Edit videos with Claude Code

Updated 29 October 2026

Claude Code can edit video. On its own it works through files and the terminal, so it can run FFmpeg commands but can't show you a timeline. Cutcrow gives it one: a full desktop video editor for Windows and Linux where Claude Code makes the edits you ask for, on a timeline you can see, adjust by hand and undo one request at a time.

What you need

Claude Code, signed in with a Claude Pro or Max plan, or an Anthropic API key. Cutcrow doesn't include an AI model, so it never charges for AI use: the editing counts toward your plan like any other Claude Code session.
Cutcrow for Windows or Linux. The free version has the full editor and agent, with exports up to 1080p. Download it free.

You don't need to have Claude Code installed first. In Cutcrow, open a project, pick Claude Code in the agent panel and click Install for me: Cutcrow runs Anthropic's official installer, with no terminal and no admin rights. Then click Connect and sign in and sign in with your Claude account in your browser. Already have Claude Code? Cutcrow finds it.

How do you edit a video with Claude Code?

Create a project and drop in your clips. Cutcrow makes a transcript of everything said, on your computer, so Claude Code can find moments by their words.
Ask in plain words in the agent panel, for example: "Cut the ums and long pauses, add boxed captions and punch in on the chart when I mention it."
Watch it work. Claude Code uses Cutcrow's editing tools (cuts, captions, zooms, transitions, colour, titles) and shows each step in the chat as it goes.
Check the result on the timeline. Every request becomes a change card. Don't like it? One click undoes the whole request. Almost right? Adjust it by hand: Claude Code used the same tools you do, so everything it made is editable.
Export for YouTube, TikTok, Reels, Shorts, Instagram, X or Discord.

What can Claude Code do in Cutcrow?

Cut filler words, long pauses and retakes, using the word-level transcript.
Add captions timed to every word, in five styles (boxed, bold, karaoke, word by word, clean).
Find the strongest moments in a long recording and make vertical clips, reframed to 9:16 around the speaker.
Add "Zoom here" punch-ins, transitions, title animations, colour looks, music that ducks under speech, and blurs over faces or passwords.
Make motion graphics, intros and explainers with its built-in animation skill, then place them on the timeline.
Run FFmpeg and scripts when a job needs them, in the project's own workspace folder.

Why not just run Claude Code in a terminal with FFmpeg?

You can, and for one-off conversions it's fine. For editing it gets hard fast: you can't see the cut until you render it, every change means rewriting a command, and there's no undo for one change. In Cutcrow the same agent edits a real multi-track timeline, so you can scrub, preview, fix a single word in a caption, or undo one request without losing the rest.

Does it upload my videos?

No. Cutcrow runs on your computer and your media stays there. Claude Code sees what it needs to do the job (the transcript, frames it looks at, your requests), and that goes to Anthropic under your Claude account, like any Claude Code session. See the privacy policy.