0xsline/OpenChatCut

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Open-source ChatCut alternative · agent-native · local-first AI video editor

Let Codex, Claude Code, and the built-in agent read, edit, and export real video projects that remain fully editable. Website: openchatcut.com

Introduction · Product Tour · Quick Start · Agent / MCP · Community · Sponsors · Changelog · Star Growth · Contributing

_{From a single instruction to a real timeline: agents, media, previews, motion graphics, transitions, effects, and multitrack audio all work together in one project.}

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If OpenChatCut helps you, you can support its continued development on Ko-fi or Afdian.

OpenChatCut is an open-source ChatCut alternative: a video editor that brings conversational agents and professional timeline editing into the same workspace. It is independent open source (AGPL), not affiliated with the commercial ChatCut product.

OpenChatCut = local video projects + multitrack timeline + AI agents + MCP + production-ready exports.

It does not merely generate a video that can no longer be changed. Every edit is written to real tracks, clips, transitions, captions, effects, and media inside the project. You can continue editing manually, undo or redo changes, save versions, or hand the project to another agent.

OpenChatCut is built for creators and developers who want AI to participate in the actual editing workflow without giving up professional control, rather than starting over from an empty chat box or an immutable generated result.

• Website: https://openchatcut.com

• Open-source ChatCut alternative guide: https://openchatcut.com/blog/open-source-chatcut-alternative

• ChatCut vs OpenChatCut: https://openchatcut.com/blog/chatcut-vs-openchatcut

• 🤖 Agent-native: the built-in agent and external MCP agents share the same editing tools.

• 🎞️ Real timeline: multiple video and audio tracks, transitions, effects, LUTs, zooms, and keyframes.

• 📝 Transcript-driven editing: word-level transcription, text-based cuts, pause handling, speakers, and linked captions.

• ✨ Generation and media: images, video, speech, music, sound effects, and online media search.

• 🧩 Motion Graphics and WebGL: editable motion templates, custom shaders, visual effects, and transitions.

• 👁️ Visual geometry: in-browser person segmentation and face-safe zones — captions avoid the speaker automatically, reframe follows the subject, and overlay graphics land in empty space.

• 📦 Production-ready exports: MP4, audio, captions, FCPXML, and complete project data.

• 🖥️ Local-first: projects and media stay on your machine by default, while API keys remain server-side.

Join the OpenChatCut community to discuss workflows, share feedback, and follow development:

• Join Discord
• Scan the QR code below with WeChat.

The following screenshots show real OpenChatCut projects and editor states, not static mockups.

Local project management — Create, import, duplicate, export, and continue editing multiple real projects.	Complete agent-driven editing — Generate music, invoke tools, and write transitions, captions, and multitrack media directly to the timeline.
Motion Graphics and agents — Browse motion templates or let an agent generate and assemble editable MG clips.	WebGL visual effects — Apply pixelation, duotone, fisheye, kaleidoscope, softening, light leaks, and more directly to clips.
Camera movement and zoom — Push, pull, slow zoom, fast zoom, and eased camera effects work directly with the timeline.	LUTs and color styles — Compare camera transforms and film looks in real time against a consistent reference frame.

Traditional editors excel at precise control. One-shot AI video generators excel at producing results quickly. OpenChatCut connects both approaches through one continuously editable project:

The core editing loop:

Describe the goal → Agent reads the project → Produces verifiable edits → Writes to the timeline
                  → Preview / adjust / undo → Captions and mixing → Export

The OpenChatCut resource library is a shared catalog for reusable MG animations, sound effects, transitions, visual effects, zooms, and LUTs.

• Hover visual cards to watch the complete result, or play audio resources before downloading.
• Copy a resource's install URL into OpenChatCut's Extension Center, or download its original package.
• Browse the website catalog inside the editor and manage installed extensions locally.

1. Open Contribute a resource and choose its category.
2. Upload the resource and the category-specific preview inputs; the site renders the published preview.
3. Add the creator and license information, then submit it for review and publication.

