---
title: "5 GitHub Repos That Turn Claude Into Your Video Editor"
slug: "claude-code-video-editing"
description: "Edit video by chatting with Claude Code: 5 open-source repos that cut, caption, reframe and render MP4s, each with its install command and catch."
published: "2026-11-07"
verifiedAt: "2026-11-07"
picks: 5
canonical: "https://aifree.dev/best/claude-code-video-editing"
---

# 5 GitHub Repos That Turn Claude Into Your Video Editor

> Edit video by chatting with Claude Code: 5 open-source repos that cut, caption, reframe and render MP4s, each with its install command and catch.

Published 2026-11-07. Last checked 2026-11-07.

No timeline. No export settings. You drop raw footage in a folder, type "cut the filler, add captions, make it 9:16", and an MP4 comes back. These five open-source repos do that with Claude Code.

**How we picked:** open source, updated in the last 90 days, installable from its own README, and each one covers a different part of the job.

## The five repos at a glance

| Repo | What it does | Price | Install |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| video-use | Edits raw takes into a finished MP4 | MIT, needs ElevenLabs key | Claude Code skill |
| Kinocut | 200+ guarded FFmpeg tools over MCP | Apache-2.0 | `uvx kinocut` |
| claude-code-video-toolkit | Makes a video from a brief | MIT, own cloud GPU | clone + `/setup` |
| AIEV | Self-hosted AI editor with a timeline UI | MIT | clone + start script |
| Remotion skills | Teaches Claude to write Remotion video | Free for individuals | `npx skills add` |

## 1. video-use: the raw-footage editor

[browser-use/video-use](https://github.com/browser-use/video-use)

![video-use timeline view: a filmstrip, waveform and word-level transcript with the silences it cuts marked](https://f.aifree.dev/media/best/claude-code-video-editing/5389ed54777221a3.webp#w=1280&h=606)

- **What:** Point Claude Code at a folder of takes and it cuts filler words and dead air, color grades, burns subtitles and renders `final.mp4`.
- **Why:** Claude reads a word-level transcript instead of watching frames, so it cuts on word boundaries for a fraction of the tokens. It also checks every cut in the rendered file before you see it.
- **Use when:** you have talking-head, interview or tutorial footage and want a first cut fast.
- **Install:**
  ```bash
  git clone https://github.com/browser-use/video-use ~/Developer/video-use && ln -sfn ~/Developer/video-use ~/.claude/skills/video-use
  ```
- **Catch:** transcription uses ElevenLabs Scribe, so you need an ElevenLabs API key, and that service is paid past its free quota.

## 2. Kinocut: FFmpeg with guardrails

[KyaniteLabs/kinocut](https://github.com/KyaniteLabs/kinocut)

- **What:** An MCP server that gives Claude typed tools to trim, caption, reframe and repurpose clips into Shorts and Reels, all running locally on FFmpeg.
- **Why:** Claude never guesses FFmpeg flags. Every operation returns a receipt and passes a quality gate, so broken exports get caught.
- **Use when:** you want precise, repeatable edits from Claude Code, Cursor or any MCP client, and your footage must stay on your machine.
- **Install:**
  ```bash
  claude mcp add kinocut -- uvx kinocut
  ```
- **Catch:** more than 200 tools is a lot of surface area. Expect to steer it with specific requests rather than "make it good". Speech-to-text is an extra install of about 1 GB.

## 3. claude-code-video-toolkit: the production house

[digitalsamba/claude-code-video-toolkit](https://github.com/digitalsamba/claude-code-video-toolkit)

![A frame from a release-notes video the toolkit rendered: the product UI rebuilt from source with a scripted cursor](https://f.aifree.dev/media/best/claude-code-video-editing/e27a46d8334af3f3.webp#w=854&h=480)

- **What:** You describe the video, and Claude writes the script, generates the voiceover, music and visuals, then renders the MP4 with Remotion.
- **Why:** It makes videos you never filmed: release notes, product demos, explainers. The AI models are open source and run on your own cloud GPU.
- **Use when:** you need a produced video from a brief, not edits to existing footage.
- **Install:**
  ```bash
  git clone https://github.com/digitalsamba/claude-code-video-toolkit.git && cd claude-code-video-toolkit && claude
  ```
  Then run `/setup` and `/video`.
- **Catch:** voice, image and music generation need a cloud GPU account such as Modal or RunPod. The author says Modal's free monthly compute covers it, but setup takes a few minutes.

## 4. AIEV: the self-hosted editing studio

[notivn/AIEVv2](https://github.com/notivn/AIEVv2)

- **What:** A web dashboard where Claude directs the edit, building motion-graphics scenes and assembling them with Remotion. You then fix the result on a real timeline.
- **Why:** It produces a draft first and the final later, with karaoke subtitles, auto-cut to shorts, video translation and dubbing. It also handles Vietnamese subtitles and voices, which most tools don't.
- **Use when:** you want a GUI to review and correct the AI's edit, or you publish in Vietnamese.
- **Install:**
  ```bash
  git clone https://github.com/notivn/AIEVv2.git && cd AIEVv2 && ./start/start.sh
  ```
- **Catch:** this is the heaviest setup here: Node, FFmpeg, Chrome, a Gemini API key for images and TTS, and optionally Python for subtitles. The start script installs what it can.

## 5. Remotion skills: the engine under the others

[remotion-dev/skills](https://github.com/remotion-dev/skills)

- **What:** The official skills that teach Claude to build videos as React components with [Remotion](https://github.com/remotion-dev/remotion), from creating a composition to rendering it.
- **Why:** Three of the four repos above render with Remotion. Learn it once and you can build your own templates instead of using someone else's.
- **Use when:** you want branded, reusable video templates such as intros, data videos or captions.
- **Install:**
  ```bash
  npx skills add remotion-dev/skills
  ```
- **Catch:** Remotion is free for individuals and small teams. Larger companies need a paid company license.

## Which one to try first

- Have raw footage? Start with **video-use**.
- Want control, local-only processing and no API keys? **Kinocut**.
- Have no footage, only an idea? **claude-code-video-toolkit**.
- Want to see and fix the AI's edit on a timeline? **AIEV**.
- Want your own templates? **Remotion skills**.

## Picks

1. [video-use](https://github.com/browser-use/video-use)
2. [Kinocut](https://github.com/KyaniteLabs/kinocut)
3. [claude-code-video-toolkit](https://github.com/digitalsamba/claude-code-video-toolkit)
4. [AIEV](https://github.com/notivn/AIEVv2)
5. [Remotion skills](https://github.com/remotion-dev/skills)

## Frequently asked questions

### Can Claude Code edit videos?

Yes, through skills and MCP servers. Claude reads a transcript of the footage and drives FFmpeg or Remotion to cut, caption, reframe and render the MP4; it does not watch the frames.

### Are these video editing repos free?

All five are open source (MIT or Apache-2.0; Remotion has its own license, free for individuals and small teams). Some call paid services: video-use needs an ElevenLabs key, the toolkit runs AI models on your own cloud GPU, AIEV uses a Gemini key.

### Which one keeps my footage on my machine?

Kinocut runs every edit locally on FFmpeg. video-use sends audio to ElevenLabs for transcription; AIEV can transcribe locally with faster-whisper.

## Sources

- https://github.com/browser-use/video-use
- https://github.com/KyaniteLabs/kinocut
- https://github.com/digitalsamba/claude-code-video-toolkit
- https://github.com/notivn/AIEVv2
- https://github.com/remotion-dev/skills

HTML page: https://aifree.dev/best/claude-code-video-editing