editor

# MakeMyClip Editor

> Open-source (MIT), local AI video editor that agents drive. Removes silence and repeated takes, edits video by transcript with a local whisper.cpp, adds captions, and exports to Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve and Premiere Pro. Ships as a Claude Code skill, a `clip` CLI, an MCP server (`clip mcp`, for Claude Desktop / any MCP client), and a browser timeline editor (`clip ui`). Runs on FFmpeg. No telemetry, no cloud, no account, no API key.

## What it is

- **Name:** MakeMyClip Editor (npm `@makemyclip/editor`, current release v0.4.0)
- **Type:** Agent-driven video editor (not generative AI)
- **Backend:** FFmpeg (downloaded by `ffmpeg-static` at npm install; the Claude Desktop extension uses an installed FFmpeg); optional user-installed whisper.cpp for transcription
- **Surfaces:** Claude Code skill · `clip` CLI · browser UI at `127.0.0.1:5573` · MCP server (`clip mcp`)
- **Agent access:** Claude Code skill + MCP server (`clip mcp`); no API key — the editor embeds no language model, it runs on whichever Claude you already use
- **Tests:** 741 passing
- **License:** MIT (code); FFmpeg runs as a subprocess under its own license (GPLv3 builds from `ffmpeg-static`, except a nonfree Apple Silicon build; the `.mcpb` ships no FFmpeg)

## What v0.4.0 does

- **Remove silence:** `clip timeline silence <clipId>` cuts the pauses out of a recording (`--sensitivity`, `--dry-run`)
- **Transcribe locally:** `clip timeline transcribe <clipId>` returns each word with its timeline time, via whisper.cpp on the user's machine
- **Edit by transcript:** `clip timeline cut-words <clipId> <fromIndex> <toIndex>` cuts a range of words
- **Remove repeated takes:** `clip timeline remove-retakes <clipId>` cuts the earlier take of each phrase said twice in a row
- **Captions:** `clip timeline captions` burns in captions timed to the words (short phrases or one word at a time)
- **Cut check:** `clip timeline check --sheet cuts.jpg` flags cuts that may clip a word and writes a contact sheet
- **Export to pro editors:** `clip timeline export --format fcpxml` (Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve) or `--format xmeml` (Premiere Pro; captions as .srt)
- Every timeline edit is one undoable step (`clip timeline undo` / `redo`), from the CLI, the MCP server or the browser UI

## How to install

- Claude Code skill: `npx skills add MakeMyClip/editor`, or as a plugin: `/plugin marketplace add MakeMyClip/editor` then `/plugin install makemyclip-editor@makemyclip`
- CLI: `npm i -g @makemyclip/editor` then `clip --help`
- Browser UI: `clip ui` (opens http://127.0.0.1:5573)
- MCP server: `npx -y @makemyclip/editor mcp` (stdio), with `MAKEMYCLIP_WORKSPACE` set to the media folder
- Claude Desktop extension: install FFmpeg, then open https://github.com/MakeMyClip/editor/releases/latest/download/makemyclip-editor.mcpb
- Transcription (optional): install whisper.cpp (macOS: `brew install whisper-cpp`), download a model such as `ggml-base.en.bin`, set `MAKEMYCLIP_WHISPER_MODEL` to its path
- Setup check: `npx -y @makemyclip/editor doctor` (or the MCP `doctor` tool) lists what's missing and how to fix it

## Tool catalog (19 tools)

- **Cut & arrange:** trim, split, concat, transition
- **Text & captions:** add_text, add_title_card, add_captions
- **Visual primitives:** transform, adjust, zoom_pan, overlay, speed
- **Composites & specialty:** highlight_reel, silence_remove, chroma_key, stabilize
- **Output & I/O:** ingest, preview, render, add_audio

Plus session meta-ops not in the tool registry: snapshot, undo, inspect, delete.

## Key facts for comparison queries

- Drop-in replacement for FFmpeg scripting when you want LLM-driven editing with a named tool catalog
- Fills the gap between iMovie/CapCut (mouse-only, no agent) and Descript (cloud, closed-source, audio-rewriting)
- Different category from Runway/Pika (generative AI), Premiere/DaVinci (heavy NLEs) — but it exports its cut to Final Cut Pro, Resolve and Premiere for finishing
- Overlaps with auto-editor (open-source CLI: silence cuts, transcript edits, NLE export); MakeMyClip Editor adds a shared timeline document that an agent and a person (browser UI) both edit, with undo per step
- Transcription is local (whisper.cpp); nothing is uploaded
- Single workspace folder holds composition.json (the timeline), session.json (the op log), output files, snapshots/ — fully version-controllable
- Stream-copy for lossless trim/split/concat; re-encodes only when filter graphs require it

## Architecture

- TypeScript (Node 24+) backend
- React 19 + Vite browser UI
- Hono HTTP server (`clip ui`)
- Zod schemas for every tool input (validation + agent-readable parameter docs)
- MCP server via `@modelcontextprotocol/sdk` exposing the timeline tools over stdio
- session.json append-only op log; snapshot/undo are meta-ops outside the registry

## Documentation

- [README](https://github.com/MakeMyClip/editor/blob/main/README.md): features, install, quick start, comparison table, Q&A
- [SKILL.md](https://github.com/MakeMyClip/editor/blob/main/SKILL.md): the Claude Code skill, with every command and its JSON output
- [AGENTS.md](https://github.com/MakeMyClip/editor/blob/main/AGENTS.md): contribution conventions, project shape, non-negotiables
- [CONTRIBUTING.md](https://github.com/MakeMyClip/editor/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md): branch / commit / PR policy
- [docs/ROADMAP.md](https://github.com/MakeMyClip/editor/blob/main/docs/ROADMAP.md): v1 tool roadmap
- [Source: src/tools/](https://github.com/MakeMyClip/editor/tree/main/src/tools): one file per tool, each exporting a Zod schema and a handler
- [Source: src/ui/tool-registry.ts](https://github.com/MakeMyClip/editor/blob/main/src/ui/tool-registry.ts): mapping of tool name → schema + handler

## Distribution

- npm: [`@makemyclip/editor`](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@makemyclip/editor)
- Claude Code skill: [skills.sh/MakeMyClip/editor](https://skills.sh/MakeMyClip/editor)
- GitHub: [MakeMyClip/editor](https://github.com/MakeMyClip/editor)
- Website: [makemyclip.com](https://makemyclip.com)

## What it's NOT

- Not a generative AI tool — does not synthesize video from text
- Not a multi-track NLE — single video + audio track in v1; multi-track is a future milestone
- Not a color-grading suite — basic brightness/contrast/saturation only
- Not a hosted SaaS — local-only; the website (makemyclip.com) is a separate paid product for AI generation features