ffmpeg-skill 2.17.3 → 2.17.4

package/README.md

@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ npx ffmpeg-skill
   </tr>
 </table>
 
-Left half is the input, right half is what the command produced. **[All 66 before/after demos, with the exact command under each one →](docs/demos.md)** — all of it generated from synthetic footage by `python3 demos/build.py`, so you can rebuild every frame of it yourself.
+Left half is the input, right half is what the command produced. **[Every before/after demo, with the exact command under each one →](docs/demos.md)** — all of it generated from synthetic footage by `python3 demos/build.py`, so you can rebuild every frame of it yourself.
 
 `ffmpeg-skill` is an [Agent Skill](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/agents-and-tools/agent-skills) for Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and any agent that reads `SKILL.md`. It teaches the agent a fixed workflow (probe → edit losslessly where possible → check → verify) and ships **42 tools** that do the actual work with `ffmpeg` / `ffprobe`: cut, join, silence removal, fit to duration and aspect, captions and karaoke, overlays and motion graphics, HDR → SDR and LUTs, audio clean-up and typed dynamics, sync with drift correction, multicam, loudness, delivery checks, whole-edit project rendering, batch folders. Every tool is also callable as an MCP tool (`tools/list` advertises a core 12 by default to keep client context small, with `FFMPEG_SKILL_MCP_FULL=1` listing all 42; every tool is reachable by name through `tools/call` either way), and the whole set is described by a machine-readable contract.
 
@@ -102,6 +102,9 @@ Kajiyama, S. (2026). *What Is Verification-Driven Coding? — A Discipline for N
 ## Quick start
 
 ```bash
+# 0. FFmpeg itself, once (Ubuntu/Debian shown; macOS and Windows are in the Install table below)
+sudo apt install ffmpeg
+
 # 1. install the skill for Claude Code (Cursor: --cursor, Codex: --codex, all three: --all)
 npx ffmpeg-skill
 
@@ -112,9 +115,11 @@ npx ffmpeg-skill doctor
 npx ffmpeg-skill contract --json | head -40
 ```
 
+Captions from speech (`caption.py --transcribe`) need one local speech engine, installed separately. `pip install faster-whisper` is the simplest; the first run downloads its model, and the audio never leaves the machine. Without an engine, everything else works, `doctor` lists the engine as missing optional, and `--transcribe` refuses with the install line for each engine it supports.
+
 Already installed? re-run `npx ffmpeg-skill` to refresh `~/.claude/skills/ffmpeg-skill`. Copies are not updated automatically.
 
-`doctor`'s overall `ok` and a single tool's `usable: no` are different signals: `ok` means nothing *required by every tool* is missing, but a plain Homebrew `ffmpeg` on macOS can still be `ok` while `caption.py` specifically can't run (no `subtitles` filter) — check `doctor --json`'s `tools` field for the per-tool answer, not just `ok`.
+`doctor`'s overall `ok` and a single tool's `usable` are different signals: `ok` is false when anything *some* tool requires is missing, so one missing filter (a plain Homebrew `ffmpeg` without `subtitles`, or a build without libvidstab) turns it false even though most tools still run. Check `doctor --json`'s `tools` field for the per-tool answer, not just `ok`.
 
 Then talk to your agent:
 
@@ -191,7 +196,7 @@ Names, order and `inputSchema` in `tools/list` are translated from each tool's a
 These are the rules the skill file gives the agent and the code enforces.
 
 1. **Probe first.** No tool decides from the file name. `probe.py` measures duration, fps (with variable-frame-rate detection), resolution, rotation, bit depth, HDR format including Dolby Vision, colour tags and every audio stream before anything is cut.
-2. **Lossless when possible.** `cut.py`, `join.py` and `loudness.py` stream-copy what they do not need to touch. Re-encoding happens only when it must: frame-accurate cuts, filters, format changes, or a keyframe farther than the tolerance.
+2. **Lossless when possible.** `cut.py` and `loudness.py` stream-copy what they do not need to touch (`join.py` always re-encodes, so it can crossfade and conform mismatched clips). Re-encoding happens only when it must: frame-accurate cuts, filters, format changes, or a keyframe farther than the tolerance.
 3. **Plan before render.** Every tool takes `--dry-run` (print the ffmpeg command lines, write nothing), `--plan FILE` (the dry run saved as a plan with fingerprinted inputs that `render.py FILE` executes later, refusing if an input changed), `--json` (structured result with a probe of the output), `--fast` (preview quality), `--progress` (percent and ETA), `--timeout` (a hung ffmpeg is killed and reported, never waited on forever; Ctrl-C or SIGTERM likewise stops the running ffmpeg, removes its partial output and reports `kind: interrupted`) and `--overwrite` (explicit consent before an existing output is replaced). A test runs every tool under `--dry-run` behind a fake ffmpeg and asserts that no ffmpeg call happened and no file appeared.
 4. **Machine-readable contract.** `contract --json` describes all 42 tools: input schema generated from the parser, output schema, role, required and conditional FFmpeg capabilities, dry-run support, the verification tools to run afterwards, whether a visual check is required, `mutates_input: false`. `provides` lists all 42 by a cross-repository Capability id (`ffmpeg-skill.cut`, `ffmpeg-skill.loudness`, ...) for [`kajisho5/AI-video-production-OS`](https://github.com/kajisho5/AI-video-production-OS)'s `CapabilityContract.provides` — see `docs/contract.md`.
 5. **Contract-derived MCP.** `mcp/server.py` builds its `tools/list` from the contract. Tool names, order and `inputSchema` cannot drift from the scripts; a test keeps the two byte-identical.
@@ -344,7 +349,7 @@ The contract is generated from the code that runs, not maintained beside it. For
 | `mutates_input` | always `false` |
 | `idempotency_hint` | `bit_exact`, `content_equivalent`, `cached` or `environment_dependent` |
 
-Next to the tool list the document carries a top-level `deprecated` list (1.10): what 2.0.0 removes, since when, the replacement and the surface it lives on. `docs/contract.md` "What 2.0 changes" is written from it.
+Next to the tool list the document carries a top-level `deprecated` list (since 1.10): what the next major removes, since when, the replacement and the surface it lives on. Today that is Python 3.9 and FFmpeg 5.x, both removed in 3.0.0. What 2.0 removed moved to `removed`, and `docs/contract.md` "What 2.0 changed" is written from that.
 
 `contract_version` (1.0) is separate from the skill version, so a consumer can pin the shape and read the version for provenance. The document also states the invocation mapping (structured arguments → argv), the JSON shapes for success and failure (`{"status": "failed", "error": {"kind": "input | ffmpeg | output | missing_tool | timeout | verification | interrupted", "message": …}}`; a refusal adds `error.reason`, a stable code such as `output_exists` or `plan_inputs_changed`, and `error.details`, the facts behind it; warnings, fallbacks and skipped steps a run decided on its own are in `diagnostics`), and that no tool runs a shell or executes anything other than the named script, `ffmpeg` and `ffprobe`. Field-by-field reference: [docs/contract.md](docs/contract.md).
 
@@ -544,7 +549,7 @@ claude plugin install ffmpeg-skill@ffmpeg-skill                        # then in
 
 The plugin namespaces the skill as `ffmpeg-skill:ffmpeg-skill`. The manifests are [.claude-plugin/plugin.json](.claude-plugin/plugin.json), whose version follows every release automatically, and [.claude-plugin/marketplace.json](.claude-plugin/marketplace.json), which lists the plugin from the repository root. Before 2.17.1 the README's one-line `claude plugin install kajisho5/ffmpeg-skill` could not work, because there was no marketplace file.
 
