@autoaiai/aicut 0.1.7 → 0.1.11

package/skills/video-toolkit/SKILL.md

@@ -0,0 +1,686 @@
+---
+name: video-toolkit
+description: "Create professional videos autonomously using claude-code-video-toolkit — AI voiceovers, image generation, music, talking heads, and AICUT rendering. Runs in AICUT: the film is film.html, a page per shot, drawn by `aicut look` and `aicut render`."
+license: MIT
+source: "digitalsamba/claude-code-video-toolkit"
+---
+
+# Video Toolkit
+
+## Running it in AICUT
+
+AICUT's film is `film.html`: it cuts pages, footage, pictures and sound together on tracks. A page is a web page that
+sets `window.film = { frame(t) }` and draws that moment — no framework, no build step, no composition object, no
+`registerRoot`. Five shots are five pages cut together, not one page that changes scene, so each shot stays trimmable
+and replaceable in Studio.
+
+```sh
+npx -y @autoaiai/aicut@latest          # the manual: the format and the commands, always current
+npx -y @autoaiai/aicut@latest open .   # make this folder a film and print Studio's address
+npx -y @autoaiai/aicut@latest look     # a contact sheet of the whole film, its sound, and a determinism check
+npx -y @autoaiai/aicut@latest look 4.5 # one frame, full size — look at the PNG, not at the code
+npx -y @autoaiai/aicut@latest render   # the MP4, beside film.html
+```
+
+Run the manual before the first film: it is authoritative for the format, and this skill is about the method above it.
+
+Where the words below name another program's part, it becomes this:
+
+| elsewhere | in AICUT |
+|---|---|
+| composition, timeline, project file | `film.html`; tracks and clips inside it |
+| a scene, a sequence, a slide | a page (`pages/<name>.html`) cut onto a track |
+| `useCurrentFrame()`, `interpolate()` | `frame(t)` — the picture depends only on `t`, never on state or `Date.now()` |
+| a still, a screengrab | `aicut look <t>` |
+| `render` / `build` / `export` | `aicut render` (the person can also export from Studio) |
+| a dev server, a preview window | `aicut open` and the Studio address it prints |
+
+Hard rules that hold whatever the method says: the picture depends only on `t`; every value in the person's prompt is
+binding; look at the frames `look` writes before saying a film is done.
+
+
+Create professional explainer videos from a text brief. The toolkit uses open-source AI models on cloud GPUs (Modal or RunPod) for voiceover, image generation, music, and talking head animation. Remotion (React) handles composition and rendering.
+
+## CRITICAL: Toolkit Path
+
+The toolkit lives at a fixed path. **ALWAYS `cd` here before running any tool command.**
+
+```bash
+TOOLKIT=~/.openclaw/workspace/claude-code-video-toolkit
+cd $TOOLKIT
+```
+```
+**NEVER run tool commands from inside a project directory.** Tools resolve paths relative to the toolkit root.
+```
+
+## CRITICAL: Progress Reporting
+
+**ALWAYS add `--progress json` to every cloud GPU tool command.** This gives you structured JSON Lines on stderr so you can monitor job status, detect stuck jobs, and report progress to the user in real-time.
+
+# CORRECT — always include --progress json
+uv run tools/music_gen.py --preset corporate-bg --duration 60 --output bg.mp3 --progress json
+
+# WRONG — no visibility into job status
+uv run tools/music_gen.py --preset corporate-bg --duration 60 --output bg.mp3
+```
+Tools that support `--progress json`: `music_gen.py`, `qwen3_tts.py`, `flux2.py`, `upscale.py`, `sadtalker.py`, `image_edit.py`, `dewatermark.py`, `ltx2.py`, `chain_video.py`.
+
+See the **Progress Reporting** section below for output format and stage definitions.
+```
+
+## CRITICAL: Long-Running Tasks — Use yieldMs, Not background:true
+
+**Any tool command that takes more than 30 seconds MUST use `exec` with `yieldMs` so you can report progress to the user live.** This includes: batch FLUX generation, chain_video, SadTalker, music generation, and any multi-scene pipeline.
