ffmpeg-skill 2.13.0 → 2.15.0

package/README.md

@@ -420,7 +420,7 @@ The encode path a tool will actually take is Apple VideoToolbox, for h264, hevc
 
 ## FFmpeg compatibility
 
-The tools need FFmpeg 5.0 or later and Python 3.9 or later (standard library only); Python 3.10+ is recommended: 3.9 still works but is deprecated since 2.10.9 (CPython 3.9 is end of life), `doctor` and the `npx` installer warn on it, and 3.0 drops it. What CI actually exercises on every pull request is FFmpeg 5.1.1 (static build), 6.1 (Ubuntu apt), 7.1 (Debian trixie apt), 8.x (macOS Homebrew) and 9.x (Windows gyan.dev), on Python 3.9 and 3.13 (the two ends of the supported range). The capability parser has been run against the listings of these builds:
+The tools need FFmpeg 5.0 or later and Python 3.9 or later (standard library only). FFmpeg 6.1+ is recommended: FFmpeg 5.x still works but is deprecated since 2.14.0, `doctor` and the `npx` installer warn on it, and 3.0 requires 6.1. Python 3.10+ is recommended too: 3.9 still works but is deprecated since 2.10.9 (CPython 3.9 is end of life), `doctor` and the `npx` installer warn on it, and 3.0 drops it. What CI actually exercises on every pull request is FFmpeg 5.1.1 (static build), 6.1 (Ubuntu apt), 7.1 (Debian trixie apt), 8.x (macOS Homebrew) and 9.x (Windows gyan.dev), on Python 3.9 and 3.13 (the two ends of the supported range). The capability parser has been run against the listings of these builds:
 
 | FFmpeg | `-filters` row layout | Source |
 |---|---|---|
@@ -527,7 +527,7 @@ FFmpeg itself:
 
 ## Requirements
 
-- FFmpeg 5.0+. Always required: `libx264`, `aac`, and the `drawtext`, `subtitles` (libass), `loudnorm`, `xfade`, `acrossfade`, `scdet`, `silencedetect` and `tile` filters. Needed only by the flags that use them: `libx265`, `prores_ks`, `libzimg` / `zscale`, `libmp3lame`, `libopus`, `libvorbis`, the `ass` filter. `doctor` tells you which are present. The apt and gyan.dev builds carry all of them; some Homebrew bottles lack `libass` / `libfreetype` / `libzimg`, which `doctor` reports as missing.
+- FFmpeg 5.0+ (FFmpeg 5.x is deprecated since 2.14.0 and 3.0 requires 6.1; 6.1+ recommended). Always required: `libx264`, `aac`, and the `drawtext`, `subtitles` (libass), `loudnorm`, `xfade`, `acrossfade`, `scdet`, `silencedetect` and `tile` filters. Needed only by the flags that use them: `libx265`, `prores_ks`, `libzimg` / `zscale`, `libmp3lame`, `libopus`, `libvorbis`, the `ass` filter. `doctor` tells you which are present. The apt and gyan.dev builds carry all of them; some Homebrew bottles lack `libass` / `libfreetype` / `libzimg`, which `doctor` reports as missing.
 - Python 3.10+ recommended, standard library only. 3.9 still works but is deprecated (end of life upstream; support ends in 3.0)
 - Node 16+ only for the `npx` installer
 

package/bin/install.js

@@ -55,6 +55,16 @@ function pythonDeprecation(version) {
   return version === '3.9' ? PY39_DEPRECATION : null;
 }
 
+// 2.14.0 deprecates FFmpeg 5.x the same way. The same line as scripts/_contract.py's
+// FFMPEG5_DEPRECATION (a test keeps them equal).
+const FFMPEG5_DEPRECATION = 'warning: FFmpeg 5.x is deprecated since ffmpeg-skill 2.14.0 (the 5.x branches date from 2022; Ubuntu 24.04 ships 6.1); it still works in 2.x and support ends in 3.0.0: use FFmpeg 6.1+.';
+
+// The line for `ffmpeg -version`'s first line, or null (not 5.x, or not a release number).
+function ffmpegDeprecation(versionLine) {
+  const m = /^ffmpeg version n?(\d+)\.\d+/.exec(versionLine || '');
+  return m && m[1] === '5' ? FFMPEG5_DEPRECATION : null;
+}
+
 function pythonCandidates(platform) {
   return platform === 'win32' ? ['python3', 'python', 'py'] : ['python3'];
 }
@@ -146,7 +156,10 @@ function checkFfmpeg() {
     console.warn('    Windows: winget install Gyan.FFmpeg\n');
     return false;
   }
-  console.log(`  found ${r.stdout.split('\n')[0]}`);
+  const first = r.stdout.split('\n')[0];
+  console.log(`  found ${first}`);
+  const line = ffmpegDeprecation(first);
+  if (line) console.warn(`\n  ${line}`);
   return true;
 }
 
