# Video Assets Server > Free search engine, REST API, CLI and MCP server for stock video. One query searches 23 video sites (NASA's Image and Video Library and Scientific Visualization Studio, Wikimedia Commons and the Internet Archive directly, plus deep links into Pexels, Pixabay, Coverr, Mixkit, Europeana, the Library of Congress and paid libraries such as Shutterstock, Adobe Stock and Getty Images) for b-roll, backgrounds, nature, cities, aerials, space, science, timelapses and archive films, with a poster, a playable preview, resolution, orientation, frame rate, length and a licence verdict on commercial use for every clip. No account or API key needed; a free, non-commercial service that never streams or re-hosts video (posters, previews and downloads come straight from the sources). **When to use Video Assets Server.** Use it when a user or task needs existing footage: - finding b-roll for a video ("ocean waves at sunset", "drone city skyline night", "rocket launch slow motion", "1950s newsreel"); - matching a format: vertical 9:16 for Reels/TikTok/Shorts, 4K, a minimum length, 60 fps; - turning a shot list into a b-roll sequence with an OpenTimelineIO timeline, an ffmpeg script, a Remotion clip list and the credits; - downloading the right rendition (MP4/WebM, 720p to 4K) with ATTRIBUTION.md into a project; - checking whether a clip may be used in a commercial video, whether it is editorial-only, and which credit line it needs. **Catalog (counted 2026-10-28).** 520,959+ video listings from 3 counted sources, 520,959+ free; by category: 10,601 space, 10,461 archive & vintage. Do not use it to generate new video, to download films or TV shows, or to buy stock (paid results link to their store). Licence rules for agents: search commercial-safe by default, report every clip's `license.verdict` and `license.editorial`, never present `no`, `check-terms` or editorial clips as cleared for advertising, and pass on the `attribution` line when there is one. **How to call it.** MCP (preferred): add `https://video.shep.bot/mcp` (Streamable HTTP, no auth) under the name `video`, e.g. `claude mcp add --transport http video https://video.shep.bot/mcp`, then call `search_videos` → `get_video` → download its `selection.downloadUrl`, or `build_sequence` for a whole edit (`download_video` on local installs: `npx -y video-assets-server mcp`). REST: `GET https://video.shep.bot/v1/search?q=...&orientation=portrait&min_resolution=1080&commercial=true` → `GET /v1/clips/{id}` → `GET /v1/clips/{id}/download?height=1080` (302 to the source); `POST /v1/sequences`. Limits: 120 requests/minute per client (RateLimit headers, 429 + Retry-After). Full agent guide: https://video.shep.bot/AGENTS.md ## Docs - [Agent guide](https://video.shep.bot/AGENTS.md): when to use the service, licence rules, and how an AI agent should search, choose and download footage - [Quick start](https://video.shep.bot/docs.md): Get started with Video Assets Server in two minutes. Search free stock video in the browser, connect Claude Code or Cursor over MCP, or call the REST API. - [MCP server for AI agents](https://video.shep.bot/docs/mcp.md): Connect Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, Codex or Gemini CLI to the Video Assets Server MCP server so your agent finds, vets and fetches stock footage. - [REST API guide](https://video.shep.bot/docs/api.md): Search free stock video across many sites with one REST call, read licence verdicts and credit lines, get renditions from the source and plan b-roll sequences. - [Video licences explained](https://video.shep.bot/docs/licences.md): What CC0, public domain, CC BY, BY-SA, NC and ND, NASA media, uploader-asserted and editorial footage mean for a commercial video, and how verdicts are decided. - [Frequently asked questions](https://video.shep.bot/docs/faq.md): Short answers about what Video Assets Server searches, licence verdicts, credits, downloads, rate limits, AI agents and self-hosting. - [Versioning, deprecation & rate limits](https://video.shep.bot/docs/api/versioning.md): How the Video Assets Server API is versioned, how deprecations are announced with Deprecation and Sunset headers, and how rate limits work. - [Sources & licences](https://video.shep.bot/docs/sources.md): The 23 sites searched, with licences. - [Video Assets Server CLI](https://video.shep.bot/docs/cli.md): Use the video-assets-server command line tool to search stock video sites from a terminal, download renditions, build b-roll sequences or run the MCP server. - [Self-hosting](https://video.shep.bot/docs/self-hosting.md): Run your own Video Assets Server with Docker or Node.js, protect it with an API key, let the MCP server download to disk, and expose Prometheus metrics. ## Guides - [All guides](https://video.shep.bot/guides.md): answer-first guides on stock video licences, credits, NASA and archive footage, vertical video and b-roll sequences - [Free stock footage for commercial use: what the licences mean](https://video.shep.bot/guides/free-stock-footage-commercial-use.md): Which free stock video you can use in ads, client work