OpenEdit

An AI-native video editor: select the moment, describe the edit, review the result. The application owns frame timing, media processing, previews and exports. Your agent owns the creative decisions.

The editor centers on the preview, timeline, AI instructions, media and export. Edits are reversible and survive reopening. Agents inspect bounded timestamped frames and transcript ranges instead of repeatedly reading entire videos.

Download and install

Get the Windows x64 or Linux x64 ZIP and its SHA-256 file from GitHub Releases. New builds are also available from the Release packages workflow. Extract the archive, then run:

Windows 10/11 x64 — PowerShell

powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\install.ps1

Linux x64 — Ubuntu 24.04 recommended

bash ./install.sh

The installer creates a private Python environment, verifies pinned Node and FFmpeg/MLT runtime downloads, installs the editable graphics worker and Chromium, and tests actual MCP editing, a transition, an animated overlay, preview, export and reopening. It reports success only after that workflow passes. Git is not required for a downloaded release. Python 3.12 is recommended; Windows setup can install it through winget. Linux may request administrator access for browser system libraries.

Start the editor with OpenEdit.cmd (Windows) or OpenEdit.sh (Linux) in the installation folder. Projects live separately under ~/OpenEditProjects. See INSTALL.md for requirements, existing runtimes, source installs, updates and uninstalling.

Connect your agent

The installer writes mcp.json, opencode.json and codex.toml for its starter project. Merge the relevant entry into your agent host's configuration; it does not overwrite existing agent settings.

For a different project, use the installed CLI:

open_edit init /absolute/path/to/your-project
open_edit mcp-config --project /absolute/path/to/your-project
open_edit mcp-config --project /absolute/path/to/your-project --format opencode
open_edit mcp-config --project /absolute/path/to/your-project --format codex

Run the commands with the installation's .venv/bin/open_edit on Linux or .venv\Scripts\open_edit.exe on Windows if the virtual environment is not active. The generated command uses that environment's Python and pins the project. External agents need no model key inside OpenEdit. Your agent host handles its own provider authentication. Once connected, ask it to edit the selected moment; OpenEdit's MCP startup guidance and on-demand help describe the interfaces.

Agent connection guide · MCP reference

Interface	Purpose
query_project	Inspect timeline/media/context; retrieve parameter help
edit_project	Apply project, clip, graphics and audio changes
run_script	Compose Python IR edits with timeout and atomic validation
trigger_render	Generate previews or final output
get_render_job	Inspect durable job progress and results
cancel_render_job	Stop queued or running work

Editing and rendering

Use Edit to select clips, scrub or mark a region for AI. Use Graphics for editable text, shapes and animations. Source editing and advanced controls are secondary. Preview work prioritizes the playhead and reuses unchanged ranges. Final exports capture an immutable source revision, preserve audio/video timing, verify output and leave existing exported files intact. Completed graphics are reused across exports.

open_edit doctor reports installed capabilities. A CPU renderer is always available in the provisioned runtime; compatible hardware encoders can be selected when installed. GPU throughput and every driver combination are not guaranteed.

Built-in chat is optional: install with --with-agent / -WithAgent, then start open_edit serve --with-agent. OpenCode CLI editing connects through the project's MCP server and streams actual tool results. Local transcription is optional (--whisper / -Whisper) and may download model data. Advanced HTML and legacy Remotion packages are installed only on request with open_edit setup html or open_edit setup legacy-remotion.

Example and verification

The ten-second explainer includes original source, audio, preview and a script that creates its editable project through MCP. Architecture decisions and measurements and the recorded authoring workflow distinguish actual results from unverified model behavior.

Release procedure · Contributing

License

OpenEdit code is MIT. Vendored Diffusion source is MPL-2.0; its bundled font is OFL-1.1. Notices and source accompany the wheel. Independently downloaded Node and Shotcut runtimes retain their upstream licenses and source references; see third-party runtime notes. Legacy Remotion use has separate licensing terms.