nimoqup046-collab cli-anything-shotcut
A stateful command-line interface for video editing, built on the MLT XML format. Designed for AI agents and power users who need to create and edit Shotcut projects without a GUI.
Installation
This CLI is installed as part of the cli-anything-shotcut package:
pip install cli-anything-shotcut
Prerequisites:
- Python 3.10+
- shotcut must be installed on your system
Usage
Basic Commands
# Show help
cli-anything-shotcut --help
# Start interactive REPL mode
cli-anything-shotcut
# Create a new project
cli-anything-shotcut project new -o project.json
# Run with JSON output (for agent consumption)
cli-anything-shotcut --json project info -p project.json
REPL Mode
When invoked without a subcommand, the CLI enters an interactive REPL session:
cli-anything-shotcut
# Enter commands interactively with tab-completion and history
Command Groups
Project
Project management: new, open, save, info.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
new |
Create a new blank project |
open |
Open an existing .mlt project file |
save |
Save the current project |
info |
Show detailed project information |
profiles |
List available video profiles |
xml |
Print the raw MLT XML of the current project |
Timeline
Timeline operations: tracks, clips, trimming.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
show |
Show the timeline overview |
tracks |
List all tracks |
add-track |
Add a new track to the timeline |
remove-track |
Remove a track by index |
add-clip |
Add a media clip to a track |
remove-clip |
Remove a clip from a track |
move-clip |
Move a clip between tracks or positions |
trim |
Trim a clip's in/out points |
split |
Split a clip into two at the given timecode |
clips |
List all clips on a track |
add-blank |
Add a blank gap to a track |
set-name |
Set a track's display name |
mute |
Mute or unmute a track |
hide |
Hide or unhide a video track |
Filter Group
Filter operations: add, remove, configure effects.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
list-available |
List all available filters |
info |
Show detailed info about a filter and its parameters |
add |
Add a filter to a clip, track, or globally |
remove |
Remove a filter by index |
set |
Set a parameter on a filter |
list |
List active filters on a target |
Media
Media operations: probe, list, check files.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
probe |
Analyze a media file's properties |
list |
List all media clips in the current project |
check |
Check all media files for existence |
thumbnail |
Generate a thumbnail from a video file |
Export
Export/render operations.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
presets |
List available export presets |
preset-info |
Show details of an export preset |
render |
Render the project to a video file |
Transition Group
Transition operations: dissolve, wipe, and other transitions.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
list-available |
List all available transition types |
info |
Show detailed info about a transition type |
add |
Add a transition between two tracks |
remove |
Remove a transition by index |
set |
Set a parameter on a transition |
list |
List all transitions on the timeline |
Composite Group
Compositing: blend modes, PIP, opacity.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
blend-modes |
List all available blend modes |
set-blend |
Set the blend mode for a track |
get-blend |
Get the current blend mode for a track |
set-opacity |
Set the opacity of a track (0.0-1.0) |
pip |
Set picture-in-picture position for a clip |
Session
Session management: status, undo, redo.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
status |
Show current session status |
undo |
Undo the last operation |
redo |
Redo the last undone operation |
save |
Save session state to disk |
list |
List all saved sessions |
Examples
Create a New Project
Create a new shotcut project file.
cli-anything-shotcut project new -o myproject.json
# Or with JSON output for programmatic use
cli-anything-shotcut --json project new -o myproject.json
Interactive REPL Session
Start an interactive session with undo/redo support.
cli-anything-shotcut
# Enter commands interactively
# Use 'help' to see available commands
# Use 'undo' and 'redo' for history navigation
Export Project
Export the project to a final output format.
cli-anything-shotcut --project myproject.json export render output.pdf --overwrite
State Management
The CLI maintains session state with:
- Undo/Redo: Up to 50 levels of history
- Project persistence: Save/load project state as JSON
- Session tracking: Track modifications and changes
Output Formats
All commands support dual output modes:
- Human-readable (default): Tables, colors, formatted text
- Machine-readable (
--jsonflag): Structured JSON for agent consumption
# Human output
cli-anything-shotcut project info -p project.json
# JSON output for agents
cli-anything-shotcut --json project info -p project.json
For AI Agents
When using this CLI programmatically:
- Always use
--jsonflag for parseable output - Check return codes - 0 for success, non-zero for errors
- Parse stderr for error messages on failure
- Use absolute paths for all file operations
- Verify outputs exist after export operations
More Information
- Full documentation: See README.md in the package
- Test coverage: See TEST.md in the package
- Methodology: See HARNESS.md in the cli-anything-plugin
Version
1.0.0