# OpenMontage

Agentic video production system: twelve pipelines and 100+ tools your coding agent orchestrates from a prompt.

A Python and Remotion/HyperFrames repo with no code orchestrator; the coding agent reads pipeline manifests and stage skills, then runs tools for research, script, assets, edit, and compose. Works with zero API keys using Piper TTS and open archives, and unlocks more providers as keys are added to .env.

Alternative to: Descript

- Capabilities: adaptable, operable
- Vertical: video-streaming
- Shape: agent-workflow
- Form factor: workflow
- Execution model: hybrid
- Provenance: unknown (recorded, never ranked)
- Repo: https://github.com/calesthio/OpenMontage (AGPL-3.0), 55712 stars, last commit 2026-08-22
- Last activity: 2026-08-22
- Page: apps/calesthio--openmontage.html
- JSON: apps/calesthio--openmontage.json

## Use it when

- I want a full explainer or documentary produced from a topic, with approval gates before money is spent
- I have a reference video I like and want an agent to plan and make something similar about my subject

## Gotchas

- AGPL-3.0: anything you ship as a service must publish source
- Setup pulls Python, Node, Remotion, and Piper; budget disk and time
- The agent is the orchestrator; runs are only as unattended as the agent's approval settings allow
- Many forks exist; calesthio/OpenMontage is the origin (GitHub fork flag false)

## Editions

- Free: Free, open source
  - source: https://github.com/calesthio/OpenMontage
  - installable: git clone https://github.com/calesthio/OpenMontage.git && cd OpenMontage && make setup

## Adaptable: make it yours

Effort: config-only (35 things to edit)

Copy .env.example to .env and add whichever provider keys you have; every key is optional and the scored selector picks providers from what is present. Behavior is changed by editing the director skills in skills/pipelines/, the pipeline manifests in pipeline_defs/, and the knowledge files in skills/core/. Set VIDEO_GEN_LOCAL_ENABLED and VIDEO_GEN_LOCAL_MODEL for GPU-local generation.

- Env vars: FAL_KEY, ATLASCLOUD_API_KEY, KLING_API_KEY, KLING_API_BASE_URL, GOOGLE_API_KEY, GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS, GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT, ELEVENLABS_API_KEY, OPENAI_API_KEY, XAI_API_KEY, SUNO_API_KEY, HEYGEN_API_KEY, RUNWAY_API_KEY, ARK_API_KEY, REPLICATE_API_TOKEN, MINIMAX_API_KEY, HIGGSFIELD_API_KEY, DASHSCOPE_API_KEY, PEXELS_API_KEY, PIXABAY_API_KEY, UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY, HF_TOKEN, AZURE_SPEECH_KEY, AZURE_SPEECH_REGION, VIDEO_GEN_LOCAL_ENABLED, VIDEO_GEN_LOCAL_MODEL, COMFYUI_SERVER_URL, MODAL_LTX2_ENDPOINT_URL
- Config files: .env, pipeline_defs/, remotion-composer/
- Prompt files: AGENT_GUIDE.md, PROJECT_CONTEXT.md, skills/pipelines/, skills/core/hyperframes.md
- Accounts you'll need: fal.ai (optional); Atlas Cloud (optional); Google AI Studio (optional); ElevenLabs (optional); Pexels, Pixabay, Unsplash (free developer keys)

## Operable: what an agent can drive

Operability: native. Interface: cli at https://github.com/calesthio/OpenMontage/blob/main/AGENT_GUIDE.md (published by the builder, local).

### Reach (complete coverage)

- Animated explainer with research, narration, visuals, music: reachable. README Pipelines table; pipeline_defs/ plus skills/pipelines/ director skills
- Motion graphics and kinetic typography: reachable. README Pipelines: Animation, rendered with Remotion or HyperFrames
- Avatar spokesperson video: reachable. README Pipelines: Avatar Spokesperson; needs an avatar provider key such as KLING_API_KEY or a local Wav2Lip path
- Cinematic trailer or teaser: reachable. README Pipelines: Cinematic; showcase 'Signal From Tomorrow'
- Batch of ranked short clips from one long source: reachable. README Pipelines: Clip Factory
- Documentary montage from free stock and open archives: reachable. README Pipelines: Documentary Montage; Pexels, Archive.org, NASA, Wikimedia with zero paid keys
- Enhance existing footage with generated support visuals: reachable. README Pipelines: Hybrid
- Subtitle, dub, and translate existing video: reachable. README Pipelines: Localization & Dub
- Podcast highlights to video: reachable. README Pipelines: Podcast Repurpose
- Polished screen demo and talking-head edits: reachable. README Pipelines: Screen Demo, Talking Head

## Code stack

- Languages: Python, TypeScript
- Frameworks: Remotion, HyperFrames, ffmpeg
- Package manager: pip
- Database: none
- Hosting target: local

## Model stack

- Providers: fal.ai, Atlas Cloud, Kling, Google, ElevenLabs, OpenAI, xAI, Runway, HeyGen, Suno, MiniMax, Replicate, local Wan/Hunyuan/LTX through ComfyUI or diffusers
- Models: Veo, Kling, Seedance, Flux, Piper TTS, wan2.2-ti2v-5b
- Keys you need (names only): FAL_KEY, ATLASCLOUD_API_KEY, KLING_API_KEY, GOOGLE_API_KEY, ELEVENLABS_API_KEY, OPENAI_API_KEY, XAI_API_KEY, SUNO_API_KEY, HEYGEN_API_KEY, RUNWAY_API_KEY, ARK_API_KEY, REPLICATE_API_TOKEN, MINIMAX_API_KEY, PEXELS_API_KEY, PIXABAY_API_KEY, UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY, HF_TOKEN
- Prompts live in: skills/pipelines/, skills/core/, AGENT_GUIDE.md, PROJECT_CONTEXT.md
- Tools: tools/tool_registry.py registry, python -m backlot open

## Skills

bundled: Ships a large library of production skills (video generation, avatars, audio, 3D assets) that the workflow agent loads to run the pipeline.
- Paths: .agents/skills/*/SKILL.md

## Evidence and confidence

- formFactor: README 'How It Works': no code orchestrator, the coding agent runs pipeline_defs and tools (confidence 0.85)
- executionModel: README: fixed research -> proposal -> script -> scene_plan -> assets -> edit -> compose flow; models do generation and scripting (confidence 0.9)
- operability: README: 'built for agentic operation'; AGENT_GUIDE.md and tool registry support_envelope() (confidence 0.95)
- effort: .env.example lists every key as optional; skills are Markdown; no code edits required to change a pipeline's behavior (confidence 0.85)
- editions: AGPL-3.0 LICENSE; no paid edition (confidence 0.95)
- active: GitHub pushedAt 2026-08-22
- reach:  (confidence 0.85)

## Open questions

- The README says 12 pipelines and the table lists 11 plus character-animation; confirm the twelfth in pipeline_defs/
- Provenance: the repo is agent-first and may be largely agent-written; no Builder statement found

## Sources

- https://github.com/calesthio/OpenMontage (sourcing:video-streaming:community)