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</p>
# capcut-cli
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English | [中文](./README.zh-CN.md)
**Create and edit real CapCut / JianYing projects from the terminal — or any LLM agent.**
Open the result in CapCut with every track still editable. capcut-cli works directly on the local draft store: JSON in, JSON out, with no upload, API, MCP server, or HTTP daemon. The one opt-in exception is the experimental `caption --cloud`, which uploads the audio it transcribes to ByteDance.
**Also from the maintainer:** [500 Years Frozen in Time: The Inca Children Mystery](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl8SP3PjspQ), a 14:49 documentary from [Bronze Age Banter](https://www.youtube.com/@BronzeAgeBanter).
`raw recording` → `silence-aware cuts + styled captions` → `editable CapCut / JianYing draft`
**▶ Captioned output example (60 seconds)**
https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/4e6ee99c-0745-4cfb-8e9b-ad873fb1259b
## Install and open your first editable draft
**Prerequisites:** Node ≥ 18 (built-ins only — no native modules). Optional tools unlock specific commands: Whisper for `caption`, FFmpeg for `render`, ffprobe for automatic media metadata, and `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` for `translate`.
```bash
npm install -g capcut-cli
```
From Python: `pip install capcut` wraps the same binary — `capcut.run("quickstart", "my-short", video="clip.mp4", ratio="9:16")` — see [python/README.md](https://github.com/renezander030/capcut-cli/blob/master/python/README.md).
```bash
capcut doctor
capcut quickstart my-first --video clip.mp4 --srt captions.srt
capcut info ./my-first/ -H
```
**Result:** a real local project with video and captions on editable tracks — not a flattened export. Open it in CapCut or JianYing to review, adjust, and render. The publish click stays human.
Useful? [Star capcut-cli](https://github.com/renezander030/capcut-cli) to help other editors and agent builders find it.
For more practical tools for AI agents, from video automation to checks before they ship, [follow René on GitHub](https://github.com/renezander030).
Build from source instead: `git clone https://github.com/renezander030/capcut-cli && cd capcut-cli && npm install && npm run build` (then `npm link` to expose `capcut`). Or run any command without installing: `npx capcut-cli <command>`.
> [!IMPORTANT]
> **Upgrade before using older versions.** Fixture bundles made with versions up to 0.17.2 may contain stable device identifiers and must be treated as unsanitised ([#59](https://github.com/renezander030/capcut-cli/issues/59)). Versions up to 0.17.0 also contain local command/filter injection paths and unsafe temporary-file or credential-output behaviour. These issues are fixed in 0.18.0 and 0.17.1 respectively. Run `npm install -g capcut-cli@latest` and see the [changelog](./CHANGELOG.md) for full details.
> **Disclaimer:** This is an independent, community-maintained project. It is **not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by** CapCut, JianYing, or ByteDance Ltd. "CapCut" and "JianYing" (剪映) are trademarks of ByteDance Ltd. All product names, logos, and brands are the property of their respective owners and are used here only for identification (nominative) purposes.
**An independent CLI for CapCut / JianYing that any LLM agent can drive — zero dependencies, no server, both namespaces in one binary.**
JSON in, JSON out: every command reads and writes the local draft store directly, with no MCP server or HTTP daemon. On newer CapCut versions it detects and synchronizes every readable timeline target instead of assuming `draft_content.json` is the only source of truth. That gives any model (Claude, DeepSeek, GLM, Kimi) a deterministic boundary for inspection, building, subtitles, captions, translation, and long-form cuts.
**Use it four ways:**
- **CLI** — `npm install -g capcut-cli`, then `capcut <command> <project>`
- **Library** — `import { loadDraft, lintDraft, saveDraft } from "capcut-cli"` (typed, zero-dep)
- **Queue runner** — `capcut serve` reads JSONL jobs from stdin, for [n8n / Make / Coze](./examples/serve-automation.md)
- **Agent sandbox (experimental)** — build [`capcut-core.wasm`](https://github.com/renezander030/capcut-cli/tree/master/wasm/capcut-core) for three read-only MCP tools with zero filesystem, network, environment, clock, random, stdio, or process imports
### Give your agent the skill
One command installs the `capcut-edit` skill into Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode and the other agents the [`skills`](https://skills.sh) installer supports:
```bash
npx skills add renezander030/capcut-cli
```
Claude Code can also load it as a plugin:
```
/plugin marketplace add renezander030/capcut-cli
/plugin install capcut-cli@capcut-cli
```
The skill teaches the agent every command, the progressive-disclosure habit (inspect first, never dump a whole draft), where the draft store lives on macOS and Windows, and the deterministic scripts for fades, Ken Burns and long-to-short cuts. It triggers on English and Chinese requests alike (剪映, 字幕, 草稿).
