Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Motion Showreel agent skill (install guide)
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
Motion Showreel is an agent skill that lets an AI agent build a motion-graphics video from shapes, text and interface animation, drawn by code rather than filmed. It is aimed at creators, marketers, designers and developers who want a short product reel, logo intro, UI motion piece or explainer with the project kept as editable source. After this guide you will know what the skill does, how to install it, how to ask for a video in plain language, and what it needs to run.
Motion ShowreelConardLi/garden-skills · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download and unzip. Download the skill ZIP from the page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ or a project's .claude/skills/ folder.
- 2Or upload in the Claude apps. In the Claude apps, open Settings, then Capabilities, then Skills, and upload the skill.
- 3Run setup. Run sh <skill>/scripts/setup.sh once to install Playwright and Chromium and check your environment, including Node 18+ and ffmpeg.
- 4Describe the video. Ask in plain language for the subject, duration, orientation, music source, sound effect source and narration method.
- 5Confirm the brief. Answer any questions the agent asks, then approve its summary before production starts.
- 6Review and export. Check the style frames and the editor preview, then confirm to export the MP4 and keep the editable source.
What an agent skill is and what this one makes the agent do
An agent skill is a folder of instructions and supporting files that an AI agent can load when a task matches it. The motion-showreel skill tells the agent how to plan and build a motion video: it confirms the brief, picks a style, produces preview frames, then opens an editor workspace so you can review the real picture and sound before exporting an MP4.
The project stays as editable source files, so the video can be rebuilt and changed later. The skill can also add narration from a script you supply using text-to-speech, or use music and sound effects that you provide or that the agent synthesizes.
- Good fits: animated product reels, logo intros, motion portfolio pieces, UI motion, kinetic typography, generative art and explainer videos
- Length: up to 20 minutes (1200 seconds); short pieces of 5 to 60 seconds are the usual case
- Not for: live-action footage, realistic human performance, general video editing of existing clips, or interactive click-through web presentations, which belong to a different skill
Install the motion-showreel skill
Download the ZIP of the skill from the page where you found it, then unzip it. Put the resulting folder in your user skills directory, ~/.claude/skills/, or in a single project's .claude/skills/ folder if you want it available only for that project.
If you use the Claude apps instead, open Settings, go to Capabilities, then Skills, and upload the skill there.
- Personal install: ~/.claude/skills/
- Project install: .claude/skills/ inside your project folder
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload
Set up the environment before the first video
The skill needs Node.js 18 or newer and ffmpeg. On first use, run the setup script from the skill folder. It installs Playwright and Chromium, then runs an environment check. The skill tells the agent to explain how to install missing tools rather than installing system software for you.
The skill also includes its own tests, which you can run from its scripts folder.
- Requires: Node.js 18+, ffmpeg, Playwright and Chromium (installed by setup.sh)
- Optional: TTS API credentials for Gemini, MiniMax or a custom adapter, supplied through environment variables
sh <skill>/scripts/setup.shAsk for a video with a natural request
You do not need special syntax. Describe the video, its length, and whether it should be landscape or portrait. The agent will then ask for anything missing before it writes a brief. Required details are the core subject and content, the duration, the orientation, the source of background music, the source of sound effects, and the narration method (none, AI text-to-speech, or your own recording).
Expect a confirmation step. The agent summarises your answers and waits for you to agree before it starts. Saying something like go all out does not skip this; it only gives the agent creative freedom.
- Example: Make a 30-second logo intro for my studio, portrait, with AI-synthesized music and no narration.
- Example: Make a 45-second UI motion reel for my app, landscape, background music I supply, no sound effects.
- Example: Turn my script into a 3-minute narrated explainer; I will provide the script and want TTS.
Review the preview and export the MP4
The skill opens the editor workspace by default, so you can check real picture and sound before anything is exported. Style frames are shown first for a direction check. Export happens only after you click the export button or confirm in chat that the preview is good.
Final checks cover technical quality and a review of the finished film. The project folder keeps the source files, so you can ask for changes later and the agent can rebuild from them.
- Style frames: the agent shows three key frames to confirm the direction
- Editor workspace: review picture, sound and timing with play, drag and frame-by-frame checks
- Export: the MP4 is rendered only after your confirmation
Safety notes: scripts and network access
This skill runs scripts and uses the network. Setup installs Playwright and Chromium, and TTS requires calls to a service you configure. Keep TTS credentials in environment variables rather than in the brief, and review what the skill is about to run if your environment asks you to approve it.
Only use narration that you wrote or have the right to use. The skill requires the user's own script for TTS and says that text-to-speech of words you did not supply would misrepresent authorship. Real product facts, figures and brand assets should come from you or be verified.
- Runs scripts: yes, including setup.sh and build tools
- Uses network: yes, for installs and optional TTS services
- Keep API keys in environment variables, not in project files
What people use it for
- Animated product reel with UI motion and kinetic type for a launch
- Logo sting or channel intro with synthesized background music
- Motion portfolio piece built from shapes and generative visuals
- Narrated explainer where you supply the script and TTS provides the voice
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the motion-showreel skill?
Download the skill ZIP from the page, unzip it, and place the folder in ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use or in a project's .claude/skills/ folder. In the Claude apps you can instead upload it under Settings, Capabilities, Skills.
What does the motion-showreel skill require?
It needs Node.js 18 or newer and ffmpeg. Playwright and Chromium are installed by the setup script. TTS is optional and needs API credentials for Gemini, MiniMax or a custom adapter, supplied as environment variables.
Is the motion-showreel skill free to use?
The skill is released under the MIT licence, as listed on its page. Any TTS service you choose to use has its own access terms, which the source does not describe.
Can it make live-action or realistic human videos?
No. The skill excludes live-action footage, realistic human performance and general editing of existing clips. It is for graphics, type and interface animation.
Why does the agent ask so many questions before starting?
Duration, orientation, music and sound effect sources, and narration method must be set by you, not by defaults. The agent summarises them and waits for confirmation before writing the brief.
How is it different from the web-video-presentation skill?
The motion-showreel skill makes rendered MP4 videos. Clickable or live web presentations, and turning articles into narration scripts, belong to the web-video-presentation skill according to the source.
New agent skills, repos and AI tools — every week
The best new skills and open-source projects, the fastest-growing repos, and one free prompt. Five minutes to read. Unsubscribe anytime.
Our verdict
Use this skill if you want a short motion graphics video, logo intro or UI motion piece made from code, with editable source and a preview before export, and you are comfortable installing Node.js and ffmpeg. Pick something else if you need live-action footage, realistic people, clickable web presentations, or a no-install editor.
Download the skill