-Without Node: clone this repository and copy `SKILL.md`, `scripts/`, `references/` and `mcp/` into your agent's skills directory.
+Without Node: clone this repository and copy `SKILL.md`, `package.json`, `scripts/`, `templates/`, `references/`, `docs/` and `mcp/` into your agent's skills directory (the same set `npx ffmpeg-skill` installs; without `templates/` no `--template` renders, and without `package.json` the contract reports its version as unknown).
 
 After installing:
 
@@ -568,7 +573,7 @@ FFmpeg itself:
 
 ## Requirements
 
-- 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.
+- FFmpeg 5.0+ (FFmpeg 5.x is deprecated since 2.14.0 and 3.0 requires 6.1; 6.1+ recommended). Required by at least one tool (so `doctor`'s `ok` needs them all): `libx264`, `aac`, and the `drawtext`, `subtitles` (libass), `loudnorm`, `xfade`, `acrossfade`, `amix`, `overlay`, `scdet`, `silencedetect`, `cropdetect`, `tile`, `tpad`, `boxblur`, `hqdn3d`, `yadif`, `reverse`, `rotate`, `showwaves`, `v360`, `xstack` and `vidstabdetect`/`vidstabtransform` (libvidstab, `stabilize.py` only) filters; `doctor --json` lists them as `capabilities.required`. 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
 
@@ -581,8 +586,8 @@ FFmpeg itself:
 ## Development
 
 ```bash
-npm test                      # tests/test_all.py (end-to-end incl. VFR, rotated, 5.1, HDR10, drifting sources) + tests/test_contract.py
-python3 tests/test_picture.py # one tool group on its own (analysis, editing, audio, picture, delivery, orchestration)
+npm test                      # tests/run_parallel.py (test_all.py's end-to-end modules, sharded across the cores) + tests/test_contract.py
+python3 tests/test_picture.py # one tool group on its own (analysis, editing, cut_copy, audio, picture, delivery, orchestration, accel, asr)
 npm run release-check         # pack, install, contract from the installed copy, MCP == contract, doctor, tests, contract evals
 npm run demo                  # python3 demos/build.py: synthetic footage -> every before/after demo + docs/demos/*.gif
 npm run demo:pipeline         # examples/make_demo.sh: the older single end-to-end run of every script
@@ -590,11 +595,11 @@ python3 evals/run.py --list   # agent eval prompts (see evals/); regex-only grad
 node bin/install.js --dir /tmp/skills   # try the installer without touching ~/.claude
 ```
 
-CI (`.github/workflows/ci.yml`) runs on every pull request and on pushes to `main`, on Ubuntu (FFmpeg 6.1, Python 3.9 and 3.13), macOS (Homebrew FFmpeg 8.x) and Windows (gyan.dev FFmpeg 9.x), plus two Linux jobs on FFmpeg 5.1.1 (static build) and 7.1 (Debian trixie container), and uploads each runner's FFmpeg listings as an artifact.
+CI (`.github/workflows/ci.yml`) runs on every pull request and on pushes to `main`, on Ubuntu (FFmpeg 6.1 with Python 3.9 on 24.04, FFmpeg 8.0.1 with Python 3.13 on 26.04), macOS (Homebrew FFmpeg 8.x) and Windows (gyan.dev FFmpeg 9.x), plus two Linux jobs on FFmpeg 5.1.1 (static build) and 7.1 (Debian trixie container), and uploads each runner's FFmpeg listings as an artifact.
 
 `tests/test_contract.py` runs on all three OSes, but a handful of its tests build a fake `ffmpeg` as a `#!/bin/sh` script on a PATH shim to force specific FFmpeg 6/7/8/9 fixture layouts through `doctor`'s parser — that technique isn't portable to Windows, so `test_dry_run_never_runs_ffmpeg_and_writes_nothing` and the whole `DoctorDetectionTests` class (fixture-driven layout parsing) are individually `skipIf`'d there and show as `skipped`, not silently absent, in the Windows job's log. Everything else — contract schema, `reencodes_*`, `doctor.tools`, MCP derivation, and every tool exercised through the contract, including `cut.py`'s provenance fields — runs against the real Windows `ffmpeg` on every PR. See [references/ci-platform-pitfalls.md](references/ci-platform-pitfalls.md) for this and other per-OS behaviour differences already diagnosed, before spending a CI cycle re-diagnosing a platform-only failure.
 
-**Releasing** is fully automated end to end, including the version number itself — a PR doesn't need to touch `package.json`, `docs/contract.md`, or `CHANGELOG.md` at all. Once a PR merges to `main`, `.github/workflows/release.yml` takes it from there: if nobody bumped the version by hand, it resolves the next version ([.github/scripts/resolve_version.py](.github/scripts/resolve_version.py)) from the labels on every PR merged since the last tag (`minor`/`feature`/`enhancement` → minor, `fix`/`bug`/`patch` → patch, an unlabeled PR defaults to `patch`; a PR whose only labels are `chore`, `ci`, `docs` or `dependencies` is not releasable, so a merge that changes no shipped file releases nothing). Most PRs don't need a label added by hand: `release-drafter.yml`'s `autolabel` job applies one automatically from the PR's title/changed files (`Fix ...` → `fix`, `Add ...`/`feat ...` → `feature`, `docs`/`.md`/`.github/`/`build(deps)` changes → `chore`) as soon as it's opened — add a label yourself only to override that. **A major version is never chosen automatically**: no label rule produces `major`, and the workflow refuses to auto-bump across a major boundary even if someone applies that label — a real major release is a deliberate `package.json` bump in a PR, which the manual path below already handles. It bumps `package.json` and `docs/contract.md`, writes a `CHANGELOG.md` section listing those PRs (and any issues they closed), and pushes that commit to `main` itself. Either way — auto-bumped or hand-bumped in the PR — it then creates the `vX.Y.Z` tag, publishes a GitHub Release with notes extracted from `CHANGELOG.md`'s matching section, and publishes the package to npm. A PR that still wants to write its own version bump and `CHANGELOG.md` prose (e.g. to explain the "why" of a release by hand) can — the automation only fills in when nobody made that call already. A push to `main` with nothing new to release is a no-op. npm publishing needs an `NPM_TOKEN` repo secret (an npm access token with publish rights on this package) — without it the tag and GitHub Release still happen, only the npm step is skipped. A repo that depends on this one (an editing skill, an agent) should pin an `ffmpeg-skill` version by tag or npm version, not by tracking `main` — a merged-but-not-yet-released commit on `main` can be ahead of the last published npm version for the few minutes between merge and this workflow completing.
+**Releasing** is fully automated end to end, including the version number itself — a PR doesn't need to touch `package.json`, `docs/contract.md`, or `CHANGELOG.md` at all. Once a PR merges to `main`, `.github/workflows/release.yml` takes it from there: if nobody bumped the version by hand, it resolves the next version ([.github/scripts/resolve_version.py](.github/scripts/resolve_version.py)) from the labels on every PR merged since the last tag (`minor`/`feature`/`enhancement` → minor, `fix`/`bug`/`patch` → patch, an unlabeled PR defaults to `patch`; a PR whose only labels are `chore`, `ci`, `docs` or `dependencies` is not releasable, so a merge that changes no shipped file releases nothing). Most PRs don't need a label added by hand: `release-drafter.yml`'s `autolabel` job applies one automatically from the PR's title/changed files (`Fix ...` → `fix`, `Add ...`/`feat ...` → `feature`, `docs`/`.md`/`.github/`/`build(deps)` changes → `chore`) as soon as it's opened — add a label yourself only to override that. **A major version is never chosen automatically**: no label rule produces `major`, and the workflow refuses to auto-bump across a major boundary even if someone applies that label — a real major release is a deliberate `package.json` bump in a PR, which the manual path below already handles. It bumps `package.json`, `.claude-plugin/plugin.json`, `docs/contract.md` and `docs/roadmap.md`'s released-version sentence, writes a `CHANGELOG.md` section listing those PRs (and any issues they closed), and pushes that commit to `main` itself. Either way — auto-bumped or hand-bumped in the PR — it then creates the `vX.Y.Z` tag, publishes a GitHub Release with notes extracted from `CHANGELOG.md`'s matching section, and publishes the package to npm. A PR that still wants to write its own version bump and `CHANGELOG.md` prose (e.g. to explain the "why" of a release by hand) can — the automation only fills in when nobody made that call already. A push to `main` with nothing new to release is a no-op. npm publishing needs an `NPM_TOKEN` repo secret (an npm access token with publish rights on this package) — without it the tag and GitHub Release still happen, only the npm step is skipped. A repo that depends on this one (an editing skill, an agent) should pin an `ffmpeg-skill` version by tag or npm version, not by tracking `main` — a merged-but-not-yet-released commit on `main` can be ahead of the last published npm version for the few minutes between merge and this workflow completing.
 