and monetised videos: CC0, public domain, CC BY, share-alike, NC, NASA and editorial footage. - [How to credit CC BY video in your own videos](https://video.shep.bot/guides/credit-cc-by-video.md): The credit line a CC BY clip needs (title, author, source, licence, changes) and where to put it on YouTube, social posts and client work, with examples. - [NASA footage: what you can and can't do with it](https://video.shep.bot/guides/nasa-footage-rules.md): NASA video is generally not copyrighted in the US, but it comes with rules: credit, no NASA logo, no implied endorsement, astronauts in ads, partners. - [Editorial vs commercial: model releases and logos in stock footage](https://video.shep.bot/guides/editorial-vs-commercial-footage.md): Why a free clip can still be editorial-only: model releases, property releases, logos and insignia, and how to tell if footage is safe for an ad. - [Public-domain archive films (Prelinger) and how to use them](https://video.shep.bot/guides/prelinger-public-domain-films.md): Where public-domain archive footage comes from, why the Prelinger Archives differ from other Internet Archive uploads, and how to edit old film. - [Vertical video for Reels, TikTok and Shorts: find and crop footage](https://video.shep.bot/guides/vertical-video-reels-tiktok-shorts.md): How to find free vertical 9:16 footage, when to crop landscape clips instead, the ffmpeg command for it, and the size short-form platforms expect. - [Build a b-roll sequence from a shot list (OTIO, ffmpeg, Remotion)](https://video.shep.bot/guides/b-roll-sequence-from-shot-list.md): Turn a shot list into a cut b-roll sequence with free stock footage: pick the frame, review the picks, export to DaVinci Resolve, ffmpeg or Remotion. - [4K, 1080p, codecs and containers: picking the right stock video file](https://video.shep.bot/guides/video-resolution-codecs-containers.md): Which rendition to download: resolution tiers, frame rates, H.264 vs VP9, MP4 vs WebM, file sizes, and why the master isn't always the best choice. - [Using an AI agent to find and license stock footage](https://video.shep.bot/guides/ai-agent-find-and-license-footage.md): Connect Claude Code, Cursor or another agent to Video Assets Server over MCP, then ask for footage, sequences and credit lines under the licence rules. - [Glossary](https://video.shep.bot/glossary.md): B-roll, stock footage, 4K, frame rate, codec, container, rendition, LUT, CC0, CC BY, BY-SA, NC, ND, editorial use, model release, OTIO, ffmpeg, Remotion, MCP and more ## API - [OpenAPI 3.1](https://video.shep.bot/openapi.json): machine-readable REST API description (rate-limit headers, 429 responses, schemas) - [API reference](https://video.shep.bot/docs/api/reference.md): every endpoint, parameter, response and schema - [API playground](https://video.shep.bot/docs/api/playground): send live requests from the browser (interactive Scalar client) - [MCP endpoint](https://video.shep.bot/mcp): Streamable HTTP; tools search_videos, get_video, build_sequence, list_sources (download_video on local installs) - [Search endpoint](https://video.shep.bot/v1/search?q=ocean+waves&orientation=portrait&commercial=true): example search ## Collections - [All footage collections](https://video.shep.bot/footage.md): curated, daily-refreshed lists of free stock video by topic, with licence verdicts and clip ids - [Free nature footage: oceans, skies and aerials](https://video.shep.bot/footage/nature.md): Free nature stock video: ocean waves, clouds and sunsets, forests, mountains and drone shots, from public-domain and Creative Commons archives. - [Free city footage: streets, skylines, timelapses](https://video.shep.bot/footage/cities.md): Free city stock video: skylines, busy streets, traffic and night lights, plus timelapses of cities and skies, with resolution, length and licence on every clip. - [Free space footage: launches, Earth and NASA](https://video.shep.bot/footage/space.md): Free space and science video from NASA: rocket launches, Earth from orbit, the Sun and planets, and data visualisations in 1080p and 4K, with usage rules. - [Free archive footage and public-domain films](https://video.shep.bot/footage/archive.md): Free archive footage: public-domain newsreels, Prelinger educational and industrial films and home movies, with year, licence and editorial flags on every clip. - [Free motion backgrounds and abstract loops](https://video.shep.bot/footage/backgrounds.md): Free motion backgrounds, abstract and data-driven animations, seamless loops and slow-motion footage for titles, slides, stages and transitions. - [Free vertical video for Reels, TikTok and Shorts](https://video.shep.bot/footage/vertical.md): Free vertical 9:16 stock video for Reels, TikTok, Shorts and Stories: portrait clips from open archives, with tips for cropping landscape footage. - [Free 4K nature footage: landscapes and skies](https://video.shep.bot/footage/free-4k-nature-footage.md): Free 4K nature stock video only: landscapes, skies, oceans, forests and Earth from orbit at 2160p or more, with direct downloads and licence verdicts. - [Free