### Capability-free Wasm tools for agents
**Using an AI assistant with capcut-cli? Give it a safer “look, don’t touch” mode.**
The optional Wasm tool lets an AI:
- describe what is inside a CapCut project;
- show what changed between two versions; and
- spot common timeline and caption problems.
It can examine only the project information you hand to it. It cannot browse your files, go online, read passwords or API keys, open other apps, or change the project.
**Use it when** you want an AI to review a draft with the least possible access. **Skip it when** you are using capcut-cli yourself or want the AI to edit or render—the normal CLI still does those jobs. This feature is experimental, optional, and changes nothing unless you set it up. [**Technical details and setup →**](https://github.com/renezander030/capcut-cli/tree/master/wasm/capcut-core#readme)
The experimental [`wasm/capcut-core`](https://github.com/renezander030/capcut-cli/tree/master/wasm/capcut-core) source package moves the deterministic, JSON-in/JSON-out boundary into a WebAssembly Component:
- `inspect` matches `capcut info` for valid drafts.
- `diff` matches `capcut diff` for structural changes.
- `lint-portable` runs an explicit, parity-tested subset of `capcut lint` that needs no host files or media probing.
The host reads a draft and passes its JSON as tool input. The component itself has no ambient capabilities, and CI proves the built world has zero imports before exercising all three functions through [Wassette](https://github.com/microsoft/wassette) over MCP. From a source checkout, build it with `npm --prefix wasm/capcut-core ci && npm run wasm:verify`; setup and security details are in the [component README](https://github.com/renezander030/capcut-cli/tree/master/wasm/capcut-core#readme).
## Release notes
> **Unreleased:** experimental, unofficial `caption --cloud` transcribes without a local Whisper install by uploading the audio to ByteDance's CapCut servers, with word-level timings ([#157](https://github.com/renezander030/capcut-cli/pull/157)); repeated cuts of the same video or audio reuse content hashes within a process, avoiding full-file reads for every segment. Changed files are checked again, and filename collisions still compare content. See [#155](https://github.com/renezander030/capcut-cli/issues/155).
> **New in v0.30.0:** per-command help (`capcut <command> --help`, `capcut help <command>`); undo that survives an app save, with every restore checked against the write journal (`restore`, `restore --list` integrity); and real word timings from whisper.cpp for karaoke and word-reveal captions, also readable through `caption --words`. Full details in the [changelog](./CHANGELOG.md).
> **New in v0.29.0:** captions from any aligner's word timings without Whisper (`caption --words`); reviewed batch plans bound to the draft (`batch --plan` / `--apply-plan`); a render fidelity census and output-duration check (`render --strict` / `--verify`); TTS pronunciation lexicons (`tts --lexicon`); `segment-overlap` and `segment-offscreen` lint checks; and `restore --list` naming the command behind each step. Full details in the [changelog](./CHANGELOG.md).
For an existing nested project, use `capcut diagnose <project> --active-timeline` to inspect the selected document before editing. The opt-in follows the pointer on unverified builds and refuses invalid or conflicting selected documents; it does not bypass write guards.
To populate a project that CapCut already owns, create an empty project in the app and quit CapCut, then run:
```sh
capcut compile spec.json --into /path/to/app-created-project --active-timeline --check
capcut compile spec.json --into /path/to/app-created-project --active-timeline
```
Omit `--active-timeline` for a flat project without `Timelines/`. Every root and active mirror must be empty. The project keeps its name and registration; canvas and frame rate change only when supplied in the spec. Imported media is staged under the project, with registration and timeline backups committed together. Reopen, save, close and reopen in CapCut to check that edits persist. Automated safety tests cover these paths; desktop acceptance on your app build remains unverified.
## Built with capcut-cli
- [OpenChatCut](https://github.com/0xsline/OpenChatCut) — exports an agent-edited timeline, local media, audio, and captions into a real CapCut / JianYing draft for review and rendering.
Built something with capcut-cli? [Open a showcase issue](https://github.com/renezander030/capcut-cli/issues/new?template=showcase.yml) with a public link, one sentence about what it does, and an optional screenshot or demo.
Project descriptions are approved by their maintainers. Inclusion does not imply endorsement or affiliation.
