AI AGENT RECIPE

Turn a list of timestamps into clips

Viewers write timestamps in the comments, and hosts write them in show notes. Paste the list. Your agent reads the transcript around each timestamp, moves the start and end to complete sentences, and cuts one clip per timestamp.

Paste this into your agent

Use FastClip. Import (paste the YouTube link). Here are timestamps: (paste the list, for example 12:15 the pricing story, 44:50 the joke about the intern). For each one, read the transcript from 20 seconds before to 70 seconds after, choose a complete thought, and make a vertical clip with captions. Then list the clips with their links.

Replace the parts in brackets. Your agent must be connected to FastClip first (next section).

Connect your agent once

In Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or VS Code, use a token. Sign in to FastClip and open Settings, then Agents. Create a token and copy it. FastClip shows it only one time. Then add FastClip's MCP server to your agent with the command or install link on the AI agents page. In an app that adds a custom MCP server by its address, add https://api.fastclip.it/mcp and sign in to FastClip when the app asks. No token is needed. A token, or an app you connect, can import videos, read transcripts and make clips. It cannot post, change your settings or delete anything.

What the agent calls, in order

These are FastClip's real MCP tools and arguments. The values are examples. Times are in seconds.

1. Import the video

The agent adds the video to your account.

import_video { "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOUR_VIDEO" }

2. Read around the first timestamp
The agent turns 12:15 into 735 seconds and reads the transcript around it. A timestamp from a comment is often a few seconds late.
```
get_transcript { "video_id": "VIDEO_ID", "start": 715, "end": 805 }
```

3. Cut the first clip

The agent cuts from the first sentence of the thought to its last sentence.

create_clip { "video_id": "VIDEO_ID", "start": 731.6, "end": 790.5, "format": "vertical", "captions": true }

4. Read around the next timestamp
The agent does the same for each timestamp in your list.
```
get_transcript { "video_id": "VIDEO_ID", "start": 2670, "end": 2760 }
```
5. Cut the next clip
One clip for each timestamp. Each clip is cut from the transcript, not from the timestamp alone.
```
create_clip { "video_id": "VIDEO_ID", "start": 2688, "end": 2741.2, "format": "vertical", "captions": true }
```
6. List the clips
The agent lists the clips of the video with their state and, when finished, their download links.
```
list_clips { "video_id": "VIDEO_ID", "limit": 10 }
```

What you get

One captioned clip per timestamp, each starting and ending on complete sentences.

Where it works

Claude Code: Tested. We made clips from Claude Code with FastClip's server.
Codex: Tested. We made clips from Codex with FastClip's server.
Cursor: The setup follows Cursor's documented format for a remote server. We have not made a clip from Cursor yet.
VS Code: VS Code accepts the setup. We have not made a clip from VS Code yet.
Claude (web and desktop app): Add FastClip as a custom connector with the server address https://api.fastclip.it/mcp and sign in to FastClip. We tested the sign-in with a generic client, not yet from the Claude app. FastClip is not in the Claude connector directory yet.
ChatGPT: In developer mode, add the server address https://api.fastclip.it/mcp and sign in to FastClip. We tested the sign-in with a generic client, not yet from ChatGPT. FastClip is not in the ChatGPT directory yet.
Grok: Add a custom connector with the server address https://api.fastclip.it/mcp and sign in to FastClip. We tested the sign-in with a generic client, not yet from Grok. FastClip is not in the Grok directory yet.

Limits

FastClip cannot read YouTube comments. Copy the timestamps and paste them into the prompt.
Each clip uses one clip of your plan. An account can make 20 clips in 10 minutes, so a long list takes more time.
You choose the moment. FastClip does not cut a batch of clips on its own and gives no virality scores. The agent makes the clips you ask for.
Clip length: 1 second to 5 minutes. Original keeps the frame of the video. Vertical is 9:16 at 1080 × 1920.
Speed limits: 6 new videos and 20 clips in 10 minutes for your account. The agent gets a clear error with the time to wait.
Your plan: the clips and imports an agent makes count toward your plan. The free plan has 100 finished clips and 50 YouTube or upload imports in total, and up to 30 finished clips a day.
If YouTube refuses the download: YouTube refuses many downloads from FastClip's servers. Then the import is queued and FastClip tries again by itself for about a day. You can also open the video in FastClip and upload the file. Waiting clips then continue from the file.

Questions

Can the agent read the comments by itself?

No. FastClip's tools read the video, its transcript and what FastClip knows about it, not the comments. Paste the timestamps.

What if a video has no transcript?

Then the agent cannot move the start and end to sentences. It cuts around each timestamp, and you set the exact range in FastClip.

Will it make the same clip twice?

The same range asked for again within two minutes returns the same clip. The agent can also list the clips of the video before it cuts.

More recipes

All recipes and the setup

Try it with your own video

Free, no credit card, no watermark. Connect your agent with a token from Settings or with a sign-in, and paste the prompt.

Start clipping for free