 Contributing a change: see [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md).
 
@@ -603,7 +608,7 @@ Contributing a change: see [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md).
 | | |
 |---|---|
 | [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) | scope, dev setup, tests, PR expectations |
-| [docs/roadmap.md](docs/roadmap.md) | 1.8.0 to 1.21.0 one theme per minor, each marked shipped + evaluated, shipped with eval pending, or planned; and what 2.0.0 then removes |
+| [docs/roadmap.md](docs/roadmap.md) | the release history from 1.8.0, one theme per minor, each marked shipped + evaluated, shipped with eval pending, or planned; and what 2.0.0 then removes |
 | [docs/design-decisions.md](docs/design-decisions.md) | behaviours that look like bugs but are decisions, with rationale and the pinning test; read before filing a bug |
 | [CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md](CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md) | Contributor Covenant 2.1; reports go through the SECURITY.md channel |
 | [SECURITY.md](SECURITY.md) | how to report a vulnerability privately |

package/SKILL.md

@@ -1,26 +1,26 @@
 ---
 name: ffmpeg-skill
-description: 'Edit video and audio with local FFmpeg from natural-language requests: cut, trim, join, resize/reframe (9:16, 1:1), speed change, captions and subtitles (SRT/ASS, animated, karaoke), logos and text overlays, lower-thirds and titles, silence removal, multicam and external-mic sync, loudness normalisation, HDR/Dolby Vision to SDR, LUTs, background music with ducking, platform exports (YouTube, Reels, TikTok, X), compliance checks, scene detection and highlight reels, contact sheets to inspect results, and whole-edit project files. Use this skill whenever the user mentions a video or audio file (mp4, mov, mkv, wav, m4a), footage, a clip, captions, subtitles, a reel or short, YouTube/Instagram/TikTok delivery, LUFS, sync, transcoding, ffmpeg, or asks to make something "60 seconds", "vertical", "louder", "captioned" — even when they do not say "edit". Python 3.10+ standard library only (3.9 deprecated), no cloud, no API keys.'
+description: 'Edit video and audio with local FFmpeg from natural-language requests: cut, trim, join, resize/reframe (9:16, 1:1), speed change, captions and subtitles (SRT/ASS, animated, karaoke), logos and text overlays, lower-thirds and titles, silence removal, multicam and external-mic sync, loudness normalisation, HDR/Dolby Vision to SDR, LUTs, background music with ducking, platform exports (YouTube, Reels, TikTok, X), compliance checks, scene detection and highlight reels, contact sheets to inspect results, and whole-edit project files. Use this skill whenever the user mentions a video or audio file (mp4, mov, mkv, wav, m4a), footage, a clip, captions, subtitles, a reel or short, YouTube/Instagram/TikTok delivery, LUFS, sync, transcoding, ffmpeg, or asks to make something "60 seconds", "vertical", "louder", "captioned" — even when they do not say "edit". FFmpeg 6.1+ and Python 3.10+ (5.x/3.9 deprecated), stdlib only, no cloud, no API keys.'
 ---
 
 # ffmpeg-skill
 
-Scripts live in `scripts/` next to this file; run them with `python3 <skill-dir>/scripts/<name>.py`, and delivery templates in `templates/`. This file is enough to do a job: the table below routes the request, and `--help` on the script about to run is the cheapest full flag list. A reference file costs as much as this one; open one only for a question you have: `references/scripts.md` (every flag of all 42 scripts), `references/devices.md` (iPhone HDR, GoPro, DJI, screen recordings, Zoom), `references/gotchas.md` (the long form of the one-line rules at the end). MCP: `tools/list` shows only the core 12 by default; the other 30 (per this table) stay callable by name via `tools/call`, described by `contract --json`; set `FFMPEG_SKILL_MCP_FULL=1` for all 42.
+Scripts live in `scripts/` next to this file; run them with `python3 <skill-dir>/scripts/<name>.py`, and delivery templates in `templates/`. This file is enough to do a job: the table below routes the request, and `--help` on the script about to run is the cheapest full flag list. A reference file costs as much as this one; open one only for a question you have: `references/scripts.md` (most flags; `--help` lists all), `references/devices.md` (iPhone HDR, GoPro, DJI, screen recordings, Zoom), `references/gotchas.md` (the long form of the one-line rules at the end). MCP: `tools/list` shows only the core 12 by default; the other 30 (per this table) stay callable by name via `tools/call`, described by `contract --json`; set `FFMPEG_SKILL_MCP_FULL=1` for all 42.
 
-Shared flags (every script): `--dry-run`; `--json` (output path, its probe, the commands run); `--json-brief` (status/output/verified + a `summary`; prefer on writing steps); `--fast` (preview quality); `--progress` (percent/ETA); `--timeout SECONDS` (`kind: timeout`, default 1800; `0` for hour-long encodes); `--overwrite` (step 7); `--plan FILE` (a dry run `render.py FILE` runs later; refuses if an input changed). Re-encoding tools also take `--hw` (Apple Silicon GPU, big files; `FFMPEG_SKILL_HW=1` = default, not export), `--codec h264|hevc|av1|prores` and `--quality N`: unset, SDR is x264 (`cut.py --keep-hevc`: HEVC source stays HEVC), HDR is x265 Main10; `prores` needs `-o NAME.mov`, `h264` refuses HDR (`color.py --to-sdr` first).
+Shared flags (every script): `--dry-run`; `--json` (output path, its probe, the commands run); `--json-brief` (status/output/verified + a `summary`; for writing steps); `--fast` (preview quality); `--progress` (%/ETA); `--timeout SECONDS` (`kind: timeout`, default 1800; `0` for hour-long encodes); `--overwrite` (step 7); `--plan FILE` (a dry run `render.py FILE` runs later; refuses a changed input). Re-encoding tools also take `--hw` (Apple Silicon GPU, big files; `FFMPEG_SKILL_HW=1` = default, not export), `--codec h264|hevc|av1|prores` and `--quality N`: unset, SDR is x264 (`cut.py --keep-hevc`: HEVC source stays HEVC), HDR is x265 Main10; `prores` needs `-o NAME.mov`, `h264` refuses HDR (`color.py --to-sdr` first).
 
 Writing tools run nothing under `--dry-run`; the measuring tools (`probe`, `check`, `sync`, `multicam`, `scenes`, `cropdetect`, `report`, `silence`, `loudness`, `stabilize`; `overlay` for a multi-line `--text` on FFmpeg 8.0-8.1.0) may still run ffmpeg/ffprobe, skipping artifacts/side files (`--edl`, `--sheet`, a generated `.ass`); `verify` ignores the flag. Per tool: `contract --json` `dry_run`.
 
