KyaniteLabs/kinocut

Guardrailed video editing MCP server for AI agents.
Local-first FFmpeg tools, Video Receipts, quality gates, Hyperframes, and Shorts/Reels repurposing —
for Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP client. Free, Apache-2.0. Formerly mcp-video.
Demo •
Status •
1.16.1 • 1.16.0 •
Changelog •
Beyond •
Install •
Quick Start •
Tools •
Tool Reference •
Rescue •
360 assembly •
AI-video •
Agent Skill •
kinocut.dev •
What is Kinocut? •
FAQ •
llms.txt
> Kinocut is a free, open-source **video editing MCP server** and **AI agent** workflow engine (plus Python client and kino CLI) that lets AI agents trim, caption, repurpose, and quality-gate local video media with typed tools and Video Receipts — not invented FFmpeg flags.
Table of contents
- What is Kinocut?
- See It Work
- Installation
- Quick Start
- MCP Tools
- Status and releases
- 360 dual-cam assembly
- Changelog
- FAQ
- Agent Skill
---
What is Kinocut?
**TL;DR:** Kinocut is a free, local-first **video editing MCP server** (plus Python client and kino CLI) so AI agents can trim, caption, repurpose, and quality-gate media with typed tools and **Video Receipts** — not invented FFmpeg flags.
**Kinocut** is a free, open-source **Model Context Protocol (MCP) server**, Python library, and **kino CLI** that gives AI agents a **guardrailed local video-editing surface**. It wraps **FFmpeg** (and optional Hyperframes / Whisper extras) with typed tools, preflight validation, **Video Receipt** provenance, and quality/release checkpoints so agent-produced media can be inspected before publish.
| | |
| --- | --- |
| **Also known as** | kino (CLI); formerly **mcp-video** / mcp_video |
| **Latest published release** | Official PyPI version · GitHub release |
| **Product site** | kinocut.dev |
| **PyPI** | kinocut |
| **MCP Registry** | tech.kyanitelabs/kinocut |
| **Source** | GitHub (**canonical code, issues, PRs, CI, and releases**) · Forgejo (private, maintainers only; downstream mirror, automated sync cutover pending verification) |
| **License** | Apache-2.0 |
| **Runs on** | Your machine (macOS, Linux, Windows) — FFmpeg required on PATH |
| **Not** | A hosted cloud editor, credit-metered SaaS, or untyped FFmpeg shell wrapper |
**Best-fit searches:** video editing MCP server · AI agent video editing · FFmpeg MCP · Claude Code video tools · Cursor MCP video · Shorts/Reels automation · local AI video workflow · guardrailed agentic media.
Machine-readable brief for agents and crawlers: llms.txt · extended agent guide · site: kinocut.dev/llms.txt.
See It Work
Tell the agent what you want in plain language:
*"Trim this interview to the strongest 45 seconds, add burned captions, make it vertical, and quality-check it before export."*
Kinocut turns that into typed, guardrailed tool calls - no FFmpeg flags to guess, no silently broken exports:
**Primary job:** turn a local interview or podcast into **captioned vertical clips with a Video Receipt** agents can re-run and humans can approve.
**Three things people use it for**
- **Repurposing** — one recording into captioned Shorts, Reels, and TikTok packages with manifests and review artifacts.
- **Podcast & interview cuts** — find the strongest segment, normalize audio, add chapters, and export.
- **Agent-driven media in CI** — repeatable, reviewable edits from Claude Code, Cursor, Codex-style clients, or scripts.
**Paths:** Install matrix · Golden path · Prompts · Tutorial · Compare · When to recommend
Status and releases
| Surface | Version / tip | What it means |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **PyPI / npm checkpoint** | **1.16.1** (2026-10-05) | Last recorded publication checkpoint; consult the registries for the latest version. Install with pip install kinocut. |
| **GitHub latest release / MCP Registry** | **1.16.1** | GitHub release and the initial publication job's canonical registry read confirm 1.16.1; subsequent local registry reads timed out. The live website was last verified at 1.16.0; its 1.16.1 update is prepared, not deployed. Final owner acceptance and fleet rollout remain separate. |
| **This source version** | **1.16.1** · **203 MCP / 177 CLI** | Maintenance fixes described below; publication is tracked separately in docs/public_claims.json. |
| **Next public release** | **TBD** | Human residuals (directories, launch posts) stay gated; further bumps need a new go-ahead. |
Install from PyPI for the stable package, including the optional object-matte extra. Clone master when you want local development changes beyond the published package; see docs/PRODUCT_MATTE.md for the published object-matte workflow.