Avid CTMS API
✓ Official Vendor SpecMediaVideo Processingbearer, oauth212 EndpointsREST
For Agents
Browse, search, and export video and audio assets across Avid MediaCentral systems through a unified HAL+JSON interface for media operations workflows.
Use for: I want to search for video clips with a specific tag in MediaCentral, Get an OAuth bearer token for the Avid CTMS API, Browse the locations folder for the Production realm, List available service roots for an Avid system
Not supported: Does not handle non-linear editing, video transcoding, or playout — use for cross-system media search, browsing, and export orchestration only.
The Avid CTMS (Common Type and Method System) API is a HAL-based REST interface for querying and managing media assets — video, audio, metadata, and folder structures — inside Avid MediaCentral environments. It exposes a unified object model across MediaCentral system types (Interplay MAM, Interplay Production, MediaCentral UX) so integrators can browse locations, search assets, run exports, and resolve service roots without writing per-system clients. Authentication uses OAuth 2.0 client-credentials issuing bearer tokens via /auth/v0/token.
Install Jentic One Beta
Connect the Avid CTMS API to your agent
Jentic One is a self-hosted execution layer for AI agents. It lets your agent call the Avid CTMS API, or any other public or private API you need. You set the rules, the agent never sees your credentials, and every call is logged.
Two steps, two machines. Install the instance in a safe environment, then register your agent from wherever it runs.
1
Step 1: Jentic One Host machine
# On the machine that will host your Jentic One instance:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jentic/jentic-one/main/tools/install.sh | sh2
Step 2: Agent machine
# On the machine where your agent runs (keep this separate from the instance):
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jentic/jentic-one/main/tools/install.sh | sh
jentic register # connects your agent to your Jentic One instanceJentic One is in public beta. The setup above keeps your agent separate from the instance, which is what you want before using real credentials: an agent running as the same OS user as Jentic One can read its stored keys directly. Just evaluating? A single local install is fine to start. See the secure deployment guide for the tiers.
Capabilities
What an agent can do with Avid CTMS API.
Discover available MediaCentral service roots and system types via /avid.ctms.registry endpoints
Issue an OAuth 2.0 bearer token for CTMS access through /auth/v0/token
Browse the location hierarchy of media items, folders, and root items inside a CTMS realm
Search media assets across MAM, Production, and UX systems with shared filter semantics
Trigger export operations on selected assets through the Export endpoints
Use Cases
Patterns agents use Avid CTMS API for, with concrete tasks.
★ Cross-System Media Search
Broadcasters and post-production houses operate multiple Avid systems (MAM, Production, UX) and use the CTMS search endpoint to query them with a shared filter syntax. The /search endpoint returns HAL-linked results across realms, replacing custom UIs that previously had to be written per-system.
Call /{serviceType};version=0;realm={realm}/search with a filter for clips tagged 'sports-highlights' created in the last 7 days, then return the asset IDs and locations
Service-Root Discovery
Integrations bootstrap by hitting /avid.ctms.registry;version=0/serviceroots to discover which Avid systems are available, what type each one is, and which CTMS service contracts they expose. This avoids hard-coding system URLs and lets workflows adapt as new MediaCentral instances come online.
Call GET /avid.ctms.registry;version=0/serviceroots, list each service root's systemType, and return the service URLs the agent can call against
Location Browsing and Export
Operators browse the folder/location hierarchy of a realm using /locations endpoints, select items, and trigger export jobs through the Export tag. CTMS keeps the browse-then-export pattern consistent across MAM and Production so the same agent code works against either backend.
Browse /{serviceType};version=0;realm={realm}/locations/items to find items under the 'Daily Rushes' folder, then submit an export request for the selected item IDs
Agent-Driven Newsroom Workflows via Jentic
AI agents in newsroom and content-supply workflows call CTMS through Jentic to find and prepare media on producer cues. Jentic exposes the 12 CTMS operations as discoverable tools so the agent can resolve service roots, search assets, and queue exports from a single conversational request.
