Kino
Kino AI · Kino: Code-First Video Editor and Footage Library Where Your Team and AI Agents Edit One Timeline
Kino is a desktop video editor, footage library and review tool in which its built-in agent, or your own agent such as Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or ChatGPT connected over MCP, searches your footage and edits the same timeline your teammates are working on. It suits creators, startup content teams and editors who want agents to make the first cut and apply review notes while people keep full hand control of every clip.
Best for
Creators, startup content teams and agent-heavy filmmakers who want Claude Code, Codex or Kino's own agent to search footage and make first cuts on a timeline the whole team shares, with review notes going straight back to the agent
Not ideal for
Editors who must stay in Premiere, Resolve or Avid for delivery, teams that need a browser-only or self-hosted editor, ARRI RAW or Canon Cinema RAW Light workflows, and anyone wanting one-click generated videos without touching a timeline
Who it's for
Video creators, startup and in-house content teams, and professional editors and filmmakers who already use coding agents such as Claude Code or Codex
Capabilities
- Built-in Kino Agent in the desktop app makes the cut from a chat request and leaves every clip on the timeline for you to move, trim or replace by hand
- Local MCP server (http://127.0.0.1:45680/mcp) that Claude Code, Codex CLI, Cursor, VS Code, ChatGPT and Claude Desktop connect to, so your own agent can search footage and edit Kino projects from its own chat
- Cloud agents such as Devin, Grok Bot, Muse and Dot can install the Linux desktop app on their own computer, sign in with your help and edit your projects there
- Claude Code and Codex can also run inside Kino on the Claude or ChatGPT plan you already have
- Every clip is transcribed, described shot by shot and tagged with the people in it, so you can search by what is said (Says) or shown (Shows), filter by codec, camera, lens or shoot day, and save filters as smart bins
- Plays camera originals without a transcode: Apple ProRes (including 4444 with alpha), Avid DNxHD/DNxHR, Blackmagic RAW, REDCODE RAW (V-RAPTOR, KOMODO, RED2), H.264 and HEVC, plus legacy AVI formats
- Edits, motion graphics, comments and 3D scenes are stored as code built on Remotion, with a WYSIWYG editor, keyframes, ripple trim, slip and razor tools, LUT import and 100+ templates for titles, maps, captions and transitions
- Real-time multi-user and multi-agent editing on one project, with teammates' cursors and the layer each agent is editing shown live, plus a checkpoint saved whenever an agent changes the project
- Review links (Pro) let anyone watch and comment in a browser without an account; comments land on the timeline at the frame they were left on, and you can send them to the agent to fix
- Brand kits built from a client's website, style matching from an earlier project, clip or YouTube link, and reframing to 9:16 or other sizes with graphics moved to fit
- Agents can generate images, video, music and voice through fal, billed at cost to your Kino plan
- Opens DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, CapCut and After Effects projects (beta) and exports back to Resolve, Premiere Pro or After Effects
- Experimental custom panels: ask the agent to build a tool such as color scopes or a take picker, dock it beside the timeline and share it with your team
Limitations
- Built around the desktop app (macOS, Windows x64, Ubuntu .deb x64). Kino said at launch that it has not been released for the browser alone, and YouTube links and MCP access need the desktop app; review-link viewers watch in a browser
- Outside agents connect through the Kino desktop app's local MCP server, so the app must stay open while they work; headless Linux servers need a virtual display (Xvfb) to run it
- Free allows 100 MCP tool calls a week shared across the whole organization, 5 Kino chat credits and 5 hours of footage indexing a month, 5 GB of storage and one editor; you can invite only viewers, and review links need Pro
- Agent model usage is billed separately: Claude Code and Codex inside Kino use your own provider plan, built-in chat draws on Kino chat credits, and media generation through fal has its own charges
- Importing Premiere, Resolve, Final Cut, CapCut and After Effects projects is labeled beta: the first import leaves gaps that you are expected to ask the agent to fill
- ARRI RAW and Canon Cinema RAW Light are not supported yet, and older RED sensors (before the RED2 generation) are not supported
- Custom panels are experimental and their capabilities can change between releases
- No open-source release or self-hosted deployment of the current product is documented; footage proxies are stored in Kino's cloud
Use cases
- Dropping a long interview into Kino and asking the agent for a rough cut with the silent stretches removed, then fixing individual cuts by hand
- Having Claude Code or Codex search a company's whole footage library for every clip where a product is shown and build a selects bin
- Running several agents on one launch video at once, one on motion graphics, one on color grading via LUTs and one on captions, while editors work further down the timeline
- Sending a review link to a co-founder or client, then letting the agent apply the frame-level comments they leave
- Cutting R3D, BRAW or ProRes camera originals without transcoding first, while remote teammates scrub the same project from 720p proxies
- Turning one locked cut into a 9:16 version and several short captioned vertical clips for social
Our take
Kino's bet is that agents edit video best when the timeline is code they can read and the footage is already indexed, and that people should still be able to grab any clip and fix it by hand. That makes it most useful for teams that already live in Claude Code or Codex: point your agent at the library, let it build the stringout and graphics, and send a review link whose notes go straight back to it. It is less of a fit if your delivery pipeline has to finish in Avid or Resolve, since import is still beta and export goes through a ZIP and relink, or if you want a web-only tool. Budget for more than the seat: heavy agent use means Pro for unlimited MCP calls plus your own model plan and any generation spend.
Who should use it
Creators, startup marketing and content teams, and editors who already use Claude Code, Codex or Cursor and want agents to search footage, make first cuts and graphics, and apply review notes on a timeline the whole team shares, including teams shooting on RED, Blackmagic or ProRes cameras.
Who should skip it
Post houses locked into Avid or Resolve delivery, teams that need a browser-only, self-hosted or open-source editor, ARRI RAW or Canon Cinema RAW Light shooters, and anyone who wants a finished video generated from a prompt without working on a timeline.
Strengths
- Lets the coding agent you already use edit video over MCP, and several agents and people can work on one timeline at once
- Footage library, editor and frame-level review in one tool, with comments the agent can act on
- Plays ProRes, BRAW, R3D and DNxHR camera originals without a transcode
- Full editor free, with Pro at $25 per editor per month
Weaknesses
- Built around the desktop app, and MCP access needs it running
- Free tier's 100 MCP calls a week are shared by the whole organization, and review links need Pro
- Model and generation costs sit on top of the seat price
- Project import from other editors is beta, and custom panels are experimental
Kino pricing
Free
$0
- Full editor with unlimited imports and exports
- Real-time collaboration, one editor plus unlimited viewers
- 100 MCP tool calls a week, shared across the organization
- 5 Kino chat credits and 5 hours of footage indexing a month
- 5 GB of storage, no review links
Pro
$25 per editor/month or $240 per editor/year
Billed monthly
- Unlimited MCP tool calls
- 10 Kino chat credits a month per editor
- 75 hours of footage indexing a month per editor
- More cloud storage, pooled across the team (50 GB per editor on the Teams and billing page; the storage page says 20 GB)
- Review links, paid editor seats and billed overages
Business
Not published in docs
- $50 in agent credit and $10 in Seedance generation credit per editor each month
- 1 TB of pooled cloud storage per editor
- Agent spending limits and alerts, centralized billing and usage analytics
- Priority Slack support and a team onboarding session
Free tier limits: Free: one editor (you can invite viewers only), 100 MCP tool calls a week shared across the organization, 5 Kino chat credits and 5 hours of footage indexing a month, 5 GB of storage, and no review links. No credit card required. MCP calls reset weekly; chat and indexing reset monthly.
Note: You pay for editor seats; viewers and review-link guests are free. Claude Code and Codex running inside Kino, and external agents connected over MCP, use your own AI provider subscription, billed separately, and Kino's MCP call limit still applies. Kino Agent mode bills supported Claude and Codex model usage through Kino. Media generation through fal is billed at cost. The Teams and billing page lists 50 GB of storage per Pro editor while the footage storage page lists 20 GB, so check the current allowance. The Business plan's price is not published in Kino's docs or static pages; it includes unlimited MCP calls and billed overages like Pro.
Technical specs
Modalities
Video, Audio, Images, Text (transcripts, captions, comments)
Available models
Where Kino excels
Daily short-form ads at a startup
One person finds and pulls B-roll, the agent edits a cut, a co-founder leaves notes on a review link, and the agent applies them, with every version kept in one project.
Documentary or interview logging
Transcripts, shot descriptions and face recognition across the whole library let an agent build selects bins and stringouts from hours of footage that would otherwise be logged by hand.
Launch video with many agents in parallel
Several agents can work on graphics, color and captions in the same project while editors work elsewhere on the timeline, and a checkpoint is saved after each agent change.
Kino vs. competitors
Kino vs. invideo
invideo is a browser-based editor where its own agents log footage, build first cuts and generate missing shots, paid for with credits. Kino is a desktop app whose timeline your own coding agents can also edit over MCP, with a footage library and frame-level review links built in.
Kino vs. Descript
Descript is a text-based editor where you cut by editing the transcript, with its Underlord assistant inside the app. Kino stores the edit as code that outside agents can read and change, indexes footage across every project, and plays camera raw formats without a transcode.
Kino vs. Arsaze
Arsaze is a timeline editor that Claude, ChatGPT and Grok drive through a remote MCP server, with Tab-style edit suggestions and an AI employee you brief in Slack. Kino adds a shared footage library with shot-level search, pro codec playback and review links, and its MCP server runs locally through the desktop app.
Kino vs. OpenVids
OpenVids is a free, open-source desktop editor where a Director agent and specialists cut footage that stays on your disk. Kino is proprietary and cloud-backed, built for multi-user teams sharing one library, with external agents connecting over MCP and review links for clients.
Frequently asked questions
What is Kino?
