	addJob / addShow / addShot / addAsset / addTask
update_task · set_task_status	updateTask (taskStatusID, validated by name)
add_render · add_element · add_file · list_versions	addRender / addElement / addFile / getVersions
upload_review · log_time	uploadReviewItem / addTimecards
nim_call	escape hatch — any q= function + params
project_summary	the normalized cross-tracker snapshot (below)

Every new_* / update_* / set_* tool takes dry_run: "plan" (echo the call, no server contact) or "preflight" (resolve parents + validate the status against the live list, write nothing).

⚠️ Not in NIM's API (UI-only — these tools can't exist)

NIM's production-business layer has no REST API — each function below returns Invalid query, so nim-mcp deliberately does not wrap them (verified live against NIM 7.2.9):

Domain	Status
Bids (+ line items, templates)	❌ UI-only — created in the Kendo bid builder
Expenses · Actuals · Invoices	❌ UI-only — inline-grid / derived in the UI
Crew rates / Financials (Rate · P&W · OT · DT)	❌ UI-only
User creation (addUser)	❌ admin-UI only (getUsers etc. are read-only)
Custom-Key definitions	⚠️ values via updateJob&customKeys= only persist for pre-defined keys

The API does cover the creative pipeline (jobs/shows/shots/assets/tasks/versions/renders/elements) plus timecards · schedule · contacts · resources · exchange-rates. The financial loop that is NIM's signature feature is the one part you can't automate — the design lesson behind expanding our clone to expose all of it as first-class tools.

The cross-tracker contract — project_summary

Identical shape to the other four servers (this is what the hub consumes):

{
  "tracker": "nim",
  "project": { "name": "NIGHTJAR", "id": 1, "code": "26000" },
  "counts":  { "sequences": 1, "assets": 1, "shots": 1, "tasks": 1 },
  "sequences": ["SEQ010"],
  "shots":  { "SH010": { "sequence": "SEQ010", "tasks": { "ANIM": "review" } } },
  "assets": { "HERO_CHAR": { "tasks": {} } }
}

NIM's per-entity statuses map to the canonical todo / wip / done / review / approved.

NIM quirks this server normalizes

• Inconsistent envelopes — bare array · {success,error,data} · {ID,success} (writes) · [{success:false,error}].
• Generic list params — getShots&ID=<showID>, getShows&ID=<jobID>, getAssets&ID=<jobID>; there is no getTasks (a parent's tasks come from getTaskInfo&class=…&itemID=…).
• Field-name gotchas — Shows carry showname; task-status writes use taskStatusID (camelCase).
• getUserJobs lists only assigned jobs — list_jobs uses findJobs for the full list.

All verified live against NIM 7.2.9.

---

Part of the tracker-MCP quintet — hub · shotgrid · ftrack · kitsu · ayon. MIT · John Huikku.