@@ -211,4 +224,4 @@ if (require.main === module) {
   main();
 }
 
-module.exports = { pythonCandidates, runWithPython, findPython, pythonDeprecation, warnDeprecatedPython, PY39_DEPRECATION };
+module.exports = { pythonCandidates, runWithPython, findPython, pythonDeprecation, warnDeprecatedPython, PY39_DEPRECATION, ffmpegDeprecation, FFMPEG5_DEPRECATION };

package/docs/contract.md

@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ The contract is derived from the code that runs, not maintained beside it:
 | Field | Meaning | Changes when |
 |---|---|---|
 | `contract_version` | shape of this document (`1.0`) | a key is renamed, removed or changes meaning |
-| `skill.version` | the npm / package.json version (`2.13.0`) | any release |
+| `skill.version` | the npm / package.json version (`2.15.0`) | any release |
 
 A release that adds a tool or a flag keeps `contract_version`; a breaking change to the
 ToolSpec shape bumps it. Consumers pin on `contract_version` and read `skill.version`
@@ -88,6 +88,11 @@ in October 2025 and gets no security fixes, but raising the floor is a break, so
 recommended: on 3.9, `doctor` and the `npx` installer print one stderr line,
 `warning: Python 3.9 is deprecated since ffmpeg-skill 2.10.9 (...); it still works in 2.x and support ends in 3.0.0: use Python 3.10+.`
 Like every deprecation warning it is stderr only: `doctor --json`'s document has no key for it.
+Since 2.14.0 there is a second entry, **running on FFmpeg 5.x** (`where: behaviour`, `removed_in: 3.0.0`),
+handled the same way: `requirements.ffmpeg` stays `>=5.0` and CI keeps its 5.1.1 job until 3.0, which
+requires 6.1. When `ffmpeg -version` reads 5.x, `doctor` and the `npx` installer print one stderr line,
+`warning: FFmpeg 5.x is deprecated since ffmpeg-skill 2.14.0 (...); it still works in 2.x and support ends in 3.0.0: use FFmpeg 6.1+.`
+A version that is not a release number (a git snapshot) gets no line.
 `tests/test_contract.py` refuses a package.json major bump that still lists an entry that major should remove, or that
 comes before step 2's window has passed -- unless the waiver is written here, as 2.0.0's is.
 
