Prepare R2 Video

Convert a local video into a web-optimized MP4 and upload it to a Cloudflare R2 bucket.

When to Use

Use this skill when a user wants to publish or iterate on a video hosted on Cloudflare R2.

Workflow

Step 1: Collect Required Inputs

R2 bucket name: videos Public hostname for verification: videos.gorenku.com Versioned key format: videos/{filename}-v{version}.mp4 (for example, videos/renku-hero-v1.mp4)

Collect and confirm all remaining required inputs before running commands:

• Source video absolute path (extract filename without extension for output key)
• Version number for the output key (for example, 1 for videos/renku-hero-v1.mp4)

Collect optional inputs when relevant:

• Encoded output path
• Poster frame output path

Do not guess missing required values. Ask for missing values explicitly.

Step 2: Run Tooling Preflight

Run:

ffprobe -version
ffmpeg -version
npx wrangler r2 object put --help

Stop and report the missing dependency if any command fails.

Step 3: Assess Source Video

Run:

ffprobe -hide_banner -v error -show_format -show_streams "<source>"

Report the source profile:

• Codec
• Width and height
• Frame rate
• Duration
• Bit rate
• Container format
• Audio stream presence

Preserve aspect ratio end-to-end. Never crop or stretch.

Step 4: Encode with ffmpeg

Use this baseline encode profile unless the user explicitly requests a different one:

ffmpeg -i "<source>" \
  -an \
  -vf "fps=30,format=yuv420p" \
  -c:v libx264 -preset slow -crf 23 \
  -profile:v high -level 4.1 \
  -movflags +faststart \
  "<output>.mp4"

Encoding notes:

• Keep dimensions unchanged by default so the original aspect ratio is preserved.
• Use +faststart for faster playback startup.
• Remove audio (-an) for silent background or loop playback. Keep audio only when explicitly requested.

Step 5: Validate Encoded Output

Run:

ffprobe -hide_banner -v error -show_format -show_streams "<output>.mp4"

Confirm and report:

• codec_name=h264
• pix_fmt=yuv420p
• Expected dimensions/aspect ratio
• Audio stream behavior matches the user request
• Source size vs output size

Step 6: Optional Poster Extraction

When poster output is requested, run:

ffmpeg -ss 00:00:01 -i "<output>.mp4" -frames:v 1 -q:v 2 "<poster>.jpg"

Step 7: Prepare Upload Command and Ask Before Executing

Build the upload command:

npx wrangler r2 object put "<bucket>/<key>" \
  --file "<output>.mp4" \
  --remote \
  --content-type "video/mp4" \
  --cache-control "public, max-age=31536000, immutable"

Ask for explicit confirmation before executing the command. Include:

• Bucket and key
• Local file path
• Full upload command

Do not upload until confirmation is received.

Step 8: Upload and Verify Delivery

After confirmation, run upload and verify public delivery:

curl -I "https://<public-host>/<key>"
curl -I -H "Range: bytes=0-1023" "https://<public-host>/<key>"

Check and report:

• 200 for object HEAD request
• 206 for range request
• content-type: video/mp4

Step 9: Recommend Cache Rule for Production

Recommend a Cloudflare Cache Rule on the custom domain:

• Match host equals video domain and path starts with the video prefix (for example /videos/)
• Set cache eligibility to cache
• Set Edge TTL to 1 year
• Ignore query string in cache key to reduce bot-driven cache fragmentation

Prefer custom domain delivery over r2.dev for production traffic.

Step 10: Optional Cache Behavior Verification

After a cache rule is enabled, verify cache behavior on the published URL:

curl -sI "https://<public-host>/<key>" | grep -i "cf-cache-status"

Interpretation:

• cf-cache-status: MISS can be expected on a first request at an edge
• cf-cache-status: HIT confirms serving from Cloudflare edge cache

When Smart Tiered Cache is enabled, an edge MISS can be satisfied by the upper tier before reaching R2.

Step 11: Support Iterative Updates

For each new encode, use a new versioned key such as:

• videos/renku-hero-v1.mp4
• videos/renku-hero-v2.mp4

Avoid overwriting existing keys unless explicitly requested.