 ## Workflow (in this order)
 
-0. **Environment, only on failure.** Never start a job with `doctor`: a broken machine fails with `kind: missing_tool` or an ffmpeg error naming the filter/encoder. Run `python3 <skill-dir>/scripts/_contract.py doctor` (or `npx ffmpeg-skill doctor`) after such a failure, or when asked what the machine can do: read `ok`/`usable`, report the missing capability. `contract --json`'s tool schema is for a *planning* agent, not this workflow.
+0. **Environment, only on failure.** Never start a job with `doctor`: a broken machine fails with `kind: missing_tool` or an ffmpeg error naming the filter/encoder. Run `python3 <skill-dir>/scripts/_contract.py doctor` (the installed copy) after such a failure, or when asked what the machine can do: read `ok`/`usable`, report the missing capability. `contract --json`'s tool schema is for a *planning* agent, not this workflow.
 1. **Probe what you must plan from.** Run `probe.py` on each input you plan from — duration, fps, resolution, codecs, channels, `variable_frame_rate_suspected` — and whenever the user asks about a file. No separate probe before every edit: every writing tool's `--json` already carries its input and a probe of the output. Plan from real numbers, never assumptions.
 2. **Prefer lossless.** If the request can be met without re-encoding (plain cuts on keyframes, remuxing, audio-only changes), do not re-encode. `cut.py` and `loudness.py` stream-copy video by default; `--accurate` on `cut.py` only for frame-exact cuts.
-3. **Plan with `--dry-run --json`, then execute.** Trust `--json`, not a dry run's summary line, for any number in the plan (a dimension there can be a placeholder). Use before long encodes, to report facts. Never point `-o` at a file you did not create in this job unless the user asked for it to be replaced; pass `--overwrite` only then.
+3. **Plan with `--dry-run --json`, then execute.** Trust `--json`, not a dry run's summary line, for any number in the plan (a dimension there can be a placeholder). Use before long encodes, to report facts.
 4. **Chain in a sensible order.** A delivery request with no other editing is one template run (`render.py --template NAME INPUT`), not a hand-built chain. Otherwise: colour (HDR→SDR / LUT) → cut → join → silence → fit → caption/overlay → sync → audio → loudness → export. Frame changes before captions, so text is sized for the final frame. Re-encode as few times as possible: intermediates at CRF 18, `export.py` last. **Three or more steps: `render.py` with a project.json.**
 5. **Check the deliverable.** Before reporting, run `check.py OUTPUT --platform X` for the destination named (a template run already does). Format rows (codec, pixel format, size, true peak, colour tags, VFR) are safe to fix. Judgement rows change content: duration (cut loses material), aspect (crop loses edges), fps (drops motion), loudness (ambience must not be boosted) — fix only when the request implies the answer, else state the choice and its cost. Mention WARNs; do not chase them.
 6. **Verify the output.** Confirm duration, resolution, fps and audio match the request, from the writing tool's `--json`/`--json-brief` probe or `probe.py`, and report those numbers ("final.mp4: 59.98 s, 1080x1920, 30 fps, AAC stereo"). A step is done only when the script exited 0 and the output probes as expected: a non-zero exit, a missing or empty file, or a probe that contradicts the request is a failure reported with the script's error message.
-7. **Keep the user's originals.** Never overwrite the source; write new files next to input or where asked. An existing output path is refused (`kind: input`); `--overwrite` is the one way to say "yes, replace it".
+7. **Keep the user's originals.** Never overwrite the source; write new files next to input or where asked. An existing output path is refused (`kind: input`); pass `--overwrite` only for a file this job made or the user asked to replace.
 8. **Look at the picture.** Whenever the picture changed (captions, overlays, graphics, crop/pad, resize, colour, transitions, a `join.py` scaling a clip to the first clip's frame, `color.py --to-sdr`) run `look.py OUTPUT --tiles 3x2` (or `--at T` for one frame) and view the PNG (4x3 for whole-clip layout). Not finished until `Look:` names that PNG — a probe cannot see a caption on a face. Audio-only: `Look: not needed`. What to look for splits like `check.py`'s rows in step 5:
    - **Mechanical (this skill's own job to verify and report):** the specified text/logo is at the specified position, subtitles appear at the specified timestamps, dimensions are even. Letterboxing from `fit.py --fit pad` is the *correct* result of that mode, never a defect to flag.
    - **Judgement (report it, don't silently pass or fail):** whether a subject or face is cut off, text sits over a face, colours look washed out, a transition lands. These need deciding what the subject *is*, the calling agent's call — say what you see in one line; they judge.
@@ -157,7 +157,6 @@ Timestamp flags (`--start`, `--end`, `--at`, `--from`, `--duration`, `--offset`,
 
 Audio is a first-class input: `probe`, `cut`, `silence`, `loudness`, `audio`, `sync`, `check --platform podcast`, `render --template podcast` take WAV, FLAC, MP3, M4A/AAC, OGG, Opus; output extension picks the format. Scripts needing a picture (`fit`, `caption`, `overlay`, `graphics`, `color`, `export`, `scenes`, `look`) refuse audio with "input has no video stream" — don't force a video wrapper. Recipes: `references/gotchas.md#audio-only-files`.
 