+
+```
+exec command:"cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/claude-code-video-toolkit && uv run tools/chain_video.py --output-dir /path/ --progress json ..." yieldMs:10000
+```
+```
+**The polling loop:**
+1. `exec` with `yieldMs:10000` starts the command and returns control to you every 10 seconds
+2. Read the `--progress json` output — look for `"stage":"item"` (scene complete) or `"stage":"complete"` (all done)
+3. Report progress to the user ("Scene 05/30 complete, 17%")
+4. Poll again: `process action:poll sessionId:<id>`
+5. Repeat until `"stage":"complete"`
+
+**Why:** Your agent run ends when you finish responding. If you use `bash background:true`, you lose the ability to report progress — the user sees silence until they nudge you. With `yieldMs`, you stay in the loop.
+
+**NEVER do this:**
+- `bash background:true command:"long running thing"` then promise to "monitor" — you can't, your run ends
+- Break a batch into individual tool calls across separate messages — your run ends between each one
+- Promise to "continue autonomously" — you literally cannot without an external trigger
+```
+
+## Setup
+
+### Step 1: Check Current State
+
+```bash
+cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/claude-code-video-toolkit
+uv run tools/verify_setup.py
+```
+```
+If everything shows `[x]`, skip to "Quick Test" below. Otherwise continue setup.
+```
+
+### Step 2: Install Python Dependencies
+
+```bash
+cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/claude-code-video-toolkit
+uv sync
+```
+```
+Note: `uv sync` creates its own `.venv/` from the lockfile, so it sidesteps Debian/Ubuntu's managed-Python restrictions (PEP 668) — no `--break-system-packages` needed. If `uv` is missing, install it first: `curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh`.
+```
+
+### Step 3: Configure Cloud GPU Endpoints
+
+The toolkit needs cloud GPU endpoint URLs in `.env`. Check if `.env` exists and has Modal endpoints:
+
+```bash
+cat ~/.openclaw/workspace/claude-code-video-toolkit/.env | grep MODAL
+```
+```
+If Modal endpoints are configured, you're ready. If not, **ask the user to provide Modal endpoint URLs** or set up Modal:
+```
+```bash
+uv sync --extra modal
+uv run modal setup   # Opens browser for authentication
+```
+
+# Deploy each tool — capture the endpoint URL from output
+cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/claude-code-video-toolkit
+uv run modal deploy docker/modal-qwen3-tts/app.py
+uv run modal deploy docker/modal-flux2/app.py
+uv run modal deploy docker/modal-music-gen/app.py
+uv run modal deploy docker/modal-sadtalker/app.py
+uv run modal deploy docker/modal-image-edit/app.py
+uv run modal deploy docker/modal-upscale/app.py
+uv run modal deploy docker/modal-propainter/app.py
+uv run modal deploy docker/modal-ltx2/app.py      # Requires: uv run modal secret create huggingface-token HF_TOKEN=hf_...
+```
+**LTX-2 prerequisite:** Before deploying LTX-2, create a HuggingFace secret and accept the [Gemma 3 license](https://huggingface.co/google/gemma-3-12b-it-qat-q4_0-unquantized):
+```
+```bash
+uv run modal secret create huggingface-token HF_TOKEN=hf_your_read_access_token
+```
+```
+Add each URL to `.env`:
+```
+```
+ACEMUSIC_API_KEY=...                          # Free key from acemusic.ai/api-key (best music quality)
+MODAL_QWEN3_TTS_ENDPOINT_URL=https://...modal.run
+MODAL_FLUX2_ENDPOINT_URL=https://...modal.run
+MODAL_MUSIC_GEN_ENDPOINT_URL=https://...modal.run
+MODAL_SADTALKER_ENDPOINT_URL=https://...modal.run
+MODAL_IMAGE_EDIT_ENDPOINT_URL=https://...modal.run
+MODAL_UPSCALE_ENDPOINT_URL=https://...modal.run
+MODAL_DEWATERMARK_ENDPOINT_URL=https://...modal.run
+MODAL_LTX2_ENDPOINT_URL=https://...modal.run
+```
+```
+Optional but recommended — Cloudflare R2 for reliable file transfer:
+```
+```
+R2_ACCOUNT_ID=...
+R2_ACCESS_KEY_ID=...
+R2_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=...