Installable visual resources use the editor's openchatcut-plugin@1 format and runtime validation. Official OpenChatCut resources use the MIT license; community contributors select a license during submission, and each published card identifies its creator and license.

• Talking-head and interview editing: transcribe audio or video, remove mistakes, pauses, and repetition through text, then generate captions automatically.
• Fast multiformat assembly: import video, images, and audio, then let an agent create the rough cut, transitions, soundtrack, and pacing.
• Short-form and social content: reframe the canvas and generate titles, captions, voice-over, music, and visual packaging.
• Motion Graphics: use built-in templates or ask an agent to create editable motion-graphics clips.
• Developer automation: use MCP to let Codex, Claude Code, or another compatible client inspect and modify a real project.

1. Create a project and import local media.
2. Edit manually on the timeline or describe the result you want.
3. The agent reads project context and invokes editing tools.
4. Review the proposal and preview the result, then apply, adjust, or undo it.
5. Finish captions, audio, effects, and color.
6. Export video, audio, captions, FCPXML, or the complete project.

Download the latest macOS, Windows, and Linux builds from GitHub Releases. The release currently includes DMG installers for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, an x64 Windows installer, and an x64 Linux AppImage.

These are early builds. The macOS packages are not yet signed or notarized, so the operating system may require manual approval on first launch.

Requires Node.js 24.x and npm. The supported Node.js range is enforced by package.json, and .nvmrc selects the matching major version for Node version managers.

On Linux x64, npm install also downloads ONNX Runtime's optional CUDA provider (several hundred MB from NuGet). For a CPU-only install, run ONNXRUNTIME_NODE_INSTALL=skip npm install instead.

git clone https://github.com/0xsline/OpenChatCut.git
cd OpenChatCut
npm install
cp .env.example .env.local
npm run dev

Open:

http://localhost:5199

The editor needs a browser secure context: open OpenChatCut at http://localhost or http://127.0.0.1 on the machine running it, or serve it over HTTPS. Over plain HTTP from another device (a LAN IP or reverse proxy), browsers disable Web Crypto, WebCodecs, and the clipboard, so the project list still loads but the editor shows this requirement instead of opening.

Only add the model or media-service credentials you actually use to .env.local. Features without configured third-party credentials report the missing key explicitly; local timeline editing, built-in media, and other configured capabilities continue to work.

Development launches are isolated per Git checkout/worktree by default. npm run dev and npm run desktop:dev keep that checkout's projects, imported media, generation jobs, credentials, settings, and local authorization state under its own profile in ~/.openchatcut/dev-profiles/. Use npm run dev:shared only when you intentionally need the legacy shared development store.

• API keys: open Settings → Agent model, choose a provider, and save its API key and model. Keys remain server-side.
• ChatGPT subscription: install the official Codex CLI 0.146.0 or newer, then open Settings → Agent model → OpenAI · Codex. Sign in through the browser or device-code flow, load the account's models, choose a model-specific reasoning effort (or keep its default), and select Codex from the chat model picker. OpenChatCut uses a dedicated Codex profile; the official CLI owns credential storage, token renewal, and logout, while OAuth tokens are never exposed to the browser.
• Claude subscription: OpenChatCut does not collect Claude OAuth credentials. Use Claude Code through the local MCP connection below. The built-in Agent can use Anthropic through an API key.

The built-in Agent always runs the model loop on the local server. Chat, drafts, and proposals survive page refreshes and local service restarts. Timeline changes still go through the active editor's validated, undoable commands.

Desktop agents can browse any local directory allowed by the operating system by default, including mounted media drives. browse_local_media lists folders and supported media, searches by filename or relative path and media type, and returns paginated results without importing. The agent can then use import_assets for up to 100 selected paths, import_asset for one path, or import_folder for a whole folder. Imports reuse media probing and reference registration, preserve source files, and skip duplicate content, including duplicates within one batch. Document files such as TXT, Markdown, DOCX, and PDF should be attached to chat instead. These tools require the desktop app.

