Lead Piranha

Free · Video editing

Auto-edit your videos with AI in Edits for Mac, free

Editing one video can eat your whole afternoon. Instagram’s free Edits app now runs on Mac, and it has a switch that lets Claude Code or Codex build the first cut from your raw footage, so you only fine-tune it.

What you’ll need

  • A Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or newer) and Edits for Mac, Instagram’s free video editor.
  • Claude Code or Codex, which both need a paid plan (about $20 a month for Claude Pro or ChatGPT Plus).
  • Your raw takes in one folder. Use the full takes, not a video you’ve already edited.

Turn it on

  1. In Edits, open Settings, then Automation, and turn on Enable Automation Server. Check it’s still on after you click, since it didn’t stick the first time for me.
  2. Copy the Claude Code line it shows you (or the Codex one) and paste it in your terminal.
  3. Start a new Claude Code or Codex session so it can see Edits, then paste the prompt below.

Paste this into Claude Code or Codex

Fill in the two lines in brackets first.

Paste into Claude Code or Codex

Edits is connected to you as an MCP server. Use it to build a rough cut of my video inside Edits.

My raw footage is in: [the folder with your raw takes]
The video is about: [one line on what it's about]

1. Make a new project in Edits and import my raw takes from that folder. Edits shows more tools once a project is open, so open it before you look for the editing tools.
2. Turn on voice enhance or noise removal before anything else.
3. Keep the best take of each line. Cut only on pauses or breaths, never on a timer, and cut the dead air, false starts and repeated lines.
4. Add one caption track, using Edits' own captions. Don't add a second set of captions or any other text.
5. Don't add music, filters, stickers or transitions yet.
6. When you're done, tell me the project name, how long the cut is and every line you cut, so I can check it. Don't export or post anything.

It opens as a real project in Edits, so you finish it there like any other edit.

Optional

Get the next free build by email.

One build like this every Tuesday, with the prompt to copy. The guide stays free either way.

No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Then make it shorter

Paste this in the same chat if the first cut runs long.

Paste into Claude Code or Codex

Make that cut shorter, under 60 seconds. Keep my first line and my last line, cut the weakest lines in between, and tell me what you dropped. Don't export or post anything.

Using it for your business

If you post for your business, film your talking points in one sitting and let it cut a draft of each one. You, or whoever helps with your content, only has to polish it in Edits, so posting every week stops costing a whole day.

What about Muse?

Edits also shows a line for Muse, Meta’s free AI agent. When I tried it, Muse opened Edits and started the project, then got stuck importing the clip. For now, use Claude Code or Codex.

Stuck? Message me on LinkedIn and I’ll help you get it running.