MCP server for automated "talking head" video editing. Reads CapCut's auto-generated subtitles to find and remove silences and duplicate takes — directly in the CapCut project.
- Record your video, import into CapCut
- Generate subtitles in CapCut (Text → Auto Captions)
- Close CapCut
- Ask Claude: "Smart cut my 'Podcast Episode 5' project"
- Reopen in CapCut, review the cuts
SmartCut reads CapCut's subtitles to understand where speech is. Gaps between subtitles > 1 second are cut. If the speaker repeats a phrase (duplicate take), earlier attempts are removed and the last version is kept.
No API keys required — heuristic analysis works locally. Optionally set OPENAI_API_KEY for GPT-enhanced duplicate detection.
- Python 3.10+
- CapCut (for editing and subtitle generation)
cd capcut-ai-editor
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate # Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -e .For optional OpenAI-enhanced duplicate detection:
pip install -e ".[openai]"Add to MCP config:
{
"mcpServers": {
"smartcut": {
"command": "/path/to/capcut-ai-editor/venv/bin/python",
"args": ["-m", "smartcut.server"]
}
}
}Optional env for GPT-enhanced duplicates:
"env": {
"OPENAI_API_KEY": "sk-..."
}List projects:
Show me my CapCut projects
Inspect a project:
Open CapCut project "My Vlog"
Smart cut (main function):
Smart cut my "Podcast Episode 5" project
With OpenAI enhancement:
Smart cut "My Video" with use_openai=true
Warning: Smart cut modifies the project in place (no backup). Make a copy in CapCut first if you want to keep the original.
| Variable | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| OPENAI_API_KEY | No | OpenAI API key (for GPT-enhanced duplicate detection) |
| CAPCUT_DRAFTS_DIR | No | Path to CapCut drafts folder (auto-detected) |
"No auto-generated subtitles found" Open the project in CapCut, select the video track, use Text → Auto Captions, save, then try again.
CapCut doesn't see changes Restart CapCut. It monitors the drafts folder but sometimes needs a restart.