fix(npm-cli): default to server subcommand instead of --help

Invoking `npx davinci-resolve-mcp` with no arguments previously defaulted
to `--help`, which wrote usage text to stdout and exited 0. MCP stdio
clients (Hermes Agent, Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.) read that as
malformed JSON-RPC, retried three times, then dropped the connection.

`bin/davinci-resolve-mcp.mjs` now defaults to the `server` subcommand
when no arguments are supplied. Explicit `--help`, `-h`, `help`,
`--version`, and `-v` continue to print to stdout as before. Existing
configs that already pass `server` explicitly are unaffected.

Bumps version surfaces to 2.24.1. Reported in #41.

Author: samuelgursky

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -2,6 +2,18 @@
 
 Release history for the DaVinci Resolve MCP Server. The latest release is summarized in the root README; older entries live here to keep the README focused.
 
+## What's New in v2.24.1
+
+**`npx davinci-resolve-mcp` no longer breaks MCP clients when invoked without a
+subcommand.** The npm bootstrapper previously defaulted to `--help`, which wrote
+usage text to stdout and exited 0. MCP stdio clients (Hermes Agent, Claude
+Desktop, Cursor, etc.) read that as malformed JSON-RPC, retried three times,
+then dropped the connection. `bin/davinci-resolve-mcp.mjs` now defaults to the
+`server` subcommand when no arguments are supplied. Explicit `--help`, `-h`,
+`help`, `--version`, and `-v` continue to print to stdout as before, and
+existing configs that already pass `server` explicitly are unaffected. Reported
+in [#41](https://github.com/samuelgursky/davinci-resolve-mcp/issues/41).
+
 ## What's New in v2.24.0
 
 **Host-chat vision protocol (V2)** — `analyze_*` actions now use

README.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # DaVinci Resolve MCP Server
 
-[![Version](https://img.shields.io/badge/version-2.24.0-blue.svg)](https://github.com/samuelgursky/davinci-resolve-mcp/releases)
+[![Version](https://img.shields.io/badge/version-2.24.1-blue.svg)](https://github.com/samuelgursky/davinci-resolve-mcp/releases)
 [![npm](https://img.shields.io/npm/v/davinci-resolve-mcp.svg?label=npm&color=CB3837)](https://www.npmjs.com/package/davinci-resolve-mcp)
 [![API Coverage](https://img.shields.io/badge/API%20Coverage-100%25-brightgreen.svg)](docs/reference/api-coverage.md)
 [![Tools](https://img.shields.io/badge/MCP%20Tools-32%20(329%20full)-blue.svg)](#server-modes)

bin/davinci-resolve-mcp.mjs

@@ -336,7 +336,10 @@ function commandControlPanel(args) {
 }
 
 function main() {
-  const [command = "--help", ...args] = process.argv.slice(2);
+  const argv = process.argv.slice(2);
+  // No args → run the MCP stdio server. Anything printed to stdout would
+  // otherwise be parsed as JSON-RPC by MCP clients and break the connection.
+  const [command = "server", ...args] = argv;
 
   try {
     if (command === "--help" || command === "-h" || command === "help") {

install.py

@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
 
 # ─── Version ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
-VERSION = "2.24.0"
+VERSION = "2.24.1"
 SUPPORTED_PYTHON_MIN = (3, 10)
 SUPPORTED_PYTHON_MAX = (3, 12)
 

package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "davinci-resolve-mcp",
-  "version": "2.24.0",
+  "version": "2.24.1",
   "description": "NPM bootstrapper for the DaVinci Resolve MCP Server.",
   "license": "MIT",
   "author": "Samuel Gursky <samgursky@gmail.com>",

release-notes/v2.24.1.md

@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+## v2.24.1
+
+v2.24.1 fixes a CLI bug that caused `npx davinci-resolve-mcp` (with no
+subcommand) to print help text to stdout, which MCP clients then tried to parse
+as JSON-RPC. Reported in
+[#41](https://github.com/samuelgursky/davinci-resolve-mcp/issues/41).
+
+### Fixed
+
+- `bin/davinci-resolve-mcp.mjs` now defaults to the `server` subcommand when
+  invoked with no arguments. Previously the default was `--help`, which wrote
+  usage text to stdout and exited 0; MCP stdio clients (Hermes Agent, Claude
+  Desktop, Cursor, etc.) read that as malformed JSON-RPC, retried three times,
+  then dropped the connection. Existing configs that already pass `server`
+  explicitly are unaffected. Explicit `--help`, `-h`, `help`, `--version`, and
+  `-v` continue to print to stdout as before.
+
+### Changed
+
+- Bumped version surfaces to `2.24.1`.
+
+### Validation
+
+- `venv/bin/python tests/test_import.py`
+- `venv/bin/python scripts/audit_api_parity.py`
+- `node bin/davinci-resolve-mcp.mjs --help`
+- `node bin/davinci-resolve-mcp.mjs --version`
+- `npm pack --dry-run`
+- `git diff --check`
+
+No Resolve scripting behavior changed; live Resolve mutation validation was not
+required.

src/granular/common.py

@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@
         handlers=[logging.StreamHandler()],
     )
 
-VERSION = "2.24.0"
+VERSION = "2.24.1"
 logger = logging.getLogger("davinci-resolve-mcp")
 logger.info(f"Starting DaVinci Resolve MCP Server v{VERSION}")
 logger.info(f"Detected platform: {get_platform()}")

src/server.py

@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
     python src/server.py --full       # Start the 329-tool granular server instead
 """
 
-VERSION = "2.24.0"
+VERSION = "2.24.1"
 
 import base64
 import os