@@ -123,12 +128,13 @@ JSON would have been rewritten for that. The flat keys, typed per tool in `outpu
 ```json
 {
   "contract_version": "1.0",
-  "deprecated": [{"what": "running on Python 3.9 (the requirements.python floor)", "since": "2.10.9", "replacement": "Python 3.10 or later; ...", "removed_in": "3.0.0", "where": "behaviour"}],
+  "deprecated": [{"what": "running on Python 3.9 (the requirements.python floor)", "since": "2.10.9", "replacement": "Python 3.10 or later; ...", "removed_in": "3.0.0", "where": "behaviour"},
+                 {"what": "running on FFmpeg 5.x (the requirements.ffmpeg floor)", "since": "2.14.0", "replacement": "FFmpeg 6.1 or later; ...", "removed_in": "3.0.0", "where": "behaviour"}],
   "removed": [{"what": "...", "since": "1.10.0", "replacement": "...", "removed_in": "2.0.0", "where": "cli | json | mcp | behaviour"}],
-  "skill": {"id": "ffmpeg-skill", "version": "2.13.0", "execution_mode": "local", "kind": "execution",
+  "skill": {"id": "ffmpeg-skill", "version": "2.15.0", "execution_mode": "local", "kind": "execution",
             "entrypoints": {"cli": "...", "mcp": "...", "contract": "...", "doctor": "..."},
             "not_provided": ["AI reasoning", "decisions", "production plans", "project IR", "approvals", "network access", "transcription engine"]},
-  "requirements": {"python": ">=3.9 (standard library only; 3.9 deprecated since 2.10.9, removed in 3.0.0; 3.10+ recommended)", "ffmpeg": ">=5.0", "ffprobe": ">=5.0"},
+  "requirements": {"python": ">=3.9 (standard library only; 3.9 deprecated since 2.10.9, removed in 3.0.0; 3.10+ recommended)", "ffmpeg": ">=5.0 (5.x deprecated since 2.14.0, removed in 3.0.0; 6.1+ recommended)", "ffprobe": ">=5.0"},
   "execution": {"shell": false, "arbitrary_executables": false, "network": false,
                 "model_downloads": {"when": "...", "in_process": {"faster-whisper": "..."},
                                     "child_process": {"parakeet-mlx": "...", "openai-whisper": "..."},

package/package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "ffmpeg-skill",
-  "version": "2.13.0",
+  "version": "2.15.0",
   "description": "Agent Skill that gives coding agents (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex) a local video editor: 42 FFmpeg tools with a machine-readable contract, contract-derived MCP server, FFmpeg capability detection, probe-first / verify-last workflow. Cut, join, silence removal, fit, captions and karaoke, overlays, motion graphics, HDR to SDR, LUTs, audio clean-up and typed dynamics, sync with drift correction, multicam, loudness, delivery checks, project rendering, batch. No API keys, no cloud, no dependencies.",
   "keywords": [
     "ffmpeg",

package/references/gotchas.md

@@ -301,7 +301,8 @@ the contact sheet (`--sheet`) before treating the picks as final.
 Anything chained by hand through three re-encodes should be one `render.py`
 project instead, so the plan is one file and the user can change one number.
 Re-encodes use x264 `medium`; for long files add `--preset veryfast` to
-intermediates and keep the default for the final export. On Apple Silicon,
+intermediates and keep the default for the final export. `render.py` does that by itself since
+2.15 when its project ends in an encoding export (`--intermediate-preset medium` turns it off). On Apple Silicon,
 `--hw` (or `FFMPEG_SKILL_HW=1` for the machine) moves h264/hevc/prores encodes to
 VideoToolbox: 2–7× faster, 1.1–2.9× the bytes at the same quality (1.9–3.5× on HDR). The variable
 leaves `export.py`'s delivery presets on the CPU, which is the usual split (GPU

package/references/scripts.md

@@ -717,7 +717,17 @@ render.py project.json [--fast] [--dry-run] [--stop-after STAGE] [--work DIR --k
 render.py project.json --cache DIR [--from STAGE]    # reuse identical stages from a previous run
 render.py plan.json [--audit-log FILE]       # execute a plan written by <tool> --plan plan.json
 render.py project.json --export-timeline edit.fcpxml|edit.edl|edit.otio   # the cut for an editor, nothing rendered
-```
+render.py project.json --intermediate-preset medium   # the stages' own encoder preset instead of veryfast
+```
+`--intermediate-preset` (2.15, default `veryfast`): when the project has an export stage that
+re-encodes (any preset but `copy`) and the run goes that far (no `--stop-after` before it), the
+stages before it that encode with x264 or x265 (clips, fit, join, silence, captions, graphics,
+overlays, audiogram; x265 on the HDR path) encode with this preset instead of `medium`. export.py re-encodes their output and its own
+preset sets the delivered quality, so the earlier `medium` passes cost time the file does not
