SmartCut MCP Server

MCP server for automated "talking head" video editing. Reads CapCut's auto-generated subtitles to find and remove silences and duplicate takes — directly in the CapCut project.

How it works

1. Record your video, import into CapCut
2. Generate subtitles in CapCut (Text → Auto Captions)
3. Close CapCut
4. Ask Claude: "Smart cut my 'Podcast Episode 5' project"
5. Reopen in CapCut, review the cuts

SmartCut reads CapCut's subtitles to understand where speech is. Gaps between subtitles > 1 second are cut. If the speaker repeats a phrase (duplicate take), earlier attempts are removed and the last version is kept.

No API keys required — heuristic analysis works locally. Optionally set OPENAI_API_KEY for GPT-enhanced duplicate detection.

Requirements

• Python 3.10+
• CapCut (for editing and subtitle generation)

Installation

cd capcut-ai-editor
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -e .

For optional OpenAI-enhanced duplicate detection:

pip install -e ".[openai]"

Claude Code / Claude Desktop Setup

Add to MCP config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "smartcut": {
      "command": "/path/to/capcut-ai-editor/venv/bin/python",
      "args": ["-m", "smartcut.server"]
    }
  }
}

Optional env for GPT-enhanced duplicates:

"env": {
  "OPENAI_API_KEY": "sk-..."
}

Usage

List projects:

Show me my CapCut projects

Inspect a project:

Open CapCut project "My Vlog"

Smart cut (main function):

Smart cut my "Podcast Episode 5" project

With OpenAI enhancement:

Smart cut "My Video" with use_openai=true

Warning: Smart cut modifies the project in place (no backup). Make a copy in CapCut first if you want to keep the original.

Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Description
OPENAI_API_KEY	No	OpenAI API key (for GPT-enhanced duplicate detection)
CAPCUT_DRAFTS_DIR	No	Path to CapCut drafts folder (auto-detected)

Troubleshooting

"No auto-generated subtitles found" Open the project in CapCut, select the video track, use Text → Auto Captions, save, then try again.

CapCut doesn't see changes Restart CapCut. It monitors the drafts folder but sometimes needs a restart.