Agent skill

cli-anything-shotcut

Command-line interface for Shotcut - A stateful command-line interface for video editing, built on the MLT XML format. Designed for AI ag...

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Install this agent skill to your Project

npx add-skill https://github.com/HKUDS/CLI-Anything/tree/main/shotcut/agent-harness/cli_anything/shotcut/skills

SKILL.md

cli-anything-shotcut

A stateful command-line interface for video editing, built on the MLT XML format. Designed for AI agents and power users who need to create and edit Shotcut projects without a GUI.

Installation

This CLI is installed as part of the cli-anything-shotcut package:

bash
pip install cli-anything-shotcut

Prerequisites:

  • Python 3.10+
  • shotcut must be installed on your system

Usage

Basic Commands

bash
# Show help
cli-anything-shotcut --help

# Start interactive REPL mode
cli-anything-shotcut

# Create a new project
cli-anything-shotcut project new -o project.json

# Run with JSON output (for agent consumption)
cli-anything-shotcut --json project info -p project.json

REPL Mode

When invoked without a subcommand, the CLI enters an interactive REPL session:

bash
cli-anything-shotcut
# Enter commands interactively with tab-completion and history

Command Groups

Project

Project management: new, open, save, info.

Command Description
new Create a new blank project
open Open an existing .mlt project file
save Save the current project
info Show detailed project information
profiles List available video profiles
xml Print the raw MLT XML of the current project

Timeline

Timeline operations: tracks, clips, trimming.

Command Description
show Show the timeline overview
tracks List all tracks
add-track Add a new track to the timeline
remove-track Remove a track by index
add-clip Add a media clip to a track
remove-clip Remove a clip from a track
move-clip Move a clip between tracks or positions
trim Trim a clip's in/out points
split Split a clip into two at the given timecode
clips List all clips on a track
add-blank Add a blank gap to a track
set-name Set a track's display name
mute Mute or unmute a track
hide Hide or unhide a video track

Filter Group

Filter operations: add, remove, configure effects.

Command Description
list-available List all available filters
info Show detailed info about a filter and its parameters
add Add a filter to a clip, track, or globally
remove Remove a filter by index
set Set a parameter on a filter
list List active filters on a target

Media

Media operations: probe, list, check files.

Command Description
probe Analyze a media file's properties
list List all media clips in the current project
check Check all media files for existence
thumbnail Generate a thumbnail from a video file

Export

Export/render operations.

Command Description
presets List available export presets
preset-info Show details of an export preset
render Render the project to a video file

Transition Group

Transition operations: dissolve, wipe, and other transitions.

Command Description
list-available List all available transition types
info Show detailed info about a transition type
add Add a transition between two tracks
remove Remove a transition by index
set Set a parameter on a transition
list List all transitions on the timeline

Composite Group

Compositing: blend modes, PIP, opacity.

Command Description
blend-modes List all available blend modes
set-blend Set the blend mode for a track
get-blend Get the current blend mode for a track
set-opacity Set the opacity of a track (0.0-1.0)
pip Set picture-in-picture position for a clip

Session

Session management: status, undo, redo.

Command Description
status Show current session status
undo Undo the last operation
redo Redo the last undone operation
save Save session state to disk
list List all saved sessions

Examples

Create a New Project

Create a new shotcut project file.

bash
cli-anything-shotcut project new -o myproject.json
# Or with JSON output for programmatic use
cli-anything-shotcut --json project new -o myproject.json

Interactive REPL Session

Start an interactive session with undo/redo support.

bash
cli-anything-shotcut
# Enter commands interactively
# Use 'help' to see available commands
# Use 'undo' and 'redo' for history navigation

Export Project

Export the project to a final output format.

bash
cli-anything-shotcut --project myproject.json export render output.pdf --overwrite

State Management

The CLI maintains session state with:

  • Undo/Redo: Up to 50 levels of history
  • Project persistence: Save/load project state as JSON
  • Session tracking: Track modifications and changes

Output Formats

All commands support dual output modes:

  • Human-readable (default): Tables, colors, formatted text
  • Machine-readable (--json flag): Structured JSON for agent consumption
bash
# Human output
cli-anything-shotcut project info -p project.json

# JSON output for agents
cli-anything-shotcut --json project info -p project.json

For AI Agents

When using this CLI programmatically:

  1. Always use --json flag for parseable output
  2. Check return codes - 0 for success, non-zero for errors
  3. Parse stderr for error messages on failure
  4. Use absolute paths for all file operations
  5. Verify outputs exist after export operations

More Information

  • Full documentation: See README.md in the package
  • Test coverage: See TEST.md in the package
  • Methodology: See HARNESS.md in the cli-anything-plugin

Version

1.0.0

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