Claude Code video editing works through add-on skills, plugins and MCP servers, and they hand back very different things: notes on what happens in a video, an editable timeline, an MP4 rendered from your footage or from code, or a generated asset. Pick the tool by the output you need next. This guide compares 15 of them on what they return, how to set them up, what they cost and where they stop, based on each project’s documentation as of November 12, 2026.
Claude Code video editing at a glance
| You need | Start with | Check first |
|---|---|---|
| Notes on what’s in a video | Watch, Video Vision | Claude Code only |
| An editable timeline | ChatCut, Resolve skills | App and license |
| An MP4 from your footage | video-use, video-editor-plugin | API keys |
| A video rendered from code | Remotion skills, video-shotcraft | Remotion license |
| A generated sound or clip | ElevenLabs, fal | Per-use pricing |
| A fully produced video | Video Toolkit | Each service it calls |
Some tools fit more than one row. What matters is what you can inspect and change once the job is done: frames let you check what happened, a timeline lets you revise the cut, and an MP4 is ready to watch but harder to change.
How we chose these tools
We started from what people search for, such as “claude code video editing”, “claude video skill”, “claude-video github” and “claude video vision”. We kept named repositories and integrations with a documented video workflow and grouped them by what they hand back. For each one we read the README for setup, license and limits, and took GitHub stars and last-update dates from GitHub’s API on November 12, 2026. Stars show attention, not quality.
We didn’t install or benchmark the tools, so the numbers are for navigation, not a ranking. ChatCut publishes this guide and is entry 3; it is described on the same points as everything else.
Skills, plugins and MCP servers
A skill is a set of instructions for a recurring task. In Claude Code, a skill saved in ~/.claude/skills/ is available in every project on your machine. A plugin is, in Anthropic’s words, a directory of skills, agents, hooks, MCP servers or other components that Claude Code “installs and loads as one unit” (plugin docs). An MCP server connects Claude Code to another app’s tools (MCP docs).
None of these tells you what you’ll get back. A skill can still need FFmpeg, an API key or a desktop editor to do anything. Check where each tool runs, too: Watch doesn’t work in Claude Chat or Cowork, and ChatCut can’t be installed into Claude’s website.
Tools that watch and understand video
1. Watch (claude-video)
bradautomates/claude-video turns a URL or local video file into timestamped frames and a transcript, so Claude can work out what happens before you decide what to cut. MIT license; 20,590 GitHub stars, last updated September 25, 2026.
Setup: install it in Claude Code: through Customize in Claude Desktop and then a Code session, or with the plugin commands in VS Code or a terminal. It also works in Codex.
Cost: free and open source; your Claude plan covers the agent.
Watch for: it gives you evidence, not an edit. Its README says it doesn’t work in Claude Chat or Cowork.
2. Claude Code Video Vision
jordanrendric/claude-video-vision is a Claude Code plugin that hands Claude a video’s frames as images plus a timestamped audio transcription. MIT license; 1,493 stars, last updated October 14, 2026.
Setup: install the plugin and pick an audio backend: Gemini API, local Whisper or OpenAI API.
Cost: free code. The Gemini and OpenAI backends use your own API account; local Whisper runs on your computer.
Watch for: like Watch, it supplies analysis material. It doesn’t cut or export video.
Tools that edit footage
3. ChatCut for an editable timeline
ChatCut lets Claude Code, Codex and other agents edit videos in ChatCut Desktop. You describe the result in the agent; ChatCut shows the real timeline, and you can adjust it yourself at any time. ChatCut Skills, such as Long Video to Shorts, can be loaded by name from a connected agent. You can export a finished video, rendered locally in up to 4K, or an XML timeline for Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve.
Setup: install ChatCut Desktop on macOS 13 or later (Apple silicon or Intel) or Windows 10 or later (x64). In a new Claude Code conversation on that computer, send Read ChatCut.io/desktop to install ChatCut. Sign in to ChatCut if it asks, then start a new conversation so Claude loads ChatCut’s tools. The Claude editing walkthrough covers a first cut.
Cost: the Free plan includes the core editor: manual timeline editing, uploads, transcription and standard caption editing, which never use credits. With Claude Code or Codex, the agent’s work is covered by your Claude or ChatGPT plan, not ChatCut credits; credits are used only when the workflow calls a ChatCut-hosted generation service, such as video, image, music, sound effects or voiceover.
Watch for: Linux isn’t supported, and ChatCut doesn’t install into Claude’s website. Desktop isn’t fully offline: sign-in and hosted AI features need a connection.
4. video-editor-skills for DaVinci Resolve
appariciojunior/video-editor-skills teaches Claude Code to make a first-pass edit of YouTube vlogs and classes in DaVinci Resolve Studio. 442 stars, last updated October 23, 2026.
Setup: you need DaVinci Resolve Studio; follow the README to connect it.
Cost: the README licenses the skills under CC BY-NC 4.0, which rules out commercial use without the author’s permission. Resolve Studio is a paid app, listed at $295 on Blackmagic’s site (on sale for $236 when we checked).
Watch for: the noncommercial license. To connect Resolve to an agent without these skills, see our DaVinci Resolve MCP guide.
5. video-use by Browser Use
browser-use/video-use promises a short path: put raw footage in a folder, chat with Claude Code and get final.mp4 back. MIT license; 30,942 stars, last updated October 8, 2026.
Setup: follow the README, which asks for an ElevenLabs API key.
Cost: free code; its ElevenLabs calls are billed to your ElevenLabs account.
