Runway Brings Live Project Data to Claude Code and Cursor Agents
Runway's new plugin lets Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and Grok Bot wire generative video, image, and audio APIs directly into your app from the editor.
- Runway launched Runway Dev plugins for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and Grok Bot.
- One install adds the Runway Dev MCP plus seven skills covering models, routers, Characters, Recipes, and Workflows.
- Agents see your project's available models, costs, and accepted inputs before writing integration code.
- MCP can create Model Routers, debug failed tasks, and wire credit balance alerts automatically.
- Plugin is free; generations bill against your Runway credits at standard per-model pricing.
- Claude Code endpoint cannot create new Characters; create them in your Runway Dev account instead.
Runway, the generative media platform, has released Runway Dev plugins for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and Grok Bot. The integrations let coding agents plan, configure, and debug Runway API features from the editor.
A developer can describe a feature such as video editing, image generation, or a real-time avatar, and the agent can use account-specific data to select endpoints, write integration code, and investigate failed tasks. Live access matters because model availability, accepted inputs, credit prices, routers, and published workflows can vary by project.
One plugin, two kinds of context
The plugin combines Runway Dev MCP with seven instruction bundles called skills. MCP, short for Model Context Protocol, provides the live connection to a Runway Dev account. The skills teach the coding agent Runway’s API conventions and implementation patterns.
| Skill | Purpose |
|---|---|
runway-dev |
Provides the baseline Runway API integration guidance. |
runway-dev-setup |
Connects the account and handles initial project setup. |
runway-dev-models |
Builds direct calls to image, video, and audio models. |
runway-dev-model-routers |
Uses saved routers that select models according to cost, speed, or request requirements. |
runway-dev-characters |
Builds real-time avatar features with Characters and live Sessions. |
runway-dev-recipes |
Integrates Runway’s prebuilt media pipelines. |
runway-dev-workflows |
Calls Workflows published from the Runway app. |
The skills guide the agent during implementation. The production application calls the Runway API independently of those skill files.
Live project data shortens debugging
Through the MCP guide integration, an agent can query the models available to a project, their accepted inputs, and their credit prices. That account-specific catalog helps the agent produce code aligned with the project’s current access.
For a video-editing route, the agent can list available video-to-video models, compare per-second credit costs, and inspect each model’s input requirements before choosing an endpoint. If a task returns ASSET.INVALID, it can retrieve the task status, identify an undersized image, and update the route to upscale small inputs before submission.
Budget and balance checks use the same account connection. For a $3 ceiling per video, the agent can create a Model Router that favors faster options and excludes requests estimated above 300 credits. It can also inspect the current balance, estimate the remaining generation capacity, and write a scheduled check that alerts a team when projected usage leaves less than one week of credits.
Claude Code: plugin or manual setup
Official marketplace package
/plugin install runway-api@claude-plugins-officialThe marketplace package installs the Runway integration from an active Claude Code session.
Manual connection
claude mcp add --transport http --scope user runway-dev-mcp https://dev.runwayml.com/mcp/claude
npx skills add https://github.com/runwayml/skills/tree/main/claude/skills --skill runway-dev-setup --skill runway-dev --skill runway-dev-models -a claude-code -y
claude mcp login runway-dev-mcpThe manual command installs the setup, baseline, and direct-model skills. Projects using routers, Characters, Recipes, or Workflows can add the corresponding skills separately.
Runway publishes current installation steps for Codex, Cursor, and Grok Bot on its plugin page, since package registration varies by agent and version.
Claude-specific limits
- Authentication: The MCP connection uses OAuth, so the client configuration contains no Runway API key.
- Character creation: The dedicated endpoint used by Claude Desktop and Claude Code cannot create Characters. Create them in the Runway Dev account before referencing them from the integration.
- Terminal login: Claude Code 2.1.186 or later supports
claude mcp login runway-dev-mcp. - Remote machines: Claude Code 2.1.191 or later supports
--no-browserfor authentication without a local browser.
Credentials, billing, and boundaries
| Component | Credential | Function | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plugin and MCP | OAuth | Reads project context and performs requested account configuration. | Free to install. |
| Application API | Server-side API key | Submits image, video, and audio generation jobs. | Consumes credits at each model’s listed price. |
| Skills | No separate credential | Guides the coding agent while it writes and debugs the integration. | Included with the plugin. |
The application should load its Runway API key from a server-side environment variable. API-key creation and media generation sit outside the MCP’s scope. The plugin instructions also require an explicit request before the agent creates, changes, or deletes resources in the connected Runway account.
Projects that benefit most
Products with recurring generative-media workloads gain the most from live model selection, routing, validation, and credit monitoring. Common applications include:
- Ad-variation systems that enforce cost ceilings and latency targets for each request
- Video-editing products that route uploaded footage to
aleph2, Seedance, or Kling according to the task - Avatar features that need Character and live Session management
- Internal tools built around Runway Recipes or Workflows published from the main app
One-off generations are usually covered by the Runway app. The plugin targets product development and account configuration, while finished media requests flow through the application’s Runway API integration. Teams working across several media models can use the live catalog to reduce repeated checks across documentation, dashboards, and editor sessions.
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