+keep: a 30 s 1080p reels render took 41.7 s instead of 51.8 s on FFmpeg 8.0.1 (SSIM 0.997
+between the two deliveries). `medium` restores the stages' default; `--fast` still overrides
+everything; a stage given its own `--preset` keeps it. The result names it as
+`intermediate_preset` (`null` when not applied).
 `--export-timeline FILE` (2.1) writes the project's cut as an editor timeline instead of
 rendering it: `.fcpxml` (FCPXML 1.10: Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve), `.edl` (CMX 3600:
 Premiere, Resolve, Avid) or `.otio` (OpenTimelineIO JSON: Resolve natively, others through

package/scripts/_contract.py

@@ -987,6 +987,20 @@ def python_deprecation(version_info: Optional[tuple] = None) -> Optional[str]:
     return PY39_DEPRECATION if vi == (3, 9) else None
 
 
+# 2.14.0 deprecates FFmpeg 5.x the same way (DEPRECATED below): 2.x keeps running on it and CI keeps
+# its 5.1.1 job, and the line names 3.0.0 as the release that raises the floor to 6.1. bin/install.js
+# prints it too (FFMPEG5_DEPRECATION there; a test keeps the two equal).
+FFMPEG5_DEPRECATION = ("warning: FFmpeg 5.x is deprecated since ffmpeg-skill 2.14.0 (the 5.x branches date from 2022; "
+                       "Ubuntu 24.04 ships 6.1); it still works in 2.x and support ends in 3.0.0: use FFmpeg 6.1+.")
+
+
+def ffmpeg_deprecation(version: Optional[str]) -> Optional[str]:
+    """The deprecation line for this ffmpeg's version token, or None (not 5.x, or not a release
+    number: a git snapshot gets no line, as with the security advisory)."""
+    v = _parse_ffmpeg_version(version)
+    return FFMPEG5_DEPRECATION if v and v[0] == 5 else None
+
+
 def _exe_report() -> Dict[str, Any]:
     """`ffmpeg_path` / `ffmpeg_source` / `ffprobe_path` / `ffprobe_source`: which binary the tools run
     and why ("path": what PATH resolves; "homebrew-ffmpeg-full": macOS, a lean Homebrew ffmpeg on
@@ -1549,6 +1563,12 @@ DEPRECATED: List[Dict[str, str]] = [
     {"what": "running on Python 3.9 (the requirements.python floor)",
      "since": "2.10.9", "removed_in": "3.0.0", "where": "behaviour",
      "replacement": "Python 3.10 or later; on 3.9, doctor and the npx installer print a one-line warning"},
+    # FFmpeg 5.x: the 5.x branches date from 2022 and keep version-specific workarounds alive.
+    # 2.x keeps running on 5.0+ (CI still tests 5.1.1) and doctor / bin/install.js print
+    # FFMPEG5_DEPRECATION; 3.0.0 raises requirements.ffmpeg to 6.1.
+    {"what": "running on FFmpeg 5.x (the requirements.ffmpeg floor)",
+     "since": "2.14.0", "removed_in": "3.0.0", "where": "behaviour",
+     "replacement": "FFmpeg 6.1 or later; on 5.x, doctor and the npx installer print a one-line warning"},
 ]
 
 # What 2.0.0 removed or changed, with the version that deprecated each: the "Removed" half of the
@@ -1787,7 +1807,7 @@ def build(detect: bool = True) -> Dict[str, Any]:
             },
             "not_provided": ["AI reasoning", "decisions", "production plans", "project IR", "approvals", "network access", "transcription engine"],
         },
-        "requirements": {"python": ">=3.9 (standard library only; 3.9 deprecated since 2.10.9, removed in 3.0.0; 3.10+ recommended)", "ffmpeg": ">=5.0", "ffprobe": ">=5.0", "node": ">=16 (npx installer only)"},
+        "requirements": {"python": ">=3.9 (standard library only; 3.9 deprecated since 2.10.9, removed in 3.0.0; 3.10+ recommended)", "ffmpeg": ">=5.0 (5.x deprecated since 2.14.0, removed in 3.0.0; 6.1+ recommended)", "ffprobe": ">=5.0", "node": ">=16 (npx installer only)"},
         "execution": {
             "shell": False,
             "arbitrary_executables": False,
@@ -1872,8 +1892,9 @@ def main() -> int:
         # Advisories, never failures: on stderr in both modes, so `doctor --json`'s stdout stays one
         # JSON document. The FFmpeg ones are also in the document (`ffmpeg_security.warnings`); the
         # Python 3.9 deprecation is stderr-only, as every deprecation warning is (docs/contract.md
-        # "Deprecation policy" step 1), and machine-readable in `contract --json`'s `deprecated`.
-        for line in [python_deprecation()] + d["ffmpeg_security"]["warnings"]:
+        # "Deprecation policy" step 1), and machine-readable in `contract --json`'s `deprecated`;
+        # so is the FFmpeg 5.x one.
+        for line in [python_deprecation(), ffmpeg_deprecation(d.get("ffmpeg"))] + d["ffmpeg_security"]["warnings"]:
             if line:
                 print(line, file=sys.stderr)
         if args.json:

package/scripts/render.py

@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional, Sequence
 
 from export import PRESETS, PLATFORM_OF