Watch for: you get a rendered file, not a project to reopen in an editor. Keep your source footage for revisions.
6. video-editor-plugin for slash commands
ElSalvatore-sys/video-editor-plugin is a Claude Code plugin with 19 slash commands on three engines, using Remotion for programmatic video and Whisper for transcription and automatic captions. 6 stars, last updated February 24, 2026.
Setup: install the dependencies listed in the README before running a command.
Cost: free to use, but GitHub detects no license file.
Watch for: without a license, you have no stated permission to reuse or modify the code. It hasn’t been updated since February 2026.
7. claude-video-skills for finishing cuts
imtamiliniyan/claude-video-skills starts from a pre-cut clip, or a voiceover and an idea, and adds the finishing work on Remotion: captions, graphics, B-roll, zooms and sound. MIT license; 12 stars, last updated July 26, 2026.
Setup: install it into your Claude Code workspace and bring a clip that’s already cut.
Cost: free code; check the README for services it calls.
Watch for: the README says it includes no rough-cut or filler-removal automation, so do that step first.
Skills that render video with code
8. Remotion’s official skills
remotion-dev/skills is the Remotion team’s own set of 13 skills for creating, previewing and rendering videos written in React. 6,891 stars, last updated November 11, 2026.
Setup: run npx remotion skills add in a Remotion project, or install Remotion’s Claude Code plugin. Our Remotion skills guide covers every skill with a prompt.
Cost: Remotion is free for individuals, companies with up to three employees and nonprofits. Other companies need a Company License, from $25 a month per seat for manual work.
Watch for: you own a code project, so you fix dependency errors and check every render.
9. claude-remotion-skill for motion graphics
haidrrrry/claude-remotion-skill is a community skill for motion-graphics videos built in code with Remotion (React and TypeScript). MIT license; 962 stars, last updated August 12, 2026.
Setup: follow the README for your Claude client.
Cost: free code; Remotion’s own license still applies.
Watch for: it’s a different project from Remotion’s official skills, with its own instructions.
10. product-launch-video by Every
EveryInc/product-launch-video is a Claude Code skill and Remotion scaffold for 15 to 30-second product launch videos, delivered as an MP4, a GIF and social copy. MIT license; 82 stars, last updated April 20, 2026.
Setup: follow the README to add the skill and scaffold, then supply your product material.
Cost: free code; Remotion’s license applies.
Watch for: check the social copy for product claims you didn’t supply.
11. video-shotcraft for screenshot promos
Vincentwei1021/video-shotcraft builds product promos with Remotion for Claude Code and Codex; every frame is drawn in code from your own screenshots and copy. Apache-2.0 license; 18,900 stars, last updated November 11, 2026.
Setup: follow the README and supply the screenshots and wording.
Cost: free code; Remotion’s license applies.
Watch for: compare labels and numbers in the render with your original screenshots.
12. video-motion-craft for mixed projects
vibegameengine/video-motion-craft combines Remotion for motion graphics with FFmpeg and Whisper for existing footage. MIT license; 3 stars, last updated September 7, 2026.
Setup: follow the README and install FFmpeg and Whisper.
Cost: free code; Remotion’s license applies.
Watch for: it’s a small project with few users so far; check the hand-off between title and footage.
Toolkits that generate media
13. Claude Code Video Toolkit
digitalsamba/claude-code-video-toolkit runs a whole production: it writes the script, generates voiceover, music and visuals, and renders the MP4. MIT license; 2,529 stars, last updated November 11, 2026.
Setup: configure the services named in the README.
Cost: free code; each generation service it calls has its own pricing.
Watch for: review the generated assets one by one before trusting the finished MP4.
14. ElevenLabs skills
elevenlabs/skills is ElevenLabs’ own set of skills, including generating sound effects from a text description. MIT license; 559 stars, last updated November 10, 2026.
Setup: every skill needs an ElevenLabs API key in ELEVENLABS_API_KEY.
Cost: free code; generation runs on your ElevenLabs account.
Watch for: you get a sound file. Placing it on the timeline is a separate step.
15. fal community skills
fal-ai-community/skills helps an agent find a fal media endpoint, inspect its inputs, run it, poll for the result and download the output. MIT license; 266 stars, last updated November 7, 2026.
Setup: the default way to run endpoints is fal’s genmedia CLI.
Cost: free code; generation runs on your fal account, so check each endpoint’s price first.
Watch for: check each endpoint’s usage terms before you put its output in a video.
Where to find more video skills
zhuyansen/awesome-claude-video-skills (1,946 stars) is a directory of video skills and toolkits for Claude Code, Codex and other agents, grouped by type. Use it to find candidates, then read each repository’s own README for setup and license.
Prompts to try first
Each prompt asks the tool to show its plan before it changes anything.
To understand a video (Watch or Video Vision):
To make an editable first cut (ChatCut):
To render a title card in code (Remotion):
To generate a sound effect (ElevenLabs or fal):
How to choose
- You need to know what’s in a video: start with Watch or Video Vision.
- You want a project you can keep cutting: ChatCut, or the Resolve skills if you have Resolve Studio and a noncommercial use.
- You want an MP4 from existing footage: video-use, if you’re fine re-running the job for changes.
- You want a template you render again and again: Remotion’s official skills, then the community Remotion projects if one matches your format.
- You need a missing sound or clip: ElevenLabs or fal skills. For a full script-to-MP4 pipeline, Video Toolkit.
Try one short source first, ask for the output you want, then make one small revision. The right tool is the one whose result you can still change.