Given producer cue 'pull all Champions League final clips from yesterday', search Jentic for 'search Avid CTMS', call the search endpoint with the appropriate filter, and queue an export of the matching assets
Key Endpoints
12 endpoints — the avid ctms (common type and method system) api is a hal-based rest interface for querying and managing media assets — video, audio, metadata, and folder structures — inside avid mediacentral environments.
METHOD
PATH
DESCRIPTION
POST
/auth/v0/token
Issue an OAuth 2.0 bearer token
GET
/avid.ctms.registry;version=0/serviceroots
List available service roots
GET
/avid.ctms.registry;version=0/serviceroots/{systemType}
List service roots for a specific system type
GET
/{serviceType};version={version};realm={realm}/locations/items
Browse location items
GET
/{serviceType};version={version};realm={realm}/search
Search assets in a realm
GET
/{serviceType};version={version};realm={realm}/search/filters
List available search filters
POST
/auth/v0/token
Issue an OAuth 2.0 bearer token
GET
/avid.ctms.registry;version=0/serviceroots
List available service roots
GET
/avid.ctms.registry;version=0/serviceroots/{systemType}
List service roots for a specific system type
GET
/{serviceType};version={version};realm={realm}/locations/items
Browse location items
GET
/{serviceType};version={version};realm={realm}/search
Search assets in a realm
GET
/{serviceType};version={version};realm={realm}/search/filters
List available search filters
Why Jentic?
Three things that make agents converge on Jentic-routed access.
Credential isolation
Avid CTMS OAuth client credentials are stored encrypted in the Jentic vault. Jentic exchanges them for short-lived bearer tokens at /auth/v0/token on the agent's behalf — raw credentials never enter the agent's context.
Intent-based discovery
Agents search by intent (e.g., 'search media assets') and Jentic returns the matching CTMS operation from the 12 available, with the HAL templated path parameters (serviceType, version, realm) populated from the registry response.
Time to first call
Direct CTMS integration: 1-2 weeks for OAuth, registry discovery, HAL link traversal, and per-realm search wiring. Through Jentic: under 1 hour — search, load schema, execute.
Related APIs
Alternatives and complements available in the Jentic catalogue.
FAQs
Specific to using Avid CTMS API through Jentic.
What authentication does the Avid CTMS API use?
Avid CTMS uses OAuth 2.0 client-credentials. POST to /auth/v0/token with your client credentials to receive a bearer token, then send it on subsequent requests. Through Jentic, your CTMS client credentials live in the Jentic vault and tokens are issued and refreshed automatically.
Can I search across multiple MediaCentral systems with the Avid CTMS API?
Yes. The CTMS contract is shared across MAM, Production, and UX, so the same /search endpoint works against any realm exposed in /avid.ctms.registry serviceroots. Filter semantics are shared so cross-system queries do not need per-system code paths.
What are the rate limits for the Avid CTMS API?
Rate limits depend on the deployed Avid environment rather than a global Avid policy — CTMS is typically run on customer-controlled MediaCentral installations. Coordinate with the system administrator on call rates and back off on HTTP 429 if returned.
How do I run an asset search through Jentic?
Search Jentic for 'search Avid media assets', load the schema for GET /{serviceType};version={version};realm={realm}/search, and execute with the realm and filter arguments. Jentic returns the matching CTMS operation directly so the agent skips browsing the HAL contracts.
How do I discover which Avid systems are available?
Call GET /avid.ctms.registry;version=0/serviceroots to list the available service roots and their system types (MAM, Production, UX). Use GET /avid.ctms.registry;version=0/serviceroots/{systemType} to filter to one system type when you already know which kind you need.
Is the Avid CTMS API free to use?
CTMS is part of the Avid MediaCentral platform and is licensed alongside the underlying MediaCentral installation. There is no separate per-call fee — costs are governed by your Avid contract and deployment scale.
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