To restrict local access, set a comma-separated value such as AGENT_IMPORT_ROOTS=/Volumes/Media,D:\Projects in .env.local; leave it empty for default unrestricted directory access. Explicit restrictions apply to both browsing and import. Source checkouts read the repository file at startup. Packaged desktop builds read it from Electron's user-data directory: ~/Library/Application Support/OpenChatCut/ on macOS, %APPDATA%\OpenChatCut\ on Windows, and $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/OpenChatCut/ (normally ~/.config/OpenChatCut/) on Linux. Restart after editing the file.

Local H.264 exports automatically prefer VideoToolbox on macOS and NVENC on compatible Windows systems, then fall back to software encoding. Tune render concurrency and the heavy-export limit with OPENCHATCUT_RENDER_CONCURRENCY and OPENCHATCUT_MAX_ACTIVE_EXPORTS, disable hardware encoding with OPENCHATCUT_DISABLE_HARDWARE_ENCODING, or override FFmpeg-side encoder selection with OPENCHATCUT_H264_ENCODER; see .env.example.

On Apple Silicon, more render workers can slow down video-heavy exports even when VideoToolbox encoding is active. See macOS render tuning for an M4 Max benchmark and a way to test your own workload. These measurements do not establish a default for other Macs or Windows.

npm run desktop:dev

The desktop app uses an Electron shell with the same embedded services. The web development build and desktop build share project, agent, generation, and export logic.

OpenChatCut is under active development. The editor, project format, and agent tools will continue to evolve. Prebuilt macOS, Windows, and Linux installers are published on GitHub Releases; running from source remains the most transparent option for development and troubleshooting.

The core timeline, local projects, built-in media, and manual editing do not depend on cloud services. Connected features such as AI models, online media, generation, and transcription are enabled only after you configure the corresponding services.

Install the single OpenChatCut Agent Skill:

npx skills add 0xsline/OpenChatCut

Then tell the agent Set up OpenChatCut. The installed router registers the local MCP connection and loads the editor's 26 specialized skills on demand, so the agent's skill list stays compact.

Custom skills live in a user-visible directory with the same layout as ~/.codex/skills / ~/.claude/skills:

~/.openchatcut/skills/<slug>/SKILL.md     (Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.openchatcut\skills\...)

Ask the agent to manage_skill create (or use the bundled skill-creator workflow) and it writes the SKILL.md there — editable and shareable by hand. Dropping a SKILL.md into that directory makes it available to the agent, and selecting a workflow from the chat's / command or the creative-mode picker activates it for the next message.

OpenChatCut exposes a Streamable HTTP MCP endpoint:

http://localhost:5199/api/external-mcp/mcp

The repository's root .mcp.json already contains the local connection. Before using timeline tools, run OpenChatCut and open the target project. Project listing, creation, and navigation tools do not require the editor to remain open.

Codex app/CLI and Claude Code use the same session workflow:

1. Call begin_edit_session and keep the returned editSessionId. Set approvalMode to manual (the default) or auto.
2. Pass that id to every project read/edit tool. Changes are applied only to an isolated draft.
3. Call review_edit_session when the draft is ready.
4. In manual mode, review, preview, select, and approve or reject the proposal inside the open OpenChatCut project. In auto mode, review_edit_session applies the complete draft immediately. The client can poll get_edit_session for applied, rejected, or discarded status.

Approval in Codex or Claude controls whether the client may call a tool. OpenChatCut project approval is required only for manual sessions; auto sessions explicitly bypass that review. Either mode commits the applied operations atomically as one undo step. If an auto session becomes stale, it returns an error instead of falling back to manual approval; discard it and start a new session. Only draft-safe project read/edit tools are exposed in these sessions. Generation, export, project deletion, and other immediate side-effect tools stay unavailable because a rejected proposal could not roll them back.

