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How to set up AI video editing (Claude Code or Codex)

September 16, 2026

Editing video with AI does not mean uploading your footage to some web app. The setup that actually works is an AI agent running locally on your machine, driving the tools you already use: ffmpeg, DaVinci Resolve, Premiere. Your footage never leaves your disk.

This guide gets you from zero to a working setup in about 15 minutes.

What you need

  • A terminal (macOS, Linux, or Windows with WSL)
  • An AI coding agent: Claude Code or Codex
  • ffmpeg, the swiss army knife every skill builds on

Step 1: Install an agent

Both agents work well for video. Pick the one whose subscription you already have.

# Claude Code
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

# Codex
npm install -g @openai/codex

Run claude or codex once in a terminal to sign in.

Step 2: Install ffmpeg

# macOS
brew install ffmpeg

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install ffmpeg

Verify with ffmpeg -version. Most skills on this site also use whisper for transcription; install it when a skill asks for it.

Step 3 (optional): Connect your editor

For pure ffmpeg skills (captions, clips, compression) you are done. If you edit in DaVinci Resolve, connect it to your agent over MCP so the agent can build timelines, cut, and grade inside Resolve. See our guide: Connect DaVinci Resolve to Claude Code.

Step 4: Run your first skill

Open a terminal in a folder with a test clip and start your agent. Then install any skill from this site:

npx editfork add auto-captions-hormozi-style

Ask your agent to run it on your clip. The skill contains the steps, the tool commands, and a verification section the agent checks before it declares success.

Safety basics

Skills are instructions written by other creators and executed by your agent. Treat them like scripts from the internet:

  • Read a skill before running it. They are short and human-readable by design.
  • Work on copies of your footage, not originals.
  • Keep your agent's permission prompts on for file deletion and shell access.

Next step

Do a real edit: your first vibe edit in 10 minutes. When you land an edit you like, share it back with npx editfork share.