-
 ## Report format
 
 Reply in the language the request is written in — subtitles in another language are still reported in the request's language. Keep the labels (`Done:`, `Steps:`, `Check:`, `Look:`, `Notes:`) in English; everything else is the user's language. Never drift because the job was short or failed: even a one-line "file does not exist". A mid-conversation switch follows the user's latest message.
@@ -182,7 +181,7 @@ Look: final_sheet.png（字幕はセーフエリア内、ロゴは右上）
 Notes: 元は VFR だったので 30 fps に揃えた。音声はモノラルだったのでステレオにした
 ```
 
-Keep it to those five lines plus anything the user must decide. Never report success without the output probe; never describe a fix you did not run.
+Keep it to those five lines plus anything the user must decide. Never describe a fix you did not run.
 
 When a step fails, replace `Done:` with `Failed:` and keep the rest honest:
 

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 (`2.17.3`) | any release |
+| `skill.version` | the npm / package.json version (`2.17.4`) | 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`
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ JSON would have been rewritten for that. The flat keys, typed per tool in `outpu
   "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": "2.17.3", "execution_mode": "local", "kind": "execution",
+  "skill": {"id": "ffmpeg-skill", "version": "2.17.4", "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 (5.x deprecated since 2.14.0, removed in 3.0.0; 6.1+ recommended)", "ffprobe": ">=5.0"},
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@ One entry per tool under `tools`, sorted by id. Tool ids are stable:
 | `reencodes_video`, `reencodes_audio` | `"always"` / `"never"` / `"conditional"`, meaning *when that stream is present in the input* — not whether the tool touches the file at all. `"conditional"` tools (`cut`, `export`, `render`, `batch`, `verify`, `caption`, `color`) carry a `reencode_note` explaining what it depends on — for `caption`, `--mode burn` (default) always re-encodes both streams, `--mode mux` copies both untouched; for `color`, `--strip-dovi` and `--retag` are a stream copy of both (retag only re-encodes if the copy attempt fails or ffprobe still reads the old tags on the copy), while `--to-sdr` / `--lut` / `--correct` always re-encode both. Several visual tools (`fit`, `overlay`, `graphics`, `join`, `multicam`, `silence`) are `"always"` on audio too: this codebase never mixes `-c:v` re-encode with `-c:a copy` in one call, so a caller cannot assume the original audio codec survives just because only the picture changed |
 | `audio_only` | accepts an audio-only input (WAV, MP3, M4A, FLAC, OGG, Opus) |
 | `video_required` | refuses an input without a video stream ("input has no video stream") |
-| | `join` has `audio_only: true` and `video_required: false` since 0.9.1: audio-only inputs are joined as audio (no `look` needed then); mixing audio and video inputs is refused |
+| | `render` has `audio_only: true` and `video_required: false` since 2.17.4: `--template podcast` and `--template audiogram` take an audio file. `join` has them since 0.9.1: audio-only inputs are joined as audio (no `look` needed then); mixing audio and video inputs is refused |
 | `deterministic_inputs`, `idempotency_hint` | see Repeatability |
 | `mcp` | the MCP tool name and its positional arguments |
 
@@ -920,7 +920,9 @@ A planning agent (for example video-production-agent's SkillRegistry) can:
 3. pick a tool by `role`, `inputs`/`outputs`, `video_required` and `audio_only`;
 4. build the call from `input_schema` and the argument mapping, plan with `--dry-run`;
 5. run, parse `output_schema`, then run `verification.tools`, adding `look` when
-   `requires_visual_verification` is true.
+   `requires_visual_verification` is true and the output has a video stream. The flag is
+   per tool, not per call: an audio-only `join` and `render --template podcast` write no
+   picture, and `look` is skipped for them (`Look: not needed`).
 
 The measurement documents (`probe`, `check`, `scenes`, `sync`) are ffmpeg-skill's own
 shapes, not another system's Observation model; convert them in the agent's adapter.

package/package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "ffmpeg-skill",
-  "version": "2.17.3",
+  "version": "2.17.4",
   "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",
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@
     "LICENSE"
   ],
   "scripts": {
-    "test": "python3 tests/test_all.py && python3 tests/test_contract.py",
+    "test": "python3 tests/run_parallel.py && python3 tests/test_contract.py",
     "test:fast": "python3 tests/test_contract.py",
     "release-check": "bash tests/release_check.sh",
     "demo": "python3 demos/build.py",

package/references/gotchas.md

@@ -301,8 +301,9 @@ 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. `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,
+intermediates and keep the default for the final export. `render.py` encodes its intermediates at
+`superfast` by itself since 2.16 (veryfast in 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

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # Script reference
 
-Every script prints the same information with `--help`; this file exists so the agent can read several at once. All scripts accept `--dry-run`, `--json`, `--json-brief` (since 1.11.0: the same JSON result trimmed to `status`, `output`, `dry_run`, `verified`, a compact `summary` of the output probe -- duration_s, width, height, fps, vcodec, acodec, channels, and lufs when measured -- the tool's own keys, and the count of commands instead of the command lines; it implies `--json`, leaves `--json`'s own output untouched, and failures print the usual full failure document), `--fast`, `--progress`, `--timeout SECONDS`, `--overwrite`, `--plan FILE` (the dry run written as a plan document that `render.py FILE` executes later; see render.py), `-o OUT`; every re-encoding tool and `export.py` also take `--hw`/`--no-hw` (h264/hevc/prores on Apple VideoToolbox, Apple Silicon only, CRF mapped to `-q:v`; AV1 stays on the CPU; a job VideoToolbox itself refuses -- the encoder cannot open or its compression session fails -- is re-encoded on the CPU and reported in `hw.fallback`/`hw.notes`, any other failure is not retried; a GPU encode adds a `notes` line that its quality is not CRF-equivalent; `FFMPEG_SKILL_HW=1` makes it the default for every tool except `export.py`, whose delivery presets need `--hw` itself; `render.py`/`batch.py --hw`/`--no-hw` apply to every stage, export included; results name the `encoder` that ran); every editing tool that re-encodes (not `export.py`, whose preset decides the codec) also takes `--codec h264|hevc|av1|prores` (the encoder for the re-encode; default x264 for SDR, x265 Main10 for HDR, unchanged) and `--quality N` (CRF scale, default 18 -- 30 for `proxy.py`; up to 63 for av1; ignored by prores). 2.0 removed `--crf` from these tools (it was `--quality`'s alias); `export.py` keeps its own `--crf`, which is not an alias. Every tool refuses (`kind: input`, `error.reason: output_exists`, before anything runs) to replace an existing output unless `--overwrite` is given. Refusals carry `error.reason` and `error.details` (the facts behind the message; `contract --json` → `json_output.error_reasons`), and what a run decided on its own -- a stale output lock taken over, no lock possible, a plan input nobody fingerprinted, an odd-sized frame scaled to even, subtitle streams dropped on a retry (with the first attempt's error), a font substituted, a measurement skipped under `--dry-run`, an encoder list that could not be read, an invalid `FFMPEG_SKILL_TIMEOUT`, and every `warning:` line -- is in `diagnostics: {warnings, fallbacks, skipped}` as well as on stderr (codes: `contract --json` → `json_output.diagnostic_codes`). `--codec av1`/`prores` with no encoder for it refuses `kind: missing_tool`, `error.reason: encoder_missing`; when the encoder list could not be read at all, `kind: ffmpeg`, `encoder_list_unreadable`. Tools that draw text (`overlay.py --text`, `graphics.py`, `caption.py`, `grid.py --label auto`) report `font_used: {asked, file, family, how, substituted}`. `--codec hevc` on SDR writes 8-bit BT.709 HEVC (`hvc1`), `av1` uses SVT-AV1 (libaom fallback), `prores` is 422 HQ and needs an explicit `-o NAME.mov` (or `.mkv`), `h264` refuses an HDR source (`kind: input`, run `color.py --to-sdr` first). `export.py` keeps choosing the codec from its preset and has neither `--codec` nor `--quality`; a `render.py` project cannot choose a codec either -- but `--dry-run` only guarantees nothing is written for writing tools: `probe` (read-only, `--dry-run` changes nothing) still runs ffprobe, `check`/`sync`/`multicam`/`scenes`/`cropdetect`/`report`/`silence`/`loudness`/`stabilize`/`join` still run their ffmpeg/ffprobe measurements (a dry-run plan rests on real numbers; they just don't write the final artifact), `overlay` measures a multi-line `--text`'s lines on FFmpeg 8.0, 8.0.1 and 8.1.0 (one drawtext on a generated frame), and `verify` accepts the flag but ignores it entirely. Exact per-tool semantics: `contract --json`'s `dry_run` field (or `docs/contract.md`).
