Claude MCP Video Clipper: How to Make Short Clips

A Claude MCP video clipper lets you paste a YouTube link into Claude and get back captioned vertical clips. Here's how to connect LumiClip's MCP server in minutes.

Updated: 25 October 2026

We make LumiClip, so weigh our view accordingly. We've noted where OpusClip's Claude setup is easier than ours.

This guide covers what an MCP clipper does, the three ways to connect LumiClip to Claude (Claude Desktop, Claude Code and claude.ai), the exact tools Claude gets, prompts that work, and what it costs. Every setup step below comes from LumiClip's own API documentation, its MCP page, Anthropic's docs, or the package README, checked on 25 October 2026.

What is a Claude MCP video clipper?

A Claude MCP video clipper is an AI clipping service that exposes its tools to Claude through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Instead of uploading a video in a web app, you ask Claude to clip a YouTube link. Claude calls the clipper's tools, waits for processing, and returns ranked short clips with download links. LