Nrves Pipeline

NRVES Pipeline - Viral Editz Automated Video Assembly Line

Automated end-to-end video editing pipeline for the Viral Editz agency. Processes raw client footage into publish-ready vertical (Instagram Reels) or horizontal (YouTube) content using the NRVES methodology.

Use this skill when the user says: "edit video", "process video", "edit with Claude", "run NRVES", "video editing", "edit this clip", "process this footage", "run the pipeline", "edit for [client name]", "creative mode", or drops a video file into a client watch folder.

What It Does

Chains existing tools into a single automated workflow:

1. N - Narrative: Transcribe (faster-whisper) + identify hook (Claude API)
2. R - Retention: Remove silences (Silero VAD neural detection)
3. V - Visual: Crop to 9:16 with face tracking (OpenCV, eye-line at 1/3)
4. E - Enhance: Reorder around hook OR creative editorial cuts to target duration
5. S - Submit: Burn subtitles (libass) + export final MP4

Execution Scripts

• Pipeline: ~/.claude/skills/_youtube-execution/nrves_pipeline/nrves_pipeline.py
• Watch Folder: ~/.claude/skills/_youtube-execution/nrves_pipeline/watch_folder.py
• Client Configs: ~/.claude/skills/_youtube-execution/nrves_pipeline/client_configs/

Quick Start

# Process a single video with client config
python3 ~/.claude/skills/_youtube-execution/nrves_pipeline/nrves_pipeline.py \
  input.mp4 --client thecreditbrothers

# Creative mode: AI analyzes transcript, creates editorial plan, cuts to target duration
python3 ~/.claude/skills/_youtube-execution/nrves_pipeline/nrves_pipeline.py \
  input.mp4 --client thecreditbrothers --creative

# Creative mode with custom target (60 seconds)
python3 ~/.claude/skills/_youtube-execution/nrves_pipeline/nrves_pipeline.py \
  input.mp4 --creative --target-duration 60

# Process all videos in a client folder
python3 ~/.claude/skills/_youtube-execution/nrves_pipeline/nrves_pipeline.py \
  ~/Desktop/nrves/raw/thecreditbrothers/ --client thecreditbrothers

# Quick mode: just silence removal + subtitles
python3 ~/.claude/skills/_youtube-execution/nrves_pipeline/nrves_pipeline.py \
  input.mp4 --client luiscarrillo --quick

# Skip specific steps
python3 ~/.claude/skills/_youtube-execution/nrves_pipeline/nrves_pipeline.py \
  input.mp4 --skip-crop --skip-subtitles

Two Modes

Trust Mode (default)

Auto-processes everything without stopping. Best for simple clips that just need silence removal, crop, and subtitles.

python3 nrves_pipeline.py input.mp4 --client epicdental

Creative Mode (--creative)

AI analyzes the transcript first, creates an editorial plan showing which segments to keep, identifies the hook, and cuts to the target duration. Best for longer recordings where editorial decisions matter.

python3 nrves_pipeline.py input.mp4 --client thecreditbrothers --creative

The editorial plan is saved as {filename}_editorial_plan.json in the output directory for review.

Watch Folder System

Drop videos into client folders and they auto-process:

# Start the watcher (runs in background)
python3 ~/.claude/skills/_youtube-execution/nrves_pipeline/watch_folder.py

# Or run in background
nohup python3 ~/.claude/skills/_youtube-execution/nrves_pipeline/watch_folder.py &

Folder Structure

~/Desktop/nrves/
├── raw/                          # Drop videos here
│   ├── luiscarrillo/
│   ├── ryanmagin/
│   ├── ryanmagin_youtube/
│   ├── thecreditbrothers/
│   ├── epicdental/
│   └── thebaileys/
├── processed/                    # Output appears here
│   └── {client_name}/
│       ├── {filename}_NRVES.mp4  # Final video
│       ├── {filename}_NRVES.srt  # Subtitle file
│       └── {filename}_editorial_plan.json  # (Creative mode only)
└── logs/                         # Processing logs

Client Configs

Each client has a JSON config in client_configs/. Configs control every parameter:

CLI Arguments

Face Tracking

The crop step uses OpenCV Haar cascade face detection:

• Samples 15 frames across the first 30 seconds
• Averages face position across all detections
• Centers face horizontally in the 9:16 crop
• Positions eye line at 1/3 from top (standard talking-head framing)
• If face is already above 1/3, uses full source height
• If face is below 1/3, zooms in (max 30% zoom) to reframe

Audio Channel Fix

For recordings where only one mic channel has audio:

"audio": {
  "fix_channels": "left"
}

Options: "left" (duplicate left to both), "right" (duplicate right), "auto" (detect and fix).

Creative Mode - Editorial Analysis

When --creative is used, the pipeline sends the full transcript to Claude Sonnet to:

1. Identify the strongest hook
2. Map all story beats with timestamps
3. Select segments that create a complete narrative arc within target duration
4. Detect if multiple video opportunities exist in the footage
5. Return a structured cut plan

The plan is printed to console and saved as JSON. Segments are extracted and concatenated in the planned order (hook first), then the cut video is re-transcribed for accurate subtitles.

Requires: ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable (~$0.01-0.02 per video).

Dependencies

# Already installed on this machine
pip3 install torch torchaudio faster-whisper anthropic watchdog opencv-python
brew install homebrew-ffmpeg/ffmpeg/ffmpeg  # FFmpeg with libass for subtitles

Related Skills

• clipper-skill: Generates editing directions from transcripts (conceptual). NRVES pipeline executes them.
• god-mode-vibe-editor: NRVES methodology reference. This pipeline implements it.
• smart-video-edit: Simpler FFmpeg workflow + Auphonic upload. Use for YouTube uploads.
• jump-cut-vad: Standalone silence removal component. Used internally by this pipeline.

Full Specification

Complete details, decision trees, protocols, and implementation specs: references/full-details.md