+R2_BUCKET_NAME=video-toolkit
+```
+
+### Step 4: Verify and Quick Test
+
+```bash
+cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/claude-code-video-toolkit
+uv run tools/verify_setup.py
+```
+```
+All tools should show `[x]`. Then run a quick test to confirm the GPU pipeline works:
+```
+```bash
+cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/claude-code-video-toolkit
+uv run tools/qwen3_tts.py --text "Hello, this is a test." --speaker Ryan --tone warm --output /tmp/video-toolkit-test.mp3 --cloud modal
+```
+```
+If you get a valid .mp3 file, setup is complete. If it fails, check:
+- `.env` has the correct `MODAL_QWEN3_TTS_ENDPOINT_URL`
+- Run `uv run tools/verify_setup.py --json` and check `modal_tools` for which endpoints are missing
+
+**Cost:** Modal includes $30/month free compute. A typical 60s video costs $1-3.
+
+---
+```
+
+## Creating a Video
+
+### Step 1: Create Project
+
+```bash
+cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/claude-code-video-toolkit
+cp -r templates/product-demo projects/PROJECT_NAME
+cd projects/PROJECT_NAME
+```
+```
+Templates: `product-demo` (marketing/explainer), `sprint-review`, `sprint-review-v2` (composable scenes).
+```
+
+### Step 2: Write Config
+
+Edit `projects/PROJECT_NAME/src/config/demo-config.ts`:
+
+```typescript
+export const demoConfig: ProductDemoConfig = {
+  product: {
+    name: 'My Product',
+    tagline: 'What it does in one line',
+    website: 'example.com',
+  },
+  scenes: [
+    { type: 'title', durationSeconds: 9, content: { headline: '...', subheadline: '...' } },
+    { type: 'problem', durationSeconds: 14, content: { headline: '...', problems: ['...', '...'] } },
+    { type: 'solution', durationSeconds: 13, content: { headline: '...', highlights: ['...', '...'] } },
+    { type: 'stats', durationSeconds: 12, content: { stats: [{value: '99%', label: '...'}, ...] } },
+    { type: 'cta', durationSeconds: 10, content: { headline: '...', links: ['...'] } },
+  ],
+  audio: {
+    backgroundMusicFile: 'audio/bg-music.mp3',
+    backgroundMusicVolume: 0.12,
+  },
+};
+```
+Scene types: `title`, `problem`, `solution`, `demo`, `feature`, `stats`, `cta`.
+
+**Duration rule:** Estimate `durationSeconds` as `ceil(word_count / 2.5) + 2`. You will adjust this after generating audio in Step 4.
+```
+
+### Step 3: Write Voiceover Script
+
+Create `projects/PROJECT_NAME/VOICEOVER-SCRIPT.md`:
+
+```markdown
+
+## Scene 1: Title (9s, ~17 words)
+Build videos with AI. The product name toolkit makes it easy.
+
+## Scene 2: Problem (14s, ~30 words)
+The problem statement goes here. Keep it punchy and relatable.
+```
+**Word budget per scene:** `(durationSeconds - 2) * 2.5` words. The -2 accounts for 1s audio delay + 1s padding.
+```
+
+### Step 4: Generate Assets
+
+**CRITICAL: All commands below MUST be run from the toolkit root, not the project directory.**
+
+```bash
+cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/claude-code-video-toolkit
+```
+```
+#### 4a. Background Music
+
+Default provider is **acemusic** (official cloud API, free key). No GPU required. Falls back to Modal/RunPod for self-hosted.
+```
+```bash
+cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/claude-code-video-toolkit
+```
+
+# Using acemusic cloud API (default — best quality, XL Turbo 4B model)
+uv run tools/music_gen.py \
+  --preset corporate-bg \
+  --duration 90 \
+  --output projects/PROJECT_NAME/public/audio/bg-music.mp3 \
+  --progress json
+
+# Or with custom prompt and thinking mode
+uv run tools/music_gen.py \
+  --prompt "Subtle ambient tech, soft synth pads" \
+  --duration 90 \
+  --output projects/PROJECT_NAME/public/audio/bg-music.mp3 \
+  --progress json
+
+# Fall back to self-hosted Modal if no acemusic key
+uv run tools/music_gen.py \
+  --preset corporate-bg \
+  --duration 90 \
+  --output projects/PROJECT_NAME/public/audio/bg-music.mp3 \
+  --cloud modal --progress json
+```
+Presets: `corporate-bg`, `upbeat-tech`, `ambient`, `dramatic`, `tension`, `hopeful`, `cta`, `lofi`.
+
+Setup: `echo "ACEMUSIC_API_KEY=your_key" >> .env` (get free key at acemusic.ai/api-key).
+
+#### 4b. Voiceover (per-scene)
+
+Generate ONE .mp3 file PER SCENE. Do NOT generate a single voiceover file.