## Commands
JSON by default (pipe to `jq`); add `-H` for a human-readable table. Pass `--jianying` to use the JianYing enum namespace. Run `capcut <command> --help` for full flags.
| Group | Commands |
|-------|----------|
| **Inspect** | `info` · `tracks` · `materials` · `version` · `lint` |
| **Browse / drill in** | `segments` · `texts` · `segment` · `material` |
| **Create** | `init` · `quickstart` · `compile` (build a draft from a JSON spec) |
| **Preview** | `render` (low-res ffmpeg proxy — not CapCut's final render) |
| **Add** | `add-video` · `add-audio` · `add-text` (Wikimedia URLs supported, license-checked) |
| **Edit / animate** | trim · speed · volume · transitions · masks · text/image animations · easing curves |
| **Templates** | apply and extract reusable layouts · `make-preset` (portable text-style presets) |
| **Subtitles & i18n** | `caption` · `import-srt` · `export-srt` (line/word SRT + VTT) · `translate` (multi-language draft clone) |
| **Effects** | `sfx` · `chroma` (chroma key) · `matting` (smart background removal) |
| **Long-form → short** | `cut` · `detect-scenes` (ffmpeg scene-cut detection) · `detect-silence` · `detect-retakes` (repeated takes) |
| **Automation** | `serve` (stateless JSONL runner) · `migrate` · `doctor` · `sync-timelines` (8.7 mirror repair) |
`capcut describe --compact` lists command names, summaries, usage, and write status. Fetch a complete contract with `capcut describe --command compile`; repeat `--command` for several commands. Plain `capcut describe` still emits the full registry.
**Full reference** for every command, option, and exit code: **[docs/command-reference.md](./docs/command-reference.md)** (简体中文: [docs/command-reference.zh-CN.md](./docs/command-reference.zh-CN.md)).
## Sponsor
capcut-cli is MIT and free forever. Sponsoring funds faster releases and same-week support for new CapCut / JianYing versions — and unlocks power-user extras:
- **$5/mo · Supporter** — sponsors-only release notes plus your name in `BACKERS.md`. Keep the project moving.
- **$25/mo · Pro** — invite to the private `capcut-cli-pro` repo: premium template and caption-style packs, the full Claude viral-shorts pipeline, ready-to-run `compile` specs, and early-access builds. Plus priority issue triage.
- **$100/mo · Team** — everything in Pro for up to 5 teammates, written commercial-use confirmation, your logo in this README, and priority fast-tracking of the features your team needs.
[**Become a sponsor →**](https://github.com/sponsors/renezander030)
> Using capcut-cli at work? The Team tier pays for itself the first afternoon it saves your engineers.
## Commercial work
Separate from sponsorship: if you are building capcut-cli into a product, or you need it to do something it does not do yet, I take on a small number of integration engagements. Write to rene@renezander.com and say what you are building.
## How it works
CapCut/JianYing store each project as local JSON. capcut-cli loads that store, validates against a version-aware schema, applies your edit, and writes it back atomically (with a `.bak`). No project files are uploaded anywhere, and only `caption --cloud` sends audio out; nothing runs as a service. See [docs/version-support.md](./docs/version-support.md) for the CapCut/JianYing versions and schema flags it understands.
## Docs & examples
- [docs/command-reference.md](./docs/command-reference.md) — every command and flag ([简体中文](./docs/command-reference.zh-CN.md))
- [docs/quickstart.zh-CN.md](./docs/quickstart.zh-CN.md) — 剪映快速上手 (JianYing-first quickstart, Simplified Chinese)
- [examples/](./examples/) — end-to-end recipes (VO alignment, serve automation, batch subtitle correction)
- [docs/version-support.md](./docs/version-support.md) · [docs/jianying-encryption.md](./docs/jianying-encryption.md)
- [CHANGELOG.md](./CHANGELOG.md) · [Releases](https://github.com/renezander030/capcut-cli/releases) — what's new
- [draftcat](https://github.com/renezander030/draftcat) — sibling project: governed AI pipelines (Go, MIT), same single-binary, no-API design
- [skillgate](https://github.com/renezander030/skillgate) — sibling project: deterministic finish-line gates (Node, MIT), for when your agent reports "done" before the tests pass
## Trademarks
CapCut™ and JianYing™ (剪映) are trademarks of ByteDance Ltd. This project is unofficial and is not affiliated with or endorsed by ByteDance; the marks are used nominatively to describe interoperability.
## License
MIT