Get started
Node 18 or newer and a Chromium browser. ffmpeg on your PATH is optional, for fast export. Works on Windows, macOS and Linux.
Run the editor
Clone the repo and start the server. There is nothing to install: FableCut has zero npm dependencies.
git clone https://github.com/ronak-create/FableCut
cd FableCut
node server.jsOpens at http://localhost:7777. The server listens on 127.0.0.1 only.
Connect your agent
Register the MCP server once and every session can read and rewrite your timeline. Claude Code and Claude Desktop install it without a path; other clients point at mcp-server.js in your clone.
// In Claude Code. No path, no config.
/plugin marketplace add ronak-create/FableCut
/plugin install fablecut@fablecutDownload the bundle and open it. Claude Desktop installs the server for you, no path needed.
Download fablecut.mcpbcodex mcp add fablecut -- \
node "/path/to/FableCut/mcp-server.js"gemini mcp add -s user fablecut \
node "/path/to/FableCut/mcp-server.js"// ~/.cursor/mcp.json
{
"mcpServers": {
"fablecut": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/path/to/FableCut/mcp-server.js"]
}
}
}// opencode.json
{
"mcp": {
"fablecut": {
"type": "local",
"command": ["node", "/path/to/FableCut/mcp-server.js"],
"enabled": true
}
}
}amp mcp add fablecut -- \
node "/path/to/FableCut/mcp-server.js"Prefer to register it by hand in Claude Code? claude mcp add -s user fablecut -- node "/path/to/FableCut/mcp-server.js"
Ask for an edit
Keep the editor open and talk to your agent. It reads project.json, writes its changes, and the timeline updates in about 150 ms. Export from the editor when it looks right.
- “Cut these clips to the beat of track.mp3 and put a title on the drop.”
- “Grade everything teal-orange and add a little film grain.”
- “Remake the pacing of ref.mp4 with my footage.”
Questions people ask first.
Can an AI actually edit video?
Yes, and you get to watch it happen. Your whole edit lives in one file called project.json: the clips, the tracks, the effects, every keyframe. An agent rewrites that file the same way it writes code, and the open editor picks up the change in about 150 milliseconds. Nothing is hidden behind a render API you cannot see into.
What is an MCP video editor?
MCP is the Model Context Protocol, the standard way an AI client talks to outside tools. FableCut ships an MCP server, so Claude Code, Claude Desktop or any other MCP client gets real typed tools for reading and rewriting your timeline instead of guessing at it.
Do I need ffmpeg?
Only if you want the fast export. Put ffmpeg on your PATH and exports run through it. Skip it and the editor records the timeline in the browser instead. Everything else, preview and trimming and effects and titles, works fine without it.
Does my footage get uploaded anywhere?
No. The server runs on your own machine and listens on 127.0.0.1 only, so your media sits in a local folder and never goes near anyone's cloud. Two things do touch the network, and both are your call: the + URL button downloads a file you paste in, and AI background removal fetches its model from a CDN the first time you use it.
Is FableCut free?
Yes. MIT licensed, free for personal and commercial work, with no account, no telemetry and no paid tier waiting for you later. It also has zero npm dependencies, so node server.js really is the whole install.
What do I need to run it?
Node 18 or newer and a Chromium browser. Clone the repo, run node server.js, open http://localhost:7777. It works on Windows, macOS and Linux, and if you would rather not deal with paths at all, it installs as a Claude Code plugin.