How to use the Kdenlive Video Editing CLI agent skill

What an agent skill is and what this one does

An agent skill is a set of instructions and files that an AI agent loads so it knows how to perform a specific task. This skill, named cli-anything-kdenlive, gives the agent a stateful command-line interface for video editing that follows the same patterns as the Blender CLI harness.

The agent can create projects, import clips into a media bin, add tracks, add and remove clips, trim and split clips, move clips, apply filters and transitions, add guides (markers) at positions in seconds, and export MLT XML or render output. The project is stored as a JSON file that can be saved, reopened, and undone or redone.

• Project: new, open, save, info, profiles, json
• Bin: import, remove, list, get
• Timeline: add-track, remove-track, add-clip, remove-clip, trim, split, move, list
• Filter, Transition and Guide groups for effects and markers
• Export: xml and presets; Session: status, undo, redo, history

Install the Python package and check the prerequisites

The skill depends on the cli-anything-kdenlive Python package and on Kdenlive itself. Check that you have Python 3.10 or newer and that Kdenlive is installed on the system before you start.

Install the package with pip, then confirm the command works by printing its help.

• Python 3.10 or newer
• Kdenlive installed on your system
• The pip package cli-anything-kdenlive

Install the skill into Claude

Download the skill ZIP from this page and unzip it. For a personal setup, place the unzipped skill folder in ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, place it in that project's .claude/skills/ folder.

You can also upload the skill in the Claude apps under Settings → Capabilities → Skills. Either way, the skill's main file is SKILL.md, and the package's README.md, TEST.md and related docs are the place for deeper reference.

• Personal: ~/.claude/skills/
• Per project: .claude/skills/ inside the project folder
• Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills upload

Ask the agent for edits in plain language

You do not need to memorise the commands. Describe the result you want, for example creating a project, importing a clip, trimming it or adding a guide at a given second. The agent should map the request to the matching command group.

If you want to work yourself, you can run the CLI directly. Running it with no subcommand opens an interactive REPL with tab-completion, history, and undo and redo. Use the --json flag when the output is meant for an agent to read.

• Create a project file named myproject.json and add a guide at 30 seconds
• Trim the first clip on track one to remove the opening five seconds
• Split a clip at a given time offset, then list the tracks to confirm
• Export the project to output.pdf and overwrite any existing file

Examples you can copy

These commands come from the skill documentation. Replace the file names with your own, and use absolute paths when the agent works on files.

The export example uses --overwrite, which replaces an existing output file. Check the output path before running it.

Safety notes and tips for reliable results

This skill runs scripts and performs file operations on the paths you give it. It does not use the network. Review commands before the agent runs them, especially those that write or overwrite files, and keep backups of footage and project files.

For agent use, the skill recommends always using the --json flag, checking return codes (0 means success, non-zero means error), parsing stderr for error messages, using absolute paths, and verifying that outputs exist after export. Undo and redo hold up to 50 levels of history.

• Always pass --json when an agent reads the output
• Treat a non-zero return code as a failure and read stderr
• Verify that the exported file exists before you use it
• Keep the Kdenlive app as the reference for final visual checks, since the skill does not describe how rendered results are checked