+Every script prints the same information with `--help`; this file exists so the agent can read several at once. All scripts accept `--dry-run`, `--json`, `--json-brief` (since 1.11.0: the same JSON result trimmed to `status`, `output`, `dry_run`, `verified`, a compact `summary` of the output probe -- duration_s, width, height, fps, vcodec, acodec, channels, and lufs when measured -- the tool's own keys, and the count of commands instead of the command lines; it implies `--json`, leaves `--json`'s own output untouched, and failures print the usual full failure document), `--fast`, `--progress`, `--timeout SECONDS`, `--overwrite`, `--plan FILE` (the dry run written as a plan document that `render.py FILE` executes later; see render.py), `-o OUT`; every re-encoding tool and `export.py` also take `--hw`/`--no-hw` (h264/hevc/prores on Apple VideoToolbox, Apple Silicon only, CRF mapped to `-q:v`; AV1 stays on the CPU; a job VideoToolbox itself refuses -- the encoder cannot open or its compression session fails -- is re-encoded on the CPU and reported in `hw.fallback`/`hw.notes`, any other failure is not retried; a GPU encode adds a `notes` line that its quality is not CRF-equivalent; `FFMPEG_SKILL_HW=1` makes it the default for every tool except `export.py`, whose delivery presets need `--hw` itself; `render.py`/`batch.py --hw`/`--no-hw` apply to every stage, export included; results name the `encoder` that ran); every editing tool that re-encodes (not `export.py`, whose preset decides the codec) also takes `--codec h264|hevc|av1|prores` (the encoder for the re-encode; default x264 for SDR, x265 Main10 for HDR, unchanged) and `--quality N` (CRF scale, default 18 -- 30 for `proxy.py`; up to 63 for av1; ignored by prores). 2.0 removed `--crf` from these tools (it was `--quality`'s alias); `export.py` keeps its own `--crf`, which is not an alias. Every tool refuses (`kind: input`, `error.reason: output_exists`, before anything runs) to replace an existing output unless `--overwrite` is given. Refusals carry `error.reason` and `error.details` (the facts behind the message; `contract --json` → `json_output.error_reasons`), and what a run decided on its own -- a stale output lock taken over, no lock possible, a plan input nobody fingerprinted, an odd-sized frame scaled to even, subtitle streams dropped on a retry (with the first attempt's error), a font substituted, a measurement skipped under `--dry-run`, an encoder list that could not be read, an invalid `FFMPEG_SKILL_TIMEOUT`, and every `warning:` line -- is in `diagnostics: {warnings, fallbacks, skipped}` as well as on stderr (codes: `contract --json` → `json_output.diagnostic_codes`). `--codec av1`/`prores` with no encoder for it refuses `kind: missing_tool`, `error.reason: encoder_missing`; when the encoder list could not be read at all, `kind: ffmpeg`, `encoder_list_unreadable`. Tools that draw text (`overlay.py --text`, `graphics.py`, `caption.py`, `grid.py --label auto`) report `font_used: {asked, file, family, how, substituted}`. `--codec hevc` on SDR writes 8-bit BT.709 HEVC (`hvc1`), `av1` uses SVT-AV1 (libaom fallback), `prores` is 422 HQ and needs an explicit `-o NAME.mov` (or `.mkv`), `h264` refuses an HDR source (`kind: input`, run `color.py --to-sdr` first). `export.py` keeps choosing the codec from its preset and has neither `--codec` nor `--quality`; a `render.py` project cannot choose a codec either -- but `--dry-run` only guarantees nothing is written for writing tools: `probe` (read-only, `--dry-run` changes nothing) still runs ffprobe, `check`/`sync`/`multicam`/`scenes`/`cropdetect`/`report`/`silence`/`loudness`/`stabilize` still run their ffmpeg/ffprobe measurements (a dry-run plan rests on real numbers; they just don't write the final artifact), `overlay` measures a multi-line `--text`'s lines on FFmpeg 8.0, 8.0.1 and 8.1.0 (one drawtext on a generated frame), and `verify` accepts the flag but ignores it entirely. Exact per-tool semantics: `contract --json`'s `dry_run` field (or `docs/contract.md`).
 
 ## Time grammar (every time-taking flag, 1.9)
 
@@ -686,8 +686,7 @@ in for its streams (any audio extension the skill reads, `.aiff` and `.caf` incl
 picture), so a pending `.mp4` next to measured audio is refused as the mix a real run would
 refuse; `expected_duration` is null while any input is pending, and `notes` names the planned
 frame, rate or xfade offsets that rest on a pending input's unmeasured placeholder.
-Every existing input with an audio stream is also measured (one volumedetect pass; not under `--dry-run`
-too): a peak at or below `--silence-threshold` (default -50 dBFS) is silent, the trace of a TTS
+Every existing input with an audio stream is also measured (one volumedetect pass, skipped under `--dry-run`): a peak at or below `--silence-threshold` (default -50 dBFS) is silent, the trace of a TTS
 call that wrote a valid but empty file. `--on-silent warn` (default) joins it and names it under
 `silent: [{index, path, peak_db, at, end}]` (`at`/`end`: where it sits in the output, seconds)
 and in `notes`; `fail` refuses it in the same `kind: input` document (`silent (peak -91.0 dBFS)`);

package/scripts/_common/__init__.py

@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ from _common.color import (
     is_neutral_color, is_rgb, NON_BT709_MATRICES, rgb_island, rgb_to_bt709_filter, _sdr_bt709, validate_color
 )
 from _common.text import (
-    ADVANCE_EM, BIDI_SCRIPTS, _char_em, char_script, default_font_file, detect_script, drawtext_boxborderw, drawtext_center_align,
+    ADVANCE_EM, BIDI_SCRIPTS, _char_em, char_script, default_font_file, detect_script, drawtext_boxborderw, drawtext_center_align, drawtext_fontfile,
     drawtext_draws_newline_glyph, is_multiline, drawtext_clean, drawtext_line_metrics, NEWLINE_GLYPH_RELEASES,
     drawtext_shaping, drawtext_text_opts, emoji_asset_for, EMOJI_ASSET_HINT, emoji_clusters, emoji_codepoint_name,
     _EMOJI_COLOR_FAMILIES, _emoji_color_font, emoji_filter_chain, _emoji_name_candidates, EMOJI_RANGES,
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ __all__ = [
     "BEAT_REFRACTORY_S", "BEAT_WINDOW_S", "BEAT_SUPPORT_DIVISOR", "BEAT_ALIGN_DIVISOR",
     "BEAT_Z_FLOOR", "BEAT_Z_SPAN",
     "_onset_strength", "_pick_onsets", "_autocorrelation_peak", "_grid_score",
-    "default_font_file", "default_output", "DEFAULT_TIMEOUT", "detect_script", "die", "drawtext_boxborderw", "drawtext_center_align", "drawtext_draws_newline_glyph", "is_multiline", "drawtext_clean", "drawtext_line_metrics", "NEWLINE_GLYPH_RELEASES",
+    "default_font_file", "default_output", "DEFAULT_TIMEOUT", "detect_script", "die", "drawtext_boxborderw", "drawtext_center_align", "drawtext_fontfile", "drawtext_draws_newline_glyph", "is_multiline", "drawtext_clean", "drawtext_line_metrics", "NEWLINE_GLYPH_RELEASES",
     "_DRAWTEXT_PENDING", "drawtext_shaping", "drawtext_text_opts", "_DRAWTEXT_TMPDIR", "_drawtext_tmpdir",
     "dry_run_input_pending", "emit", "emoji_asset_for", "EMOJI_ASSET_HINT", "emoji_clusters",
     "emoji_codepoint_name", "_EMOJI_COLOR_FAMILIES", "_emoji_color_font", "emoji_filter_chain",

package/scripts/_common/drawtext.py

@@ -13,6 +13,71 @@ from _common.decision import escape_filter_path
 from _common.runner import STATE, _DRAWTEXT_PENDING, _drawtext_tmpdir, ffmpeg_exe, ffmpeg_release, ffmpeg_version
 
 
+def _on_windows() -> bool:
+    return os.name == "nt"
+
+
+def _windows_short_path(path: str) -> "Optional[str]":
