Method for monitoring and controlling a machine tool for the machining of workpieces, in particular workpieces which are formed, at least partially, of wood, a wood-based material, plastic or composite, with a plurality of processing tools for carrying out a processing operation and with at least one tool carrier which holds the plurality of processing tools, wherein the method has the steps that - at least one actual state of the processing tools and/or of the at least one tool carrier is captured optically by an image scanning device and image information on the at least one actual state is transmitted to a control device, - wherein the image scanning device is formed by only one camera; - at least one parameter of the processing tools and/or of the at least one tool carrier is determined from the image information, and - the control device outputs a control signal depending on the at least one parameter, wherein - before carrying out the processing operation and/or after changing in at least one processing tool, a target state of the processing tools is captured optically by the image scanning device and image information on the optically captured target state is transmitted to the control device, - the actual state of the processing tools is optically captured by the image scanning device at defined time intervals or after a defined number of processing operations, wherein - in order to capture the target state and in order to capture the actual state, the image scanning device optically scans the processing tools simultaneously, and - the actual state and the target state are compared with each other by the control device and, if a deviation between the actual state and the target state is determined, a tool defect is identified and the control signal is output, wherein - at least one tool parameter is determined from the image information on the target state and from the image information on the actual state of each processing tool and the at least one tool parameter of the actual state of each processing tool is compared with the at least one tool parameter of the target state and, in the event of a deviation between the tool parameters, the tool defect of the respective processing tool is identified and the control signal is output. - at least one actual state of the processing tools and/or of the at least one tool carrier is captured optically by an image scanning device and image information on the at least one actual state is transmitted to a control device, - wherein the image scanning device is formed by only one camera; - at least one parameter of the processing tools and/or of the at least one tool carrier is determined from the image information, and - the control device outputs a control signal depending on the at least one parameter, wherein - before carrying out the processing operation and/or after changing in at least one processing tool, a target state of the processing tools is captured optically by the image scanning device and image information on the optically captured target state is transmitted to the control device, - the actual state of the processing tools is optically captured by the image scanning device at defined time intervals or after a defined number of processing operations, wherein - in order to capture the target state and in order to capture the actual state, the image scanning device optically scans the processing tools simultaneously, and - the actual state and the target state are compared with each other by the control device and, if a deviation between the actual state and the target state is determined, a tool defect is identified and the control signal is output, wherein - at least one tool parameter is determined from the image information on the target state and from the image information on the actual state of each processing tool and the at least one tool parameter of the actual state of each processing tool is compared with the at least one tool parameter of the target state and, in the event of a deviation between the tool parameters, the tool defect of the respective processing tool is identified and the control signal is output.