cloud timelapses: skies, storms and sunsets](https://video.shep.bot/footage/free-cloud-timelapses.md): Free cloud and sky timelapse videos: racing clouds, sunsets, storms and fog for intros, transitions and backgrounds, with resolution and licence. - [Free drone footage: aerials of land and cities](https://video.shep.bot/footage/free-drone-footage.md): Free aerial and drone stock video: flyovers of coastlines, forests, mountains and cities, and views from aircraft, with resolution and licence verdicts. - [Free ocean footage: waves, beaches and seas](https://video.shep.bot/footage/free-ocean-footage.md): Free ocean stock video: breaking waves, beaches, coastlines and open sea, plus ocean science from NASA, with resolution, length and licence on every clip. - [Free city footage: skylines, streets and traffic](https://video.shep.bot/footage/free-city-footage.md): Free city stock video: skylines, streets, traffic and night lights from open archives, with editorial flags where people and brands appear without releases. - [Free timelapse videos: cities, skies and nature](https://video.shep.bot/footage/free-timelapse-videos.md): Free timelapse stock video: city lights, traffic trails, clouds, stars and nature compressed into seconds, with frame rate, resolution and licence. - [Earth from space videos: orbit views and globes](https://video.shep.bot/footage/earth-from-space-videos.md): Free videos of Earth from space: views from the space station, rotating globes, night lights, weather and auroras from NASA, with credit lines ready. - [Free space footage: planets, stars and missions](https://video.shep.bot/footage/free-space-footage.md): Free space stock video from NASA and open archives: planets, the Sun and Moon, galaxies, spacecraft and astronauts, with NASA's credit rules shown. - [NASA data visualisations and science animations](https://video.shep.bot/footage/nasa-data-visualizations.md): Free science visualisations from NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio and others: weather, oceans, the Sun and Moon, often 4K at 60 fps. - [Rocket launch footage: liftoffs and missions](https://video.shep.bot/footage/rocket-launch-footage.md): Free rocket launch videos from NASA and open archives: liftoffs, engine close-ups, tracking shots and historic launches, with credit lines and partner warnings. - [Prelinger and public-domain archive films](https://video.shep.bot/footage/prelinger-archive-films.md): Free archive films: Prelinger educational, industrial and advertising films, home movies and early cinema, from the Internet Archive and Wikimedia Commons. - [Public-domain newsreels and documentary footage](https://video.shep.bot/footage/public-domain-newsreels.md): Free newsreels and documentary films from the Internet Archive and Wikimedia Commons: wartime, public information and news footage, with year. - [Free motion backgrounds and abstract loops](https://video.shep.bot/footage/free-motion-backgrounds.md): Free motion backgrounds: abstract animations, particles, gradients and data-driven loops for titles, slides, stage screens and websites. - [Free slow-motion footage: high frame rate clips](https://video.shep.bot/footage/free-slow-motion-footage.md): Free slow-motion stock video: water, launches, animals and motion shot at high frame rates, with the fps shown so you know how far each clip can be slowed down. - [Free vertical nature videos for Reels and TikTok](https://video.shep.bot/footage/free-vertical-nature-videos.md): Free vertical nature footage in 9:16: waves, skies, forests and Earth from orbit for Reels, TikTok, Shorts and Stories, with a licence verdict. - [Free vertical videos (9:16) for Reels and Shorts](https://video.shep.bot/footage/free-vertical-videos.md): Free vertical 9:16 stock video for Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Stories: portrait clips that fill a phone screen, with resolution and licence. ## About - [About Video Assets Server](https://video.shep.bot/about.md): What Video Assets Server is, who runs it, how it finds free stock video across many sites, and how it treats licences and the sites it searches. - [Stock video in numbers](https://video.shep.bot/stats.md): How many videos every source holds (counted daily, by category), plus live usage. - [Contact](https://video.shep.bot/contact.md): How to reach the Video Assets Server maintainers for support, bug reports, security issues, source and licence questions, and requests from video sites. - [Privacy](https://video.shep.bot/privacy.md): What Video Assets Server records (search text in server logs, anonymous counters, which AI tools call MCP), what stays in your browser and who else you reach. ## Optional - [Claude Code skill](https://video.shep.bot/skill/SKILL.md): drop into ~/.claude/skills/video/SKILL.md - [Everything in one file](https://video.shep.bot/llms-full.txt) - [Web search](https://video.shep.bot/search.md): search parameters and categories as URLs - [Sequence builder](https://video.shep.bot/sequence.md): a shot list to a b-roll edit with one API call - [Sitemap](https://video.shep.bot/sitemap-index.xml)