+    """The 8.3 short form of an existing Windows path, or None (not Windows, the call failed, or
+    the volume keeps no short names)."""
+    if not _on_windows():
+        return None
+    try:
+        import ctypes
+        buf = ctypes.create_unicode_buffer(32768)
+        n = ctypes.windll.kernel32.GetShortPathNameW(str(path), buf, len(buf))
+    except (OSError, AttributeError, ValueError):
+        return None
+    return buf.value if 0 < n < len(buf) else None
+
+
+def drawtext_fontfile(path: str) -> str:
+    """`fontfile=<path>` for drawtext, with a path FreeType can open.
+
+    drawtext hands the path to FreeType, which opens it with the C runtime's ANSI fopen on
+    Windows: measured on the gyan.dev 9.0.2 build, a font under `compat dir ünïcode` fails to
+    load (drawtext falls back to fontconfig and the job dies with "could not parse fontconfig
+    pattern") while the same file under an ASCII directory loads, spaces and all. A non-ASCII
+    path on Windows is therefore given in its 8.3 short form, or, where the volume keeps no
+    short names, copied into this run's private drawtext directory under an ASCII name (recorded,
+    `font_path_copied`). Elsewhere the path is passed as it is. The original file is what a plan
+    binds, never the copy.
+    """
+    path = str(path)
+    if not _on_windows() or path.isascii() or not os.path.isfile(path):
+        # a missing file is left to ffmpeg's own error, as before: there is nothing to copy
+        return f"fontfile={escape_filter_path(path)}"
+    if os.path.isfile(path) and path not in STATE.plan_inputs:
+        STATE.plan_inputs.append(path)
+    short = _windows_short_path(path)
+    if short and short.isascii():
+        return f"fontfile={escape_filter_path(short, bind=False)}"
+    import hashlib
+    from _common.emit import record_fallback, warn
+    tmpdir = _drawtext_tmpdir(create=not STATE.dry_run)
+    if not tmpdir.isascii():
+        tmpdir = _windows_short_path(tmpdir) or tmpdir
+    st = os.stat(path)
+    # the path plus size and mtime: a font replaced in place during the run gets a new copy
+    key = f"{path}|{st.st_size}|{st.st_mtime_ns}".encode("utf-8")
+    name = "font_" + hashlib.sha1(key).hexdigest()[:16] + os.path.splitext(path)[1].lower()
+    copy = os.path.join(tmpdir, name)
+    if not copy.isascii():
+        warn(f"font: {path} is not an ASCII path and no ASCII copy could be placed; drawtext may "
+             "not open it on Windows (move the font to a folder named in ASCII)", "font_path_not_ascii", font=path)
+        return f"fontfile={escape_filter_path(path, bind=False)}"
+    if not STATE.dry_run and not os.path.exists(copy):
+        try:
+            shutil.copyfile(path, copy)
+        except OSError as e:
+            warn(f"font: could not copy {path} to an ASCII path ({e}); drawtext may not open it on "
+                 "Windows (move the font to a folder named in ASCII)", "font_path_not_ascii", font=path)
+            return f"fontfile={escape_filter_path(path, bind=False)}"
+    record_fallback(f"font: {path} is not an ASCII path, which drawtext cannot open on Windows; "
+                    f"drawing with a copy at {copy}", "font_path_copied", font=path, file=copy)
+    return f"fontfile={escape_filter_path(copy, bind=False)}"
+
+
 def drawtext_boxborderw(vertical: int, horizontal: int) -> str:
     """drawtext's per-side `boxborderw=top|right|bottom|left` (and the two-value `v|h` form)
     arrived in FFmpeg 6.1; 5.x and 6.0 reject the `|` with "Error setting option boxborderw"

package/scripts/_common/text.py

@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ from _common.emoji import (
     emoji_support, resolve_emoji_assets, emoji_filter_chain,
 )
 from _common.drawtext import (
-    drawtext_boxborderw, SHAPING_SCRIPTS, BIDI_SCRIPTS, _SHAPING_BUILD_CACHE, drawtext_shaping, needs_shaping,
+    drawtext_boxborderw, drawtext_fontfile, SHAPING_SCRIPTS, BIDI_SCRIPTS, _SHAPING_BUILD_CACHE, drawtext_shaping, needs_shaping,
     escape_drawtext, drawtext_text_opts, drawtext_center_align, NEWLINE_GLYPH_RELEASES,
     drawtext_draws_newline_glyph, is_multiline, drawtext_clean, drawtext_line_metrics,
 )

package/scripts/_contract.py

@@ -218,7 +218,7 @@ TOOL_META: Dict[str, Dict[str, Any]] = {
                  video_required=True, audio_only=False, visual=False, verify=[], produces_artifact=True, idempotency="bit_exact", deterministic=True),
     "render": dict(role="execution", inputs=["project.json (clips, transitions, captions, overlays, audio, loudness, export, check)", "media asset plus --template NAME (a shipped delivery template)"], outputs=["final video artifact", "one artifact per destination plus a pack table (--template all)", "work directory of stage outputs (--keep / --work)", "editor timeline (.fcpxml / .edl / .otio) instead of a render (--export-timeline)"],
                    required=FF, optional=[{"capability": "delegated", "when": "each stage (and each destination of --template) runs cut / join / fit / caption / graphics / overlay / audio / loudness / export / check with their capabilities"}],
-                   video_required=True, audio_only=False, visual=True, verify=["probe", "check", "look"], produces_artifact=True, idempotency="content_equivalent", deterministic=True),
+                   video_required=False, audio_only=True, visual=True, verify=["probe", "check", "look"], produces_artifact=True, idempotency="content_equivalent", deterministic=True),
     "batch": dict(role="execution", inputs=["folder of media", "batch.json recipe (steps or a render project)"], outputs=["one artifact per input file in the recipe's output_dir", "content-hash cache"],
                   required=FF, optional=[{"capability": "delegated", "when": "each recipe step runs the named script with its capabilities"}],
                   video_required=False, audio_only=True, visual=False, verify=["probe"], produces_artifact=True, idempotency="cached", deterministic=True),
@@ -453,6 +453,8 @@ DIAGNOSTIC_CODES = {
     "font_substituted": ("fallbacks", "the asked font family is not installed: fontconfig or the Windows Fonts folder gave another (font_used names it); {asked, file, family, via}"),
     "font_lacks_script": ("warnings", "an explicit --font does not cover the text's script and is kept as asked; {font, script}"),
     "font_coverage_unverified": ("warnings", "whether a font covers the text's script could not be checked (no fontconfig / fc-scan); {script, fonts_dir?}"),
+    "font_path_copied": ("fallbacks", "a --font-file under a non-ASCII path was copied to an ASCII one, because drawtext cannot open it on Windows; {font, file}"),
+    "font_path_not_ascii": ("warnings", "a --font-file under a non-ASCII path could not be given an ASCII form on Windows; drawtext may not open it; {font}"),
     "fonts_dir_lacks_script": ("fallbacks", "no face in --fonts-dir covers the text's script, so one was picked by script; {fonts_dir, script}"),
     "emoji_monochrome": ("warnings", "emoji drawn by the text font (monochrome at best): no colour path here"),
     "emoji_stripped": ("warnings", "overlay.py --emoji none: emoji removed from the drawn text; {mode}"),

package/scripts/graphics.py

@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ from _common import (aac_args, add_common, brand_caption_style, script_font_for_
 from _common.emit import warn
 from _common.fonts import font_choice, record_font_choice
 from _ass_overlay import text_overlay_ass, EMOJI_SENTINEL
+from _common import drawtext_fontfile  # noqa: E402
 
 # where the template's text chain goes in a filter_complex it builds (graphics.main fills it in)
 TEXT = "@TEXT@"
@@ -62,7 +63,7 @@ def font_opts(brand: dict, font: Optional[str], font_file: Optional[str], script
     choice = font_choice(font or brand.get("font", "DejaVu Sans"), font_file=font_file or brand.get("font_file"),
                          script_file=script_file, script_family=script_family, renderer=renderer)
     if choice["file"]:
-        return f"fontfile={escape_filter_path(choice['file'])}", choice
+        return drawtext_fontfile(choice['file']), choice
     return f"font='{escape_drawtext(font or brand.get('font', 'DejaVu Sans'))}'", choice
 
 

package/scripts/grid.py

@@ -26,8 +26,9 @@ import os
 import sys
 
