AI AGENT RECIPE

Clip a YouTube video with Claude

Give Claude a YouTube link and say which moment you want. Claude searches the transcript for the words, reads around the match to find where the thought starts and ends, and makes the clip in your FastClip account.

Paste this into your agent

Use FastClip. Import (paste the YouTube link). Search the transcript for (words the speaker says). Read about 30 seconds before and after the best match, choose where the thought starts and ends, and make one clip of that range with captions. Give me the download link when it is finished.

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. A link that is already in your account is not imported again. The agent does not have to wait for the import to end: when the result says it can create clips, it continues.
```
import_video { "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOUR_VIDEO" }
```
2. Search the transcript
The agent looks for the words you gave. It gets up to 8 passages, best first, each with its time. This is a keyword search, not a search by meaning, so give words the speaker really said.
```
get_transcript { "video_id": "VIDEO_ID", "query": "we raised our prices" }
```
3. Read around the match
The agent reads the transcript from a little before to a little after the match. It sets the start on the first sentence of the thought and the end after its last sentence.
```
get_transcript { "video_id": "VIDEO_ID", "start": 1790, "end": 1910 }
```

4. Cut the clip

The agent makes the clip with the start and end it chose, in the original frame, with captions.

create_clip { "video_id": "VIDEO_ID", "start": 1812.4, "end": 1868.9, "format": "original", "captions": true }

5. Get the link
The agent asks for the clip state every 10 seconds or so. When the clip is finished, it gives you the download link and the link to the clip in FastClip.
```
get_clip { "clip_id": "CLIP_ID" }
```

What you get

One MP4 of exactly the moment you named, with word-timed captions and no watermark. It is also in your FastClip library, where you can change the title and the post text.

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

The transcript comes from the video's YouTube captions. If a video has none, the agent cannot search it. Then give it the time, or use chapters and bookmarks.
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 Claude clip YouTube videos on its own?

Not on its own. Claude can call tools, and FastClip gives it tools that import a video, read its transcript and cut a clip. Without a tool like that, Claude cannot cut a video.

Do I need Claude Code, or does the Claude app work?

We tested Claude Code. Claude on the web and in the desktop app can add FastClip as a custom connector and sign in. We tested that sign-in with a generic client, not yet from the Claude app.

Does it cost anything?

FastClip is free with no credit card. The clip and the import count toward your plan. Your Claude plan has its own cost.

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