# Open Edit > A local editor with no GUI and no LLM: an append-only edit graph an agent drives over MCP. - **Category:** Editing & Post - **Vendor:** Community (AH64-dll) (community) - **Pricing:** free - **Verified:** 2026-10-17 ## What it does Open Edit runs as a local stdio MCP server pinned to one project directory, and hands the agent the machinery instead of the creative decisions: content-addressed ingest, word-level transcription via faster-whisper, an append-only intermediate-representation edit graph in SQLite, and melt + ffmpeg rendering. Every cut is one of 28 recorded, reversible IR operations, so a filmmaker can audit or revert what an agent did to the timeline rather than re-deriving it from a rendered file. Renders go proxy-first at 640x360 and only reach 1080p after passing a ten-check QC gate, which is the difference between an agent iterating cheaply and an agent burning an hour per bad idea. ## Connect - Claude Code: `claude mcp add open-edit -- open-edit-mcp --project /ABSOLUTE/PATH/TO/PROJECT` - Local: `open-edit-mcp --project /ABSOLUTE/PATH/TO/PROJECT` **Auth:** none ## Capabilities [local-post](https://mcp.film/capabilities/local-post.md) · `edit-graph` · [transcription](https://mcp.film/capabilities/transcription.md) · [ffmpeg](https://mcp.film/capabilities/ffmpeg.md) · `proxy-render` · [quality-check](https://mcp.film/capabilities/quality-check.md) · [motion-graphics](https://mcp.film/capabilities/motion-graphics.md) ## Sample tools `query_project` · `edit_project` · `run_script` · `trigger_render` · `get_render_job` · `cancel_render_job` ## Field notes Two steps come before the connect command: install, then `open_edit init ` — the server refuses to start against a directory it has not initialised. Install is in flux. PyPI `open-edit` is still 1.3.1 (12 Aug 2026), and for that path you need `pip install "open-edit[mcp]"`, because the `mcp` dependency sits in an optional extra a plain install skips. But a 13 Oct 2026 refactor on main rewrote the README around Windows x64 / Linux x64 ZIP installers (install.ps1 / install.sh, Python 3.12 recommended) that write mcp.json, opencode.json and codex.toml for you, plus `open_edit mcp-config --project PATH` to generate a host entry — and as of 17 Oct no release carrying that refactor has been cut, so the newest tagged release is still v1.3.1. The stdio command, `open-edit-mcp --project`, is unchanged across both. MIT, 48 stars, repo pushed 13 Oct 2026, Python >=3.11. Six tools, not 28 — the 28 is the count of IR edit operations reachable through `edit_project`. Pinning to one project is a deliberate blast-radius limit, but it also means one registered server per cut. `run_script` executes free-form Python against the IR; it is bwrap-sandboxed on Linux and explicitly `dev`-only on Windows, so do not expose it on a Windows box you care about. Rendering needs melt (MLT) and ffmpeg; macOS is not a supported platform. Transcription is opt-in (`whisper` extra, or `--whisper` on the installer), as is a built-in chat agent (`--with-agent`); no model ships by default. The 1.3.1 wheel still pulls in the `anthropic` SDK unconditionally. Remotion is no longer installed by default — `open_edit setup legacy-remotion` adds it, with Remotion's separate licence terms. Single maintainer; the actively maintained alternative in this space is Kinocut. ## Alternatives - [LeClap](https://mcp.film/mcps/leclap.md) — Deterministic video from one JSON template — same input, same frames, rendered locally. - [claude-real-video (crv)](https://mcp.film/mcps/claude-real-video.md) — Lets an agent actually watch footage locally — scene-cut keyframes plus transcript, no upload. - [Kinocut](https://mcp.film/mcps/mcp-video.md) — Guardrailed local video editing MCP — FFmpeg, receipts, quality gates, and repurposing. - [OrkasVideoStudio](https://mcp.film/mcps/orkas-videostudio.md) — Local MCP and CLI toolkit for agent-driven video composition, editing, analysis, and rendering. - [reap MCP](https://mcp.film/mcps/reap.md) — Hosted MCP that clips, captions, dubs, reframes, and publishes long-form footage. - [Valossa Video Assistant MCP](https://mcp.film/mcps/valossa.md) — Hosted video-understanding MCP: transcripts, shots, visual scenes, soundbites, and clips. ## Verification - Status: Freshly checked (7 days old) - Added: 2026-09-04 - Last verified: 2026-10-17 - Machine JSON: https://mcp.film/api/mcps/open-edit.json ## Links - Docs: https://ah64-dll.github.io/OpenEdit/?utm_source=mcp.film&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=directory&utm_content=open-edit%3Adocs - Repo: https://github.com/AH64-dll/OpenEdit --- Structured data: https://mcp.film/api/mcps/open-edit.json · Directory: https://mcp.film Canonical: https://mcp.film/mcps/open-edit/ Hosted directory MCP: https://mcp.film/mcp