+```
+```bash
+cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/claude-code-video-toolkit
+```
+
+# Scene 01
+uv run tools/qwen3_tts.py \
+  --text "The voiceover text for scene one." \
+  --speaker Ryan --tone warm \
+  --output projects/PROJECT_NAME/public/audio/scenes/01.mp3 \
+  --cloud modal --progress json
+
+# Scene 02
+uv run tools/qwen3_tts.py \
+  --text "The voiceover text for scene two." \
+  --speaker Ryan --tone warm \
+  --output projects/PROJECT_NAME/public/audio/scenes/02.mp3 \
+  --cloud modal --progress json
+
+# ... repeat for each scene
+```
+**Speakers:** `Ryan`, `Aiden`, `Vivian`, `Serena`, `Uncle_Fu`, `Dylan`, `Eric`, `Ono_Anna`, `Sohee`
+**Tones:** `neutral`, `warm`, `professional`, `excited`, `calm`, `serious`, `storyteller`, `tutorial`
+
+For voice cloning (needs a reference recording):
+```
+```bash
+cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/claude-code-video-toolkit
+uv run tools/qwen3_tts.py \
+  --text "Text to speak" \
+  --ref-audio assets/voices/reference.m4a \
+  --ref-text "Exact transcript of the reference audio" \
+  --output projects/PROJECT_NAME/public/audio/scenes/01.mp3 \
+  --cloud modal --progress json
+```
+```
+#### 4c. Scene Images
+```
+```bash
+cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/claude-code-video-toolkit
+uv run tools/flux2.py \
+  --prompt "Dark tech background with blue geometric grid, cinematic lighting" \
+  --width 1920 --height 1080 \
+  --output projects/PROJECT_NAME/public/images/title-bg.png \
+  --cloud modal --progress json
+```
+```
+Image presets (use `--preset` instead of `--prompt --width --height`):
+`title-bg`, `problem`, `solution`, `demo-bg`, `stats-bg`, `cta`, `thumbnail`, `portrait-bg`
+```
+```bash
+cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/claude-code-video-toolkit
+uv run tools/flux2.py \
+  --preset title-bg \
+  --output projects/PROJECT_NAME/public/images/title-bg.png \
+  --cloud modal --progress json
+```
+```
+#### 4d. Video Clips — B-Roll & Animated Backgrounds (optional)
+
+Generate AI video clips for b-roll cutaways, animated slide backgrounds, or intro/outro sequences:
+```
+```bash
+cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/claude-code-video-toolkit
+```
+
+# B-roll clip from text
+uv run tools/ltx2.py \
+  --prompt "Aerial drone shot over a European city at golden hour, cinematic wide angle" \
+  --output projects/PROJECT_NAME/public/videos/broll-europe.mp4 \
+  --cloud modal --progress json
+
+# Animate a slide/screenshot (image-to-video)
+uv run tools/ltx2.py \
+  --prompt "Gentle particle effects, soft ambient light shifts, very slight camera drift" \
+  --input projects/PROJECT_NAME/public/images/title-bg.png \
+  --output projects/PROJECT_NAME/public/videos/animated-title.mp4 \
+  --cloud modal --progress json
+
+# Abstract intro/outro background
+uv run tools/ltx2.py \
+  --prompt "Dark moody abstract background with flowing blue light streaks, bokeh particles, cinematic" \
+  --output projects/PROJECT_NAME/public/videos/intro-bg.mp4 \
+  --cloud modal --progress json
+```
+Use in Remotion compositions with `<OffthreadVideo>`:
+```
+```tsx
+<OffthreadVideo src={staticFile('videos/broll-europe.mp4')} />
+```
+**LTX-2 rules:**
+- Max ~8 seconds per clip (193 frames at 24fps). Default is ~5s (121 frames).
+- Width/height must be divisible by 64. Default: 768x512.
+- ~$0.20-0.25 per clip, ~2.5 min generation time.
+- Cold start ~60-90s. Subsequent clips on warm GPU are faster.
+- Generated audio is ambient only — use voiceover/music tools for speech and music.
+- ~30% of generations may have training data artifacts (logos/text). Re-run with `--seed` to vary.
+
+#### 4d-chain. Chained Video Sequences (visual continuity)
+
+Generate a sequence of video clips where each scene flows from the last frame of the previous one. **This runs as a single command** — no manual nudging between scenes.
