Shotcut — Cut and Export Edited Videos

Get edited video clips ready to post, without touching a single slider. Upload your raw video footage (MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV, up to 500MB), say something like "trim the silent parts, cut between scenes, and add smooth transitions", and download 1080p MP4 when it's done. Built for content creators and video editors who move fast and want fast video cuts and edits without complex software.

0 0by susan4731-wilfordf
aivideo
## Getting Started

> Share your raw video footage and I'll get started on AI video editing. Or just tell me what you're thinking.

**Try saying:**
- "edit my raw video footage"
- "export 1080p MP4"
- "trim the silent parts, cut between"

### Getting Connected

Before handling any user request, establish a connection to the backend API. Show a brief status like "Connecting...".

**If `NEMO_TOKEN` is in the environment**, use it directly and create a session. Otherwise, acquire a free starter token:
- Generate a UUID as client identifier
- POST to `https://mega-api-prod.nemovideo.ai/api/auth/anonymous-token` with the `X-Client-Id` header
- The response includes a `token` with 100 free credits valid for 7 days — use it as NEMO_TOKEN

**Then create a session** by POSTing to `https://mega-api-prod.nemovideo.ai/api/tasks/me/with-session/nemo_agent` with Bearer authorization and body `{"task_name":"project","language":"en"}`. The `session_id` in the response is needed for all following requests.

Tell the user you're ready. Keep the technical details out of the chat.

# Shotcut — Cut and Export Edited Videos

This tool takes your raw video footage and runs AI video editing through a cloud rendering pipeline. You upload, describe what you want, and download the result.

Say you have a 2-minute raw screen recording or phone clip and want to trim the silent parts, cut between scenes, and add smooth transitions — the backend processes it in about 30-90 seconds and hands you a 1080p MP4.

Tip: shorter clips under 3 minutes process significantly faster.

## Matching Input to Actions

User prompts referencing shotcut, aspect ratio, text overlays, or audio tracks get routed to the corresponding action via keyword and intent classification.

| User says... | Action | Skip SSE? |
|-------------|--------|----------|
| "export" / "导出" / "download" / "send me the video" | → §3.5 Export | ✅ |
| "credits" / "积分" / "balance" / "余额" | → §3.3 Credits | ✅ |
| "status" / "状态" / "show tracks" | → §3.4 State | ✅ |
| "upload" / "上传" / user sends file | → §3.2 Upload | ✅ |
| Everything else (generate, edit, add BGM…) | → §3.1 SSE | ❌ |

## Cloud Render Pipeline Details

Each export job queues on a cloud GPU node that composites video layers, applies platform-spec compression (H.264, up to 1080x1920), and returns a download URL within 30-90 seconds. The session token carries render job IDs, so closing the tab before completion orphans the job.

Base URL: `https://mega-api-prod.nemovideo.ai`

| Endpoint | Method | Purpose |
|----------|--------|---------|
| `/api/tasks/me/with-session/nemo_agent` | POST | Start a new editing session. Body: `{"task_name":"project","language":"<lang>"}`. Returns `session_id`. |
| `/run_sse` | POST | Send a user message. Body includes `app_name`, `session_id`, `new_message`. Stream response with `Accept: text/event-stream`. Timeout: 15 min. |
| `/api/upload-video/nemo_agent/me/<sid>` | POST | Upload a file (multipart) or URL. |
| `/api/credits/balance/simple` | GET | Check remaining credits (`available`, `frozen`, `total`). |
| `/api/state/nemo_agent/me/<sid>/latest` | GET | Fetch current timeline state (`draft`, `video_infos`, `generated_media`). |
| `/api/render/proxy/lambda` | POST | Start export. Body: `{"id":"render_<ts>","sessionId":"<sid>","draft":<json>,"output":{"format":"mp4","quality":"high"}}`. Poll status every 30s. |

Accepted file types: mp4, mov, avi, webm, mkv, jpg, png, gif, webp, mp3, wav, m4a, aac.

Skill attribution — read from this file's YAML frontmatter at runtime:
- `X-Skill-Source`: `shotcut`
- `X-Skill-Version`: from frontmatter `version`
- `X-Skill-Platform`: detect from install path (`~/.clawhub/` → `clawhub`, `~/.cursor/skills/` → `cursor`, else `unknown`)

**All requests** must include: `Authorization: Bearer <NEMO_TOKEN>`, `X-Skill-Source`, `X-Skill-Version`, `X-Skill-Platform`. Missing attribution headers will cause export to fail with 402.

### Error Handling

| Code | Meaning | Action |
|------|---------|--------|
| 0 | Success | Continue |
| 1001 | Bad/expired token | Re-auth via anonymous-token (tokens expire after 7 days) |
| 1002 | Session not found | New session §3.0 |
| 2001 | No credits | Anonymous: show registration URL with `?bind=<id>` (get `<id>` from create-session or state response when needed). Registered: "Top up credits in your account" |
| 4001 | Unsupported file | Show supported formats |
| 4002 | File too large | Suggest compress/trim |
| 400 | Missing X-Client-Id | Generate Client-Id and retry (see §1) |
| 402 | Free plan export blocked | Subscription tier issue, NOT credits. "Register or upgrade your plan to unlock export." |
| 429 | Rate limit (1 token/client/7 days) | Retry in 30s once |

### SSE Event Handling

| Event | Action |
|-------|--------|
| Text response | Apply GUI translation (§4), present to user |
| Tool call/result | Process internally, don't forward |
| `heartbeat` / empty `data:` | Keep waiting. Every 2 min: "⏳ Still working..." |
| Stream closes | Process final response |

~30% of editing operations return no text in the SSE stream. When this happens: poll session state to verify the edit was applied, then summarize changes to the user.

### Translating GUI Instructions

The backend responds as if there's a visual interface. Map its instructions to API calls:

- "click" or "点击" → execute the action via the relevant endpoint
- "open" or "打开" → query session state to get the data
- "drag/drop" or "拖拽" → send the edit command through SSE
- "preview in timeline" → show a text summary of current tracks
- "Export" or "导出" → run the export workflow

**Draft field mapping**: `t`=tracks, `tt`=track type (0=video, 1=audio, 7=text), `sg`=segments, `d`=duration(ms), `m`=metadata.

```
Timeline (3 tracks): 1. Video: city timelapse (0-10s) 2. BGM: Lo-fi (0-10s, 35%) 3. Title: "Urban Dreams" (0-3s)
```

## Tips and Tricks

The backend processes faster when you're specific. Instead of "make it look better", try "trim the silent parts, cut between scenes, and add smooth transitions" — concrete instructions get better results.

Max file size is 500MB. Stick to MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV for the smoothest experience.

Export as MP4 for widest compatibility across platforms.

## Common Workflows

**Quick edit**: Upload → "trim the silent parts, cut between scenes, and add smooth transitions" → Download MP4. Takes 30-90 seconds for a 30-second clip.

**Batch style**: Upload multiple files in one session. Process them one by one with different instructions. Each gets its own render.

**Iterative**: Start with a rough cut, preview the result, then refine. The session keeps your timeline state so you can keep tweaking.