Setup

Install the Client SDK, configure platform binaries, and verify your environment

1. Initialize your project

Create a new project directory and initialize it:

mkdir my-camera-app && cd my-camera-app
npm init -y
npm pkg set type=module

camera-remote-web-api is an ESM-only package. Setting "type": "module" in your package.json enables ES module syntax (import/export) which is required to use the SDK.

2. Install the SDK

npm install camera-remote-web-api

During installation, you’ll be prompted to accept the Sony Camera Remote SDK license agreement. The native binary for your current OS is downloaded automatically.

3. Install additional platform binaries

If you need to target platforms other than your current machine (e.g., deploying to Linux from macOS):

npx camera-server platforms                      # List available platforms
npx camera-server install --platform linux-x64   # Install a specific platform
npx camera-server install --platform linux-arm64
npx camera-server install --platform win32-x64

Supported platforms

Platform	Architecture	Package
macOS	Apple Silicon (ARM64)	@alpha-sdk/darwin-arm64
Linux	x64	@alpha-sdk/linux-x64
Linux	ARM64	@alpha-sdk/linux-arm64
Windows	x64	@alpha-sdk/win32-x64

4. Check dependencies

Run the doctor command to verify your environment has all required dependencies:

npx camera-server doctor

Requirements

• Node.js 18+
• Camera: Sony camera with Remote SDK support (USB or network)
• Windows: libusbK 3.0 driver required for USB connections
• macOS: macOS 14+ (Sonoma)
• Linux: Ubuntu 20.04+ or equivalent

5. Install MCP servers (optional)

Configure AI-powered SDK documentation search for Claude Code, VS Code, or Cursor:

npx camera-server mcp

This walks you through installing the AI SDK Assistant and AI Camera Assistant MCP servers. See the MCP Server quickstart for details.

6. Verify setup

Check that everything is installed correctly:

npx camera-server info

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CLI Reference

All available camera-server commands:

npx camera-server info                           # Version and binary info
npx camera-server install [--platform <name>]    # Install platform binary
npx camera-server uninstall [--platform <name>]  # Remove platform binary
npx camera-server doctor                         # Check system prerequisites
npx camera-server platforms                      # List available platforms
npx camera-server docs                           # Open API docs in browser
npx camera-server mcp                            # Configure MCP servers

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Package Exports

The npm package has two entry points:

Import	Environment	Includes
camera-remote-web-api	Browser + Node.js	CameraManager, CameraClient, EventStream, all types
camera-remote-web-api/server	Node.js only	CameraManager (server), ServerManager, LiveViewStream, CameraServer

// Browser-safe (no Node.js dependencies)
import { CameraManager, CameraClient, EventStream } from 'camera-remote-web-api';

// Node.js only (spawns binary, uses WebSocket)
import { CameraManager, ServerManager, LiveViewStream } from 'camera-remote-web-api/server';

The CameraManager exported from camera-remote-web-api/server is a different class than the one from camera-remote-web-api. The server variant includes binary management (start() is async, getPort(), getPid(), etc.).