+```
+```bash
+cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/claude-code-video-toolkit
+```
+
+# Chain scenes 1-30 from a directory of FLUX images
+uv run tools/chain_video.py \
+  --scenes-dir projects/PROJECT_NAME/public/images/scenes/ \
+  --output-dir projects/PROJECT_NAME/public/videos/chain/ \
+  --prompt "Cinematic continuation, flowing transition" \
+  --start 1 --end 30 \
+  --progress json
+
+# Resume from scene 10 (skips existing files automatically)
+uv run tools/chain_video.py \
+  --scenes-dir projects/PROJECT_NAME/public/images/scenes/ \
+  --output-dir projects/PROJECT_NAME/public/videos/chain/ \
+  --start 10 --end 30 \
+  --progress json
+
+# Per-scene prompts from JSON file
+uv run tools/chain_video.py \
+  --scenes-dir projects/PROJECT_NAME/public/images/scenes/ \
+  --output-dir projects/PROJECT_NAME/public/videos/chain/ \
+  --prompts-file projects/PROJECT_NAME/scenes.json \
+  --progress json
+
+# Chain from an existing clip (no scene images needed)
+uv run tools/chain_video.py \
+  --first-clip output/chain-04.mp4 \
+  --output-dir output/ \
+  --start 5 --end 30 \
+  --prompt "Celtic mythology, flowing transition" \
+  --progress json
+```
+**Prompts file format** (`scenes.json`):
+```
+```json
+{"1": "Ancient stone circle at dawn", "2": "Celtic spirals emerge from stone", "3": "Portal opens with golden light"}
+```
+**Chain rules:**
+- Extracts last frame from scene N, feeds as `--input` to scene N+1 via LTX-2
+- Skips scenes that already exist on disk (safe to resume)
+- Falls back to scene images from `--scenes-dir` if chaining fails
+- Use `--prefix` to set output filename prefix (default: `chain`)
+- ~2.5 min per scene, ~$0.20-0.25 per clip
+- Extra args (e.g. `--negative-prompt`, `--seed`) are passed through to ltx2.py
+
+**CRITICAL: Style drift in chained sequences.** LTX-2 has ~30% training data contamination (anime/Asian content). Generic prompts like "cinematic transition" will drift toward anime aesthetics within 5-10 chained scenes. To prevent this:
+
+1. **ALWAYS use `--prompts-file`** with specific per-scene prompts — never a single generic prompt for the whole chain
+2. **ALWAYS add `--negative-prompt`** to exclude unwanted styles:
+```
+```
+--negative-prompt "anime, manga, asian, cartoon, illustration, watermark, text, logo"
+```
+```
+3. Each per-scene prompt should include **strong style anchors** (e.g. "Irish landscape, Celtic knotwork, oil painting style") not just subject descriptions
+
+**CRITICAL: Run with `yieldMs` for live progress reporting.** Don't break it into per-scene tool calls — OpenClaw's agent run ends between calls, causing the sequence to stall. Instead, use `exec` with `yieldMs` so you stay in the loop and can relay progress to the user:
+```
+```
+exec command:"cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/claude-code-video-toolkit && uv run tools/chain_video.py --scenes-dir /path/to/images/ --output-dir /path/to/output/ --prompts-file scenes.json --progress json" yieldMs:10000
+```
+```
+**How this works:**
+- `yieldMs:10000` returns control to you every 10 seconds
+- You read the `--progress json` output (JSON Lines on stderr with stage/pct/msg)
+- Report progress to the user ("Scene 05/30 complete, 17%")
+- Then poll again: `process action:poll sessionId:<id>`
+- Repeat until `"stage":"complete"` appears
+
+**This is the correct pattern for ALL long-running tool commands** (chain_video, batch flux, batch sadtalker, etc.). Never use `bash background:true` and forget about it — use `exec` + `yieldMs` + `process poll` loop so you can report progress live.
