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Backs up user libraries and all their contents (external video excluded). This skill can also be useful when you need to restore a library.
Install with Codex or Claude Copy this prompt, paste it into Codex, Claude, or another assistant, and let it review the skill page and install it for you.
Based on SOC occupation classification
Build a cut from a library — scene, selects, roughcut, custom task, or an edit from a written script. Starts by asking what kind of cut the user wants, then works with them to determine what they want to create. Use when the user asks for a "roughcut", "sequence", "scene", "selects", "edit from a script", or any other cut-shaped output.
A skill to automatically download and install the latest ButterCut version while preserving libraries. Use when user wants to check for updates or update their installation for new features.
The ButterCut home menu — welcome the user back, then ask what they'd like to do (start a new cut, add footage to a library, a one-off task, or something else) and hand off to the right skill. Use as the front door when the user opens ButterCut, types "buttercut" or "bc", or asks "where do I start", "what can you do", or "help me get started".
The ButterCut home menu — welcome the user back, then ask what they'd like to do (start a new cut, add footage to a library, a one-off task, or something else) and hand off to the right skill. Use as the front door when the user opens ButterCut, types "buttercut" or "bc", or asks "where do I start", "what can you do", or "help me get started".
Create a new ButterCut library. Gather library info (name, footage location, language, transcript proofreading) and scaffold the library. Use when the user wants to start a **new** library. Libraries are containers of footage and footage analysis (transcripts, contact sheets, etc). User's may also refer to Libraries as "projects" or similiar. Ask them to confirm if they want a new Library (footage container) or just a new cut (roughcut, select, etc) if unsure.
Help a user handle a one-off production related task that doesn't match perfectly to an existing skill. Examples, pull a clip's audio, extract a frame, transcribe a stray recording, draft notes, create a spreadsheet, convert a file from one type to another, etc. Use when the request doesn't map to other more obvious skills.
| name | backup-library |
| description | Backs up user libraries and all their contents (external video excluded). This skill can also be useful when you need to restore a library. |
Backups default to ~/Documents/buttercut-video-editor-backups. Each library gets its own subdirectory there, and each run drops a timestamped archive of just that one library — so adding a new clip to one library only writes that library's archive, not a full duplicate of everything.
~/Documents/buttercut-video-editor-backups/
wedding/
wedding_20260520_140000.aar
programmer-story-vlog/
programmer-story-vlog_20260520_140000.aar
Read backups_dir from libraries/settings.yaml. If the key is missing, ask the user with AskUserQuestion whether to use the default (~/Documents/buttercut-video-editor-backups, recommended) or a custom folder, and save the answer to libraries/settings.yaml under backups_dir. If libraries/settings.yaml doesn't exist yet, create it from templates/settings_template.yaml first.
When invoked from another skill that must stay non-interactive (e.g. process-library auto-backup) and backups_dir isn't set, skip the prompt and use the default — the user can change it later.
Default to backing up just the library you've been working on — that's almost always what "run a backup" means. Only back up everything when the user explicitly asks for "all libraries" or you're doing a one-time cleanup pass.
# Back up the one library you just touched (the usual case)
ruby lib/buttercut/backup_libraries.rb --library <library-name>
# Back up every library (only when the user explicitly asks)
ruby lib/buttercut/backup_libraries.rb
The script reads backups_dir from libraries/settings.yaml (falling back to the default). Pass --backups-dir <path> to override for one run.
Apple Archive (.aar) is used when the macOS aa CLI is available — hardware-accelerated on Apple Silicon, Finder handles double-click extract. Falls back to .zip otherwise.
After a successful backup_all run, the script removes the legacy in-project backups/ directory (the old single-archive layout) if it still exists and the resolved backups_dir is somewhere else. Per-library runs leave it alone.
Extract the per-library archive back into libraries/:
# Apple Archive — restores into libraries/<library-name>/
aa extract -i ~/Documents/buttercut-video-editor-backups/<library>/<library>_<timestamp>.aar -d libraries/<library>
# Zip — already contains the <library>/ folder
unzip ~/Documents/buttercut-video-editor-backups/<library>/<library>_<timestamp>.zip -d libraries/