 from _platforms import PLATFORMS, caption_defaults, resolve as resolve_platform
-from _common import STATE, add_common, aspect_ratio, brand_caption_style, load_brand, apply_common, child_args, die, emit, info, probe, require_tool, run, run_tool, place_output, refuse_output_is_input, _check_existing_output, _check_output_path, fingerprint, PLAN_VERSION, ffmpeg_version, ffmpeg_exe
+from _common import STATE, add_common, aspect_ratio, brand_caption_style, load_brand, apply_common, child_args, die, emit, info, probe, require_tool, run, run_tool, place_output, refuse_output_is_input, _check_existing_output, _check_output_path, fingerprint, PLAN_VERSION, ffmpeg_version, ffmpeg_exe, X264_PRESETS
 from _common.runner import HW_ENV, HW_FORCED_ENV, add_hw_orchestrator_args
 from _common.emit import absorb_stage, audit, record_fallback, record_skip, refuse, warn
 import subprocess
@@ -353,7 +353,8 @@ def render_pack(names: List[str], args) -> int:
         argv = [str(HERE / "render.py"), args.input, "--template", name, "-o", dest_out]
         for flag, value in (("--cues", args.cues), ("--srt", args.srt), ("--logo", args.logo),
                             ("--title", args.title), ("--brand", args.brand), ("--fit", args.fit),
-                            ("--chapters", args.chapters), ("--image", args.image)):
+                            ("--chapters", args.chapters), ("--image", args.image),
+                            ("--intermediate-preset", args.intermediate_preset)):
             if value:
                 argv += [flag, str(value)]
         info(f"→ pack: {name}")
@@ -545,6 +546,13 @@ def sh(script: str, *argv: Any, extra: List[str] = None, stage: str = None) -> s
     cache instead of re-encoded. `stages_done` is unchanged either way: a cached stage is still
     a stage that happened.
     """
+    if (INTERMEDIATE["preset"] and script in _X264_STAGES
+            and "--preset" not in [str(a) for a in argv] + (extra or [])):
+        extra = (extra or []) + ["--preset", INTERMEDIATE["preset"]]
+        if not INTERMEDIATE["applied"]:
+            info(f"intermediate stages: preset {INTERMEDIATE['preset']} (the export re-encodes them; "
+                 "--intermediate-preset medium for the stages' own default)")
+        INTERMEDIATE["applied"] = True
     full = [str(a) for a in argv] + (extra or [])
     dest = full[full.index("-o") + 1] if "-o" in full[:-1] else None
     key = None
@@ -627,6 +635,21 @@ def _fresh_cache() -> "Dict[str, Any]":
 # inherit each other's hit/miss lists.
 CACHE: Dict[str, Any] = _fresh_cache()
 
+# The stages whose x264 encode (x265 on the HDR path, which takes the same --preset) is an
+# intermediate when an encoding export follows: export.py
+# re-encodes their output, so their own `medium` pass bought nothing the delivery keeps. Measured
+# on a 30 s 1080p reels render (4 cores): fit 18 s and captions 27 s of a 70 s run at `medium`;
+# `veryfast` at the same CRF encodes in about half the time (SSIM 0.997 against `medium`) and
+# the export, still `medium`, sets the delivered quality. `--intermediate-preset medium` restores it.
+_X264_STAGES = frozenset({"cut.py", "fit.py", "join.py", "silence.py", "caption.py", "graphics.py", "overlay.py", "waveform.py"})
+INTERMEDIATE: Dict[str, Any] = {"preset": None, "applied": False}
+
+
+def _intermediate_used() -> Optional[str]:
+    """The preset `intermediate_preset` reports: only once a stage actually received it (a project
+    whose only encode is the export reports null)."""
+    return INTERMEDIATE["preset"] if INTERMEDIATE["applied"] else None
+
 
 def _content_hash(path: str) -> str:
     """The same cheap content fingerprint batch.py caches on: name, size, mtime, first and last
@@ -1043,6 +1066,10 @@ def main() -> int:
                     help="append the audit records of this run (a refused plan, a lock taken over, ...) to FILE as JSON lines; "
                          "default for a refused plan: <plan>.audit.jsonl next to it. A record that cannot be written is a "
                          "warning, never a failure")
+    ap.add_argument("--intermediate-preset", default="veryfast", choices=X264_PRESETS,
+                    help="x264/x265 preset of the stages before an encoding export (default veryfast: the export "
+                         "re-encodes them, and its own preset sets the delivered quality); medium = the stages' own default. "
+                         "Not used without an export stage, with --stop-after before it, with --fast, or for a copy export")
     ap.add_argument("--stop-after", choices=["clips", "join", "silence", "fit", "captions", "graphics", "overlays", "audio", "loudness", "export"], help="stop after this stage (for iterating)")
