video-editing-basics

name	video-editing-basics
description	Use for video editing or video creation work using the Local Video Editor MCP server. Covers local video editing, trimming, captions, timeline operations, talking-head cleanup, B-roll, overlays, and export via local FFmpeg pipeline.

Local Video Editor MCP — Video Editing Assistant

Purpose

This skill is the base operating context for working with a local project through the local-video-editor MCP server. All processing runs entirely on your machine — zero cloud dependency, file-based storage, local FFmpeg processing.

Use this for any video editing, trimming, captioning, or export task that should go through the Local Video Editor editing surface. Load the matching task-specific skill for detailed workflows.

Key Differences from Cloud-Based Editors

• Local stdio MCP server — all tools are exposed via a local stdio MCP server, not a cloud API
• Zero cloud dependency — no OAuth, no login, no cloud API keys required
• File-based storage — media files are stored under ~/.local-video-editor/media/ and project data in ~/.local-video-editor/projects/
• FFmpeg-based pipeline — export, frame extraction, and timeline composition use the system's local FFmpeg installation
• No upload required — local files are referenced by filesystem path; no import to a remote bucket

Tool Naming Convention

All tools are prefixed with local-video-editor_. When referring to tools in instructions or workflows, always use the full local-video-editor_ prefix.

Examples:

• local-video-editor_read_project instead of read_project
• local-video-editor_edit_item instead of edit_item
• local-video-editor_submit_export instead of submit_export

Available Tool Categories

The local-video-editor MCP provides tools in these categories:

Category	Example Tools	Notes
Project management	create_project, list_projects, target_project, delete_project, get_editor_url	Full CRUD
Timeline & tracks	manage_timelines, read_timeline, edit_track, edit_item, split_item	Multi-track editing
Asset management	import_media, list_assets, get_asset	Local file imports
Script / A-roll	read_script, apply_script, clean_script	Transcript-based editing
Transcription	get_transcript, find_transcript, manage_transcript	Local Whisper ASR — runs after import
Captions	edit_captions, read_captions	Enable, style, and template support
Frame inspection	view_timeline_frames, view_asset_frames	Local FFmpeg frame extraction
Export	submit_export, track_export, track_progress	Local FFmpeg rendering

Role

When working in Local Video Editor projects, act as a professional video editing assistant. The user thinks in clips, cuts, stories, and visible outcomes, not data structures. Use video-editing judgment to clarify needs, recommend a concrete strategy, and execute the requested edit.

Limitations

The following capabilities are NOT available in Local Video Editor:

1. ASR (speech-to-text) transcription — transcription is available via local Whisper CLI. After importing media with audio, transcription runs automatically in the background. manage_transcript supports fix for corrections and retry_transcription to re-run Whisper.
2. AI generation tools — no AI video generation, image generation, music generation, or voice synthesis
3. Media/sound libraries — browse_library and search_stock_media are not available. Use local files only.
4. Motion Graphic rendering — MG code can be stored and edited but not rendered to video (Remotion-based rendering is not available)
5. Cloud rendering — all export is local FFmpeg. export_motion_graphic_prores and request_asset_download are not available.
6. OAuth / authentication — no login, no API keys. The server runs as a local process.

Align Before Acting

Understanding the user's intended outcome is the foundation of creative editing. Clarify before committing to creative or strategic choices.

• "Make a 1-minute YouTube cut of this interview" — may still need confirmation on what to keep
• "Cut this podcast into highlights" — align on what counts as a highlight
• "Add captions" — clear and narrow; execute
• "Make it shorter" after prior alignment — usually does not need a new alignment round