Add the following to your Codex configuration:

[mcp_servers.openchatcut]
url = "http://localhost:5199/api/external-mcp/mcp"

claude mcp add --transport http openchatcut \
  http://localhost:5199/api/external-mcp/mcp

You can then describe an editing task directly to the agent:

Start an OpenChatCut edit session. Read the draft, add a scratch sound effect
at 8 seconds on the second audio track, and add a glitch transition between
the adjacent video clips. Submit the draft for review and wait for the user to
approve it in OpenChatCut before reporting that the edit was applied.

External agents invoke the same internal editing tools and EditorCore commands as the editor itself. There are no separate project formats that can drift apart, and the live timeline is not changed while an external draft is being prepared.

Qoder is one-click too: the guide's Connect button writes the endpoint and bearer token into Qoder's own settings file, keeping any unrelated settings and MCP servers already there.

~/.qoder/settings.json        (international build)
~/.qoder-cn/settings.json     (China build — written as well when installed)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openchatcut": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "http://localhost:5199/api/external-mcp/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer <token>" }
    }
  }
}

Restart Qoder afterwards to load the server.

千问办公 keeps custom MCP servers inside its own connector store rather than a config file, so OpenChatCut cannot write this one for you. In the guide, use Copy config on the 千问办公 card, then in 千问办公 open 连接器 → 自定义 MCP → 添加, paste the JSON, and save:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openchatcut": {
      "type": "streamable-http",
      "url": "http://localhost:5199/api/external-mcp/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer <token>" }
    }
  }
}

When exposing the MCP endpoint yourself, configure:

OPENCHATCUT_MCP_TOKEN=your-token
OPENCHATCUT_EDITOR_URL=https://your-editor.example.com

Clients must send Authorization: Bearer <token>. The current bridge is designed for a single user on one machine, not as a multi-tenant service.

_{One shared set of agent tools and EditorCore commands connects the built-in agent, external MCP clients, the real timeline, local data, and production exports.}

• Projects, chat history, and version data are stored in the shared local store under ~/.openchatcut; IndexedDB provides a browser-side cache and legacy-data migration.
• User media is stored in a local media directory that you can back up or migrate.
• Whether AI requests leave your machine depends on the model, generation, or media services you configure.
• Unconfigured cloud features do not affect the local timeline or editing of existing media.
• When exposing MCP externally, configure a Bearer Token and restrict network access to the editor endpoint.

• API keys are only available to server-side configuration; vendor credentials must never be exposed to the browser through VITE_.
• LLM output, plugin packages, template code, and user input are validated at trust boundaries.
• Motion Graphics and shader code run in a restricted sandbox, with dedicated checks blocking malicious templates.
• Agents modify projects only through EditorCore commands, making edits traceable and undoable.
• MCP binds locally by default; public endpoints support Bearer Token authentication.
• Local media directories and R2 credentials are managed by the server and never written into project JSON.

Fal.ai is an optional generation provider with an explicit image/video model catalog. Configure it under Settings → AI Generation → Image or Video → Fal.ai. See Fal setup, supported models, and extension guide for supported modes, server-only credentials, and checks that do not spend generation credits.

# Type checking and production build
npm run build

# Core regression checks
npm test

# Static analysis
npm run lint

After changing the agent, timeline, preview, or export paths, run at least:

npx tsc -b --force
npm test
npm run build

OpenChatCut is built with the following core projects and specifications:

JianYing / CapCut draft export is powered by capcut-cli.

This list covers the project's major technical foundations. It does not replace the licenses bundled with individual dependencies, fonts, or binaries. See package-lock.json for JavaScript dependency versions and assets/fonts/LICENSES.md for font licenses.

See the bilingual CHANGELOG.md for notable changes, or browse all published packages on GitHub Releases.

OpenChatCut is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 or later. Third-party components and assets remain subject to their respective licenses.

1. Create a branch from main.
2. Add an executable check for non-trivial logic.
3. Run npm test, npm run lint, and npm run build before committing.
4. Open a Pull Request and include screenshots or acceptance evidence for UI or video-behavior changes.

Use GitHub Issues for bug reports and feature requests.