alyssasworld/edit-twin-mcp

Rough cut with Edit Twin

Use the edit-twin MCP tools. The user's original project is never modified: the result is imported as a NEW project next to it. Times are seconds on the current timeline. Clip refs like "4" (storyline clip) and "4.0" (connected item) shift after every edit, so re-read get_timeline before using refs.

1. Get the project and the user's style

1. get_style: saved defaults (pause settings, audio chain, default look, notes learned from their edits). Follow the notes.
2. fcp_export_project. If it warns the project is empty, ask the user to select the right project in Final Cut's Browser (or click in its timeline) and retry. If export fails, ask them to use File > Export XML… and give you the path, or use find_fcpxml_files + open_timeline.
3. get_timeline, then decide the format from summary.format (width/height) and duration, unless the user said which:
   • Reel / short: vertical (height > width), or under ~3 minutes.
   • Vlog / landscape: horizontal, or longer pieces with B-roll, scenery, music or ambient moments. Tell the user which format you picked in one line.

2. Analyse (change nothing yet)

1. transcribe, with vocabulary set to names and jargon likely in the video.
2. find_repeats: stutters, retakes and um/uh fillers. For each retake, compare the takes and choose. Keep the one with clearer delivery, no stumbles and a clean ending; if they're equal, keep the later take. When removing a retake, also drop a leftover connector ("and", "so") at the start of the kept take if it no longer reads naturally.
3. Pauses, depending on format:
   • Reel: find_silences with the saved defaults.
   • Vlog: find_silences with looser overrides (min_silence 0.6, keep_after_speech 0.15, keep_before_speech 0.15), and only propose pauses inside talking sections (between transcript words). Never cut silent stretches that are B-roll, scenery, music or reaction shots; use get_timeline and preview_frame when unsure.
4. Stop and show a short plan: retakes (quote both takes, say which you'd keep and why), how many fillers, how many pauses and how many seconds they add up to, and the expected new length. Wait for the user's OK or changes.

3. Cut (after approval)

1. cut_ranges for the approved retakes and fillers.
2. Reels: remove_silences with the saved defaults. Vlogs: cut_ranges with only the approved pause ranges.
3. Reels: check that the first ~3 seconds work as a hook, i.e. the first words state the topic or a surprising claim. If a stronger hook line comes later, suggest it, but don't move it without asking. Flag it if the reel runs over 90 seconds.

4. Look and sound

1. If there's an adjustment clip with effects, run fit_to_timeline. Otherwise, if the style has a default look, run apply_look.
2. If the style has an audio chain, run apply_audio_style. If not, run measure_loudness and suggest a gain (social video usually sits around -14 LUFS), or offer normalize_audio.
3. Leave music and connected audio alone unless asked.

5. Check and send

1. validate_timeline, then render_preview. Tell the user where the preview is and the new length.
2. send_to_final_cut with the project name " (rough cut)".
3. Summarise in a few lines: what was cut (retakes, fillers, pauses, seconds saved) and the look and sound applied.
4. Finish by suggesting that, if they polish the edit by hand, they ask Claude to learn_from_edit (with save=true and look_name) so the next rough cut matches their style. For the first vlog after reels, run it with save=false and record the suggested vlog pause settings with update_style add_note, so the reel defaults aren't overwritten.

Rules

• Never change anything before the user approves the plan in step 2.4.
• Never edit their original project; always send a new one.
• Media on an external drive must be plugged in.
• If a tool fails because of macOS permissions, point them to System Settings > Privacy & Security (Accessibility, and Automation for the app running Claude Code).