# OpenChatCut Local-first conversational video editor whose built-in agent and external MCP clients share one set of timeline tools. An AGPL Electron and web editor with a real multitrack timeline, transcript-driven cuts, captions, WebGL effects, and generation jobs. Codex or Claude Code connect over a Streamable HTTP MCP endpoint, edit an isolated draft, and submit it for approval inside the editor. Alternative to: Descript, CapCut, Adobe Premiere Pro - Capabilities: adaptable, operable - Vertical: video-streaming - Shape: product - Form factor: desktop - Execution model: hybrid - Provenance: unknown (recorded, never ranked) - Repo: https://github.com/0xsline/OpenChatCut (AGPL-3.0), 1549 stars, last commit 2026-08-31 - Last activity: 2026-08-31 - Page: apps/0xsline--openchatcut.html - JSON: apps/0xsline--openchatcut.json ## Use it when - I edit interviews by deleting words from a transcript and want Claude Code to do the rough cut while I keep undo and the timeline - I want a CapCut-style editor where my keys stay on my machine and an agent proposes edits I approve ## Gotchas - AGPL-3.0 - macOS builds are unsigned and not notarized; Gatekeeper will need manual approval - External MCP sessions cannot generate, export, or delete; those stay in the UI or the built-in agent - Requires Node 24.x to run from source ## Editions - Free: Free, open source - binary: https://github.com/0xsline/OpenChatCut/releases/latest - source: https://github.com/0xsline/OpenChatCut - installable: npx skills add 0xsline/OpenChatCut ## Adaptable: make it yours Effort: config-only (31 things to edit) Copy .env.example to .env.local and set only the provider keys you use; LLM_PROVIDER picks the default chat model. MEDIA_DIR and AGENT_IMPORT_ROOTS control where media lives and what agents may read. Add or edit agent skills as SKILL.md files under ~/.openchatcut/skills/. Set OPENCHATCUT_MCP_TOKEN before exposing the MCP endpoint. - Env vars: LLM_PROVIDER, LLM_ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, LLM_ANTHROPIC_MODEL, LLM_OPENAI_API_KEY, LLM_OPENAI_MODEL, LLM_GEMINI_API_KEY, LLM_DEEPSEEK_API_KEY, ELEVENLABS_API_KEY, GEMINI_API_KEY, GEMINI_IMAGE_MODEL, IMAGE_API_KEY, KLING_API_KEY, SEEDANCE_API_KEY, FIRECRAWL_API_KEY, PEXELS_API_KEY, PIXABAY_API_KEY, UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY, FREESOUND_API_KEY, MEDIA_DIR, AGENT_IMPORT_ROOTS, UPLOAD_MAX_BYTES, OPENCHATCUT_MCP_TOKEN, OPENCHATCUT_RENDER_CONCURRENCY, OPENCHATCUT_MAX_ACTIVE_EXPORTS, OPENCHATCUT_H264_ENCODER, R2_ACCOUNT_ID, R2_BUCKET - Config files: .env.local, .mcp.json - Prompt files: ~/.openchatcut/skills/<name>/SKILL.md, src/agent/skills/ - Accounts you'll need: one LLM provider account for the built-in agent (Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, or others); ElevenLabs, Kling, Seedance, Pexels (optional, per feature) ## Operable: what an agent can drive Operability: native. Interface: mcp at https://github.com/0xsline/OpenChatCut#using-openchatcut-with-codex--claude-code (published by the builder, local). ### Reach (partial coverage) - Multitrack timeline editing: move, trim, split, ripple, keyframes: reachable. README: draft-safe project read/edit tools in an edit session; same EditorCore commands as the UI - Transcript-driven cuts and pause removal: reachable. README Core Capabilities: word-level editing; edit tools apply to the draft - Captions with styles and SRT: reachable. README: captions are timeline edits; translation is a job and may be excluded from drafts - WebGL effects, LUTs, transitions, zooms: reachable. README: edits written to real clips, transitions, effects - Import local media: reachable. README: import_asset and import_folder within AGENT_IMPORT_ROOTS - Create, list, and open projects: reachable. README: project listing, creation, and navigation tools work without the editor open - AI generation: image, video, speech, music: not reachable. README: generation stays unavailable in external MCP sessions because a rejected proposal could not roll it back - Export MP4, audio, captions, FCPXML: not reachable. README: export is an immediate side-effect tool and is not exposed to external MCP sessions - Motion graphics templates: undetermined. README: built-in agent can generate MG clips; not stated whether external sessions can place them - Delete a project: not reachable. README: project deletion excluded from external sessions ## Code stack - Languages: TypeScript - Frameworks: Electron, Remotion, Vercel AI SDK, ffmpeg - Package manager: npm - Database: none - Hosting target: local desktop, localhost web ## Model stack - Providers: Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, Kimi, Qwen, GLM, DeepSeek, MiniMax, Mistral, ElevenLabs, WaveSpeed, Kling, Seedance, BytePlus - Models: none - Keys you need (names only): LLM_ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, LLM_OPENAI_API_KEY, LLM_GEMINI_API_KEY, ELEVENLABS_API_KEY, GEMINI_API_KEY, IMAGE_API_KEY, KLING_API_KEY, SEEDANCE_API_KEY, FIRECRAWL_API_KEY, PEXELS_API_KEY - Prompts live in: src/agent/skills/, ~/.openchatcut/skills/<name>/SKILL.md - Tools: begin_edit_session, review_edit_session, get_edit_session, import_asset, import_folder, manage_skill ## Skills bundled: Ships an installable skill that teaches a coding agent to drive the editor over MCP, plus built-in editing skills the in-app agent loads. - Paths: skills/openchatcut/SKILL.md, src/agent/skills/*/SKILL.md - Install: npx skills add 0xsline/OpenChatCut ## Evidence and confidence - formFactor: README: DMG, Windows installer, Linux AppImage; Electron in topics (confidence 0.9) - executionModel: README: editor is deterministic; built-in agent runs a model loop on the local server (confidence 0.85) - operability: README: 'agent-native'; built-in agent and external MCP share the same tools; Streamable HTTP endpoint at localhost:5199/api/external-mcp/mcp (confidence 0.95) - effort: .env.example documents every provider variable and MCP token; skills are SKILL.md files (confidence 0.9) - editions: README: independent open source (AGPL); no paid edition (confidence 0.95) - active: GitHub pushedAt 2026-08-31 - reach: (confidence 0.75) ## Open questions - Count and names of the external MCP tools beyond the session tools; the README does not enumerate them - Whether transcription jobs can be started from an external session ## Sources - https://openchatcut.com (sourcing:video-streaming:github) - https://github.com/0xsline/OpenChatCut (sourcing:video-streaming:github)