 from _common import add_common, apply_common, aac_args, cfr_args, default_output, die, emit, X264_PRESETS, fmt_secs, \
-    draws_chroma, drawn_chain, escape_drawtext, escape_filter_path, ffmpeg_base, info, label_chain, matrix_chain, probe, run, validate_color, video_args
+    draws_chroma, drawn_chain, escape_drawtext, ffmpeg_base, info, label_chain, matrix_chain, probe, run, validate_color, video_args
 from _common.fonts import font_choice, record_font_choice
+from _common import drawtext_fontfile  # noqa: E402
 
 LABEL_MARGIN = 10
 
@@ -120,7 +121,7 @@ def main() -> int:
             drawn.append((f"trim=duration={target_duration:.3f}",) * 2)
         if args.label == "auto":
             stem = os.path.splitext(os.path.basename(p))[0]
-            font_opt = f"fontfile={escape_filter_path(font_file)}" if font_file else f"font='{escape_drawtext(args.font)}'"
+            font_opt = drawtext_fontfile(font_file) if font_file else f"font='{escape_drawtext(args.font)}'"
             drawn.append((f"drawtext=text='{escape_drawtext(stem)}':{font_opt}:fontsize={args.font_size}:"
                           f"fontcolor={args.font_color}:x=w-tw-{LABEL_MARGIN}:y=h-th-{LABEL_MARGIN}:"
                           f"box=1:boxcolor=black@0.5:boxborderw=4", "null"))

package/scripts/look.py

@@ -17,7 +17,8 @@ from pathlib import Path
 from typing import List, Optional
 
 from _platforms import PLATFORMS, PLATFORM_CHOICES, resolve as resolve_platform
-from _common import STATE, require_tool, add_common, apply_common, default_font_file, die, emit, escape_drawtext, escape_filter_path, ffmpeg_base, info, parse_time, probe, run, run_analysis, time_arg
+from _common import STATE, require_tool, add_common, apply_common, default_font_file, die, emit, escape_drawtext, ffmpeg_base, info, parse_time, probe, run, run_analysis, time_arg
+from _common import drawtext_fontfile  # noqa: E402
 
 FONT = "fontcolor=white:fontsize=h/18:box=1:boxcolor=black@0.55:boxborderw=6:x=8:y=8"
 
@@ -161,9 +162,12 @@ def main() -> int:
     # a resolvable font file, given as fontfile=, is the only form confirmed not to crash drawtext's
     # own fontconfig resolution on some real Windows ffmpeg builds (#100); font= is the fallback when
     # nothing can be resolved, unchanged from before this existed.
-    default_font = default_font_file("DejaVu Sans")
-    font_prefix = f"fontfile={escape_filter_path(default_font)}:" if default_font else ""
-    tc = "" if args.no_timecode else "," + timecode_filter(font_prefix)
+    if args.no_timecode:
+        font_prefix, tc = "", ""   # nothing is drawn, so no font is resolved or copied
+    else:
+        default_font = default_font_file("DejaVu Sans")
+        font_prefix = f"{drawtext_fontfile(default_font)}:" if default_font else ""
+        tc = "," + timecode_filter(font_prefix)
     # --safe: the platform's occluded zones, drawn as shaded boxes in fractions of the frame so
     # the same filter is right at any scale (a tile of a contact sheet as much as a full frame).
     safe_filter = ""

package/scripts/overlay.py

@@ -30,9 +30,10 @@ import sys
 from typing import List, Optional
 
 from _platforms import PLATFORMS, PLATFORM_CHOICES, safe_margins_px, resolve as resolve_platform
-from _common import STATE, script_font_for_text, drawtext_clean, drawtext_line_metrics, drawtext_text_opts, drawtext_draws_newline_glyph, is_multiline, needs_shaping, LANGUAGE_NAMES, has_emoji, detect_script, emoji_clusters, load_brand, drawn_chain, label_chain, matrix_chain, rgb_chain_to_bt709, video_args, add_common, apply_common, emit, aac_args, cfr_args, default_output, die, escape_drawtext, escape_filter_path, ffmpeg_base, info, parse_time, probe, run, run_keeping_subtitles, validate_color, x264_args, X264_PRESETS, time_arg, fmt_secs
+from _common import STATE, script_font_for_text, drawtext_clean, drawtext_line_metrics, drawtext_text_opts, drawtext_draws_newline_glyph, is_multiline, needs_shaping, LANGUAGE_NAMES, has_emoji, detect_script, emoji_clusters, load_brand, drawn_chain, label_chain, matrix_chain, rgb_chain_to_bt709, video_args, add_common, apply_common, emit, aac_args, cfr_args, default_output, die, escape_drawtext, ffmpeg_base, info, parse_time, probe, run, run_keeping_subtitles, validate_color, x264_args, X264_PRESETS, time_arg, fmt_secs
 from _common.emit import warn
 from _common.fonts import font_choice, record_font_choice
+from _common import drawtext_fontfile  # noqa: E402
 
 # Per-edge margins: a platform's UI does not cover the same fraction of every edge (TikTok's
 # like column is 14 % of the width, its description block 22 % of the height), so a position
@@ -465,7 +466,7 @@ def main() -> int:
         x, y = position_exprs(args.position, args.margin, text_mode=True, margins=safe_margins)
         # 1.15: the text goes in a FILE with expansion off, so `'` and `%` survive verbatim
         # (they used to be dropped by escape_drawtext) and no character can reach the graph parser.
-        font_opt = (f"fontfile={escape_filter_path(args.font_file)}" if args.font_file
+        font_opt = (drawtext_fontfile(args.font_file) if args.font_file
                     else f"font='{escape_drawtext(args.font)}'")
         alpha = alpha_expr(args.opacity, start if start is not None else (0.0 if args.fade > 0 else None), end, args.fade)
         timing = ([f"alpha='{alpha}'"] if alpha != "1" else []) + ([f"enable='{enable}'"] if enable else [])

package/scripts/scenes.py

@@ -24,8 +24,9 @@ from typing import Dict, List, Optional, Tuple
 
 # `detect_scenes` moved into _common/probe.py in 1.16.0 (see silence.py); the body is unchanged.
 from _common import (detect_scenes, STATE, add_common, apply_common, beat_grid, default_font_file, die, emit,
-                     escape_filter_path, ffmpeg_base, info, print_json, probe, run, decode_pcm_mono,
+                     ffmpeg_base, info, print_json, probe, run, decode_pcm_mono,
                      rms_envelope, BEAT_MIN_CONFIDENCE, decode_gray_frames, frame_flow, label_shot_flow)
+from _common import drawtext_fontfile  # noqa: E402
 
 SHOT_FPS = 4.0          # frames/second sampled for --shots' flow estimate
 SHOT_W, SHOT_H = 48, 27  # decode size for --shots (16:9-ish; enough blocks, still a few KB/shot)
@@ -286,7 +287,7 @@ def main() -> int:
         stamp = ""
         if not args.no_timecode:
             default_font = default_font_file("DejaVu Sans")
-            font_prefix = f"fontfile={escape_filter_path(default_font)}:" if default_font else ""
+            font_prefix = f"{drawtext_fontfile(default_font)}:" if default_font else ""
             stamp = f",drawtext=text='%{{pts\\:hms}}':{font_prefix}fontcolor=white:fontsize=h/14:box=1:boxcolor=black@0.55:boxborderw=4:x=6:y=6"
         vf = (f"select='{expr}',scale={tile_w}:-2{stamp},"
               f"tile={cols}x{rows}:padding=2:margin=2:color=0x202020")

package/scripts/verify.py

@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ def step(name: str, argv: List[str], timeout: float) -> Dict:
         return r
     try:
         proc = subprocess.run([sys.executable, str(HERE / argv[0])] + argv[1:] + ["--json"], stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stderr=subprocess.PIPE,
-                              text=True, encoding="utf-8", errors="replace", timeout=timeout)
+                              text=True, encoding="utf-8", errors="replace", timeout=timeout or None)
     except subprocess.TimeoutExpired:
         msg = f"timeout after {timeout:.0f}s"
         return {"step": name, "ok": False, "seconds": round(time.time() - t0, 1), "error": msg,
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ def main() -> int:
     ap.add_argument("--keep", action="store_true", help="keep the outputs")
     ap.add_argument("--quick", action="store_true", help="probe, copy cut, fit, caption, export only")
     ap.add_argument("--seconds", type=float, default=6.0, help="length of the test cut taken from each file (default 6)")
-    ap.add_argument("--timeout", type=float, default=600.0, help="per-step timeout in seconds")
+    ap.add_argument("--timeout", type=float, default=600.0, help="per-step timeout in seconds (default 600; 0 = no limit, as everywhere else)")
     ap.add_argument("--report", help="write a Markdown report here")
     add_common(ap)
     args = ap.parse_args()