     tpl = ap.add_argument_group("delivery templates (one command per destination)")
     tpl.add_argument("--template", metavar="NAME", help="render INPUT with a shipped template: " + ", ".join(template_names())
@@ -1175,6 +1202,13 @@ def main() -> int:
     # unchanged -- it never gets a --platform it did not ask for.
     dest = str(((proj.get("check") or {}).get("platform") or "")) if proj.get("template") else ""
     platform_args: List[str] = ["--platform", dest] if dest in PLATFORMS and PLATFORMS[dest].get("frame") else []
+    ex_cfg = proj.get("export")
+    # a malformed "export" is refused by the export stage with its own message; here it only means
+    # "no encoding export", never a traceback before that refusal
+    ex_preset = str(ex_cfg.get("preset") or "") if isinstance(ex_cfg, dict) else ""
+    if (ex_preset and "copy" not in PRESETS.get(ex_preset, {}).get("video", [])
+            and args.stop_after in (None, "export") and args.intermediate_preset != "medium" and not STATE.fast):
+        INTERMEDIATE["preset"] = args.intermediate_preset
     stages_done: List[str] = []
     # what the caption stage reported (wrapped/split counts and the fit-size keys), so a caller
     # reading render.py's JSON can see whether the type was shrunk to fit or a cue was split.
@@ -1306,7 +1340,7 @@ def main() -> int:
         stages_done.append("audiogram")
 
     if args.stop_after == "clips":
-        emit(current, stages=stages_done)
+        emit(current, stages=stages_done, intermediate_preset=_intermediate_used())
         return 0
 
     # ---- join
@@ -1322,7 +1356,7 @@ def main() -> int:
         sh("join.py", *argv, stage="join")
         stages_done.append("join")
     if args.stop_after == "join":
-        emit(current, stages=stages_done)
+        emit(current, stages=stages_done, intermediate_preset=_intermediate_used())
         return 0
 
     # ---- silence
@@ -1337,7 +1371,7 @@ def main() -> int:
         current = nxt
         stages_done.append("silence")
     if args.stop_after == "silence":
-        emit(current, stages=stages_done)
+        emit(current, stages=stages_done, intermediate_preset=_intermediate_used())
         return 0
 
     # ---- fit (duration and/or frame)
@@ -1374,7 +1408,7 @@ def main() -> int:
         current = nxt
         stages_done.append("fit")
     if args.stop_after == "fit":
-        emit(current, stages=stages_done)
+        emit(current, stages=stages_done, intermediate_preset=_intermediate_used())
         return 0
 
     # ---- captions
@@ -1403,7 +1437,7 @@ def main() -> int:
         current = nxt
         stages_done.append("captions")
     if args.stop_after == "captions":
-        emit(current, stages=stages_done)
+        emit(current, stages=stages_done, intermediate_preset=_intermediate_used())
         return 0
 
     # ---- graphics
@@ -1422,7 +1456,7 @@ def main() -> int:
         if "graphics" not in stages_done:
             stages_done.append("graphics")
     if args.stop_after == "graphics":
-        emit(current, stages=stages_done)
+        emit(current, stages=stages_done, intermediate_preset=_intermediate_used())
         return 0
 
     # ---- overlays
@@ -1453,7 +1487,7 @@ def main() -> int:
         if "overlays" not in stages_done:
             stages_done.append("overlays")
     if args.stop_after == "overlays":
-        emit(current, stages=stages_done)
+        emit(current, stages=stages_done, intermediate_preset=_intermediate_used())
         return 0
 
     # ---- audio
@@ -1490,7 +1524,7 @@ def main() -> int:
         current = nxt
         stages_done.append("audio")
     if args.stop_after == "audio":
-        emit(current, stages=stages_done)
+        emit(current, stages=stages_done, intermediate_preset=_intermediate_used())
         return 0
 
     # ---- loudness
@@ -1506,7 +1540,7 @@ def main() -> int:
         current = nxt
         stages_done.append("loudness")
     if args.stop_after == "loudness":
-        emit(current, stages=stages_done)
+        emit(current, stages=stages_done, intermediate_preset=_intermediate_used())
         return 0
 
     # ---- export
@@ -1612,7 +1646,7 @@ def main() -> int:
         snap_report = dict(snap_reports[0])
         snap_report["clips"] = snap_reports
     emit(output, stages=stages_done, check=check_result, snap=snap_report, cache=cache_report,
-         caption=caption_report,
+         caption=caption_report, intermediate_preset=_intermediate_used(),
          verification=[{"step": "check", "ok": True, "platform": ck.get("platform")}] if check_result else [])
     return 0