+
+#### 4e. Talking Head Narrator (optional)
+
+Generate a presenter portrait, then animate per-scene clips:
+```
+```bash
+cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/claude-code-video-toolkit
+```
+
+# 1. Generate portrait
+uv run tools/flux2.py \
+  --prompt "Professional presenter portrait, clean style, dark background, facing camera, upper body" \
+  --width 1024 --height 576 \
+  --output projects/PROJECT_NAME/public/images/presenter.png \
+  --cloud modal --progress json
+
+# 2. Generate per-scene narrator clips (one per scene, NOT one long video)
+uv run tools/sadtalker.py \
+  --image projects/PROJECT_NAME/public/images/presenter.png \
+  --audio projects/PROJECT_NAME/public/audio/scenes/01.mp3 \
+  --preprocess full --still --expression-scale 0.8 \
+  --output projects/PROJECT_NAME/public/narrator-01.mp4 \
+  --cloud modal --progress json
+
+# Repeat for each scene that needs a narrator
+```
+**SadTalker rules — follow these exactly:**
+- **ALWAYS** use `--preprocess full` (default `crop` outputs a square, wrong aspect ratio)
+- **ALWAYS** use `--still` (reduces head movement, looks professional)
+- **ALWAYS** generate per-scene clips (6-15s each), NEVER one long video
+- Processing: ~3-4 min per 10s of audio on Modal A10G
+- `--expression-scale 0.8` keeps expressions subtle (range 0.0-1.5)
+
+#### 4e. Image Editing (optional)
+
+Create scene variants from existing images:
+```
+```bash
+cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/claude-code-video-toolkit
+uv run tools/image_edit.py \
+  --input projects/PROJECT_NAME/public/images/title-bg.png \
+  --prompt "Make it darker with red tones, more ominous" \
+  --output projects/PROJECT_NAME/public/images/problem-bg.png \
+  --cloud modal --progress json
+```
+```
+#### 4f. Upscaling (optional)
+```
+```bash
+cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/claude-code-video-toolkit
+uv run tools/upscale.py \
+  --input projects/PROJECT_NAME/public/images/some-image.png \
+  --output projects/PROJECT_NAME/public/images/some-image-4x.png \
+  --scale 4 --cloud modal --progress json
+```
+
+### Step 5: Sync Timing
+
+**ALWAYS do this after generating voiceover.** Audio duration differs from estimates.
+
+```bash
+cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/claude-code-video-toolkit
+for f in projects/PROJECT_NAME/public/audio/scenes/*.mp3; do
+  echo "$(basename $f): $(ffprobe -v error -show_entries format=duration -of csv=p=0 "$f")s"
+done
+```
+```
+Update each scene's `durationSeconds` in `demo-config.ts` to: `ceil(actual_audio_duration + 2)`.
+
+Example: if `01.mp3` is 6.8s, set scene 1 `durationSeconds` to `9` (ceil(6.8 + 2) = 9).
+```
+
+### Step 6: Review Still Frames
+
+```bash
+cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/claude-code-video-toolkit/projects/PROJECT_NAME
+npx -y @autoaiai/aicut@latest look 4.5
+```
+```
+Check: text truncation, animation timing, narrator PiP positioning, background contrast.
+```
+
+### Step 7: Render
+
+```bash
+cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/claude-code-video-toolkit/projects/PROJECT_NAME
+npm run render
+```
+```
+**Output:** `out/ProductDemo.mp4`
+
+---
+```
+
+## Composition Patterns
+
+### Per-Scene Audio
+
+Use per-scene audio with a 1-second delay (`from={30}` = 30 frames = 1s at 30fps):
+
+```tsx
+<Sequence from={30}>
+  <Audio src={staticFile('audio/scenes/01.mp3')} volume={1} />
+</Sequence>
+
+### Per-Scene Narrator PiP
+
+```tsx
+<Sequence from={30}>
+  <OffthreadVideo
+    src={staticFile('narrator-01.mp4')}
+    style={{ width: 320, height: 180, objectFit: 'cover' }}
+    muted
+  />
+</Sequence>
+```
+**ALWAYS use `<OffthreadVideo>`, NEVER `<video>`.** Remotion requires its own component for frame-accurate rendering.
+```
+
+### Transitions
+
+```tsx
+import { TransitionSeries, linearTiming } from '@remotion/transitions';
+import { fade } from '@remotion/transitions/fade';
+import { glitch } from '../../../lib/transitions/presentations/glitch';
+import { lightLeak } from '../../../lib/transitions/presentations/light-leak';
+```
+**NEVER import from `lib/transitions` barrel** — import custom transitions from `lib/transitions/presentations/` directly.
+
+---
+```
+
+## Progress Reporting
+
+All cloud GPU tools support structured progress output for automated monitoring.
+
+### Usage
+
+Add `--progress json` to any tool command to get JSON Lines on stderr:
+
+```bash
+cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/claude-code-video-toolkit
+uv run tools/music_gen.py \
+  --preset corporate-bg --duration 60 \
+  --output projects/PROJECT_NAME/public/audio/bg-music.mp3 \
+  --progress json
+```
+
+### Output Format
+
+Each line on stderr is a JSON object:
+
+```json
+{"ts":"14:23:15","stage":"submit","msg":"Sending to acemusic.ai (XL Turbo 4B, thinking: on)...","pct":null,"elapsed":0.0}
+{"ts":"14:23:30","stage":"waiting","msg":"Waiting for acemusic.ai response... (15s)","pct":null,"elapsed":15.0}
+{"ts":"14:23:45","stage":"waiting","msg":"Waiting for acemusic.ai response... (30s)","pct":null,"elapsed":30.0}
+{"ts":"14:24:02","stage":"complete","msg":"Saved: bg-music.mp3 (245 KB, 60.1s)","pct":100,"elapsed":47.3}
+
+### Stages
+
+| Stage | Meaning |
+|-------|---------|
+| `submit` | Job sent to provider |
+| `queue` | RunPod: waiting for GPU |
+| `processing` | RunPod: GPU processing |
+| `waiting` | Heartbeat during synchronous calls (acemusic, Modal) |
+| `complete` | Job finished successfully |
+| `error` | Something failed — check `msg` for details |
+| `item` | Multi-item progress (e.g., scene 3/7) — `pct` is populated |
+| `cost` | Estimated cost for the operation |
+
+### Behaviour by Provider
+
+- **acemusic**: Emits `submit` → periodic `waiting` heartbeats (every 15s) → `complete`
+- **RunPod**: Emits `submit` → `queue` → `processing` → `complete` (on each poll)
+- **Modal**: Emits `submit` → periodic `waiting` heartbeats → `complete`
+
+Default mode (`--progress human`) shows the same events as colored terminal output — no change to existing behaviour.
+
+---
+
+## Error Recovery
+
+| Problem | Solution |
+|---------|----------|
+| Tool command fails with "No module named..." | Run `uv sync` from toolkit root and invoke tools via `uv run` |
+| "MODAL_*_ENDPOINT_URL not configured" | Check `.env` has the endpoint URL. Run `uv run tools/verify_setup.py` |
+| SadTalker output is square/cropped | You forgot `--preprocess full`. Re-run with that flag |
+| Audio too short/long for scene | Re-run Step 5 (sync timing) and update config |
+| `npm run render` fails | Make sure you're in the project dir, not toolkit root. Run `npm install` first |
+| "Cannot find module" in Remotion | Check import paths. Custom components use `../../../lib/` relative paths |
+| Cold start timeout on Modal | First call after idle takes 30-120s. Retry once — second call uses warm GPU |
+| SadTalker client timeout (long audio) | The client HTTP request can time out before Modal finishes. **Modal still uploads the result to R2.** Check `sadtalker/results/` in the `video-toolkit` R2 bucket for the output. Use `uv run python -c "import boto3; ..."` with the R2 creds from `.env` to list and generate a presigned URL |
+
+---
+
+## Cost Estimates (Modal)
+
+| Tool | Typical Cost | Notes |
+|------|-------------|-------|
+| Qwen3-TTS | ~$0.01/scene | ~20s per scene on warm GPU |
+| FLUX.2 | ~$0.01/image | ~3s warm, ~30s cold |
+| ACE-Step | ~$0.02-0.05 | Depends on duration |
+| SadTalker | ~$0.05-0.20/scene | ~3-4 min per 10s audio |
+| Qwen-Edit | ~$0.03-0.15 | ~8 min cold start (25GB model) |
+| RealESRGAN | ~$0.005/image | Very fast |
+| LTX-2.3 | ~$0.20-0.25/clip | ~2.5 min per 5s clip, A100-80GB |
+
+**Total for a 60s video:** ~$1-3 depending on scenes and narrator clips.
+
+Modal Starter plan: $30/month free compute. Apps scale to zero when idle.
+
+## Source
+
+Rewritten for AICUT from [`digitalsamba/claude-code-video-toolkit`](https://github.com/digitalsamba/claude-code-video-toolkit)
+(MIT), skills/openclaw-video-toolkit/SKILL.md. The method is that skill's own; the way it runs is AICUT's.
+
+The repository holds 14 skills; this is the one its entry stands for.