Kino is a desktop video editor, footage library and review tool from Kino AI (YC S23). Its built-in agent, or your own agent connected over MCP, can search your footage by what is said or shown and edit the same timeline your teammates are using, while you keep full manual control of every clip.
How do I connect Claude Code or Codex to Kino?
Install and open the Kino desktop app, then add its local MCP server. For Claude Code: claude mcp add kino --transport http http://127.0.0.1:45680/mcp --scope user. For Codex CLI: codex mcp add kino --url http://127.0.0.1:45680/mcp. Cursor and VS Code install from a link, and Claude Desktop and ChatGPT install from Settings > MCP in Kino on a Mac. Kino must stay open while the agent works.
How much does Kino cost?
The full editor is free, with 100 MCP tool calls a week, 5 Kino chat credits and 5 hours of indexing a month, 5 GB of storage and one editor. Pro is $25 per editor a month or $240 a year and adds unlimited MCP calls, more credits, indexing and storage, review links and team editor seats. A Business plan adds agent and generation credit per editor; its price is not listed in Kino's docs. Your AI provider's charges are separate.
Does Kino support ProRes, BRAW and R3D footage?
Yes. Kino plays Apple ProRes, Avid DNxHD/DNxHR, Blackmagic RAW and REDCODE RAW (V-RAPTOR, KOMODO and RED2) without a transcode, plus H.264, HEVC and legacy AVI formats. ARRI RAW, Canon Cinema RAW Light and older RED sensors are not supported yet. Exports render to H.264, HEVC, VP9, AV1 and ProRes.
Does Kino run in the browser?
Kino is distributed as a desktop app for macOS, Windows and Ubuntu, and Kino said at launch that it has not yet been released for the browser alone. People you send a review link to can watch and comment in a browser without an account.
Kino vs Descript: what is the difference?
Descript edits video by editing its transcript and uses its own Underlord assistant. Kino stores the timeline as code that any agent, such as Claude Code or Codex, can read and write over MCP, indexes a whole footage library across projects, and plays camera raw formats like BRAW and R3D without a transcode.
Integrations & fit
Alternatives to consider
invideo
Creators, agencies, and in-house marketing and film teams who edit in the browser and want AI agents to handle logging, first cuts, multicam, sound design, effects, and missing shots on a timeline they can take over at any frame
Freemium
Descript
Creators, podcasters, and content or marketing teams who want fast, text-based video and audio editing with AI cleanup
Freemium
Sidhilynx
Creators, freelance editors and small content teams who already use Claude, ChatGPT or Grok and want that assistant to do real cutting, captioning and grading on a multi-track timeline they can watch, undo and finish by hand
Freemium
bazodev (open source)
Solo creators, YouTubers and editors on Apple Silicon Macs or Windows PCs who want AI agents to do rough cuts, captions, motion graphics and sound passes on their own footage, keep media on their disk, and are comfortable bringing their own model provider key and installing early-stage software
FreeAbout Kino
Kino, from Kino AI (YC S23), puts three jobs that usually live in separate tools into one desktop app: storing footage, editing it, and collecting review notes. Everything you drag in is transcribed, described shot by shot and tagged with the people in it, so you, the built-in Kino Agent or an outside agent can search by what is said or shown and pull just those moments onto the timeline. Camera originals in ProRes, Blackmagic RAW, REDCODE RAW, DNxHR and MXF play without a transcode while Kino uploads a 720p proxy, so teammates and cloud agents can open the same project on another machine. The edit itself is code: Kino is built on Remotion, so cuts, titles, motion graphics and comments are stored as React code that an agent can read and change, while you trim, nudge and keyframe by hand on a regular timeline. Several people and several agents can edit one project at once and see who is changing which layer, Kino saves a checkpoint whenever an agent changes the project, and every project, clip, comment and frame has a URL you can paste into an agent's chat. The desktop app runs a local MCP server that Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, ChatGPT and Claude Desktop connect to, and cloud agents such as Devin can install the Linux build and work on their own machine. The tradeoffs: there is no browser-only editor yet, only the Electron desktop app, and MCP access needs that app running. Free is capped at 100 MCP tool calls a week for the whole organization and one editor, review links need Pro, importing Premiere, Resolve and Final Cut projects is still beta, and agent model usage and media generation are billed separately from the seat price.
Updates from Kino
Kino AI (YC S23) launched Kino on Hacker News as a code-first, real-time collaborative video editor and media manager where teammates and agents such as Claude Code and Codex edit one timeline. The launch post said the full editor is free, Pro is $25 per editor per month, and only the Electron desktop app is released so far, not a pure browser version.
The October 2026 work log added project tabs where agents keep working in the background, a 104-template catalog that agents can search and insert from, editable captions added by agents, LUT import and light mode. Agents in the desktop app now run on GPT-6.1 Sol and Claude Sonnet 5.5.
The September 2026 work log introduced the Kino Agent, a built-in agent in the desktop app that runs on your Kino plan with Claude, GPT or Grok, alongside custom panels, delivery links and generation of images, video, music and voice through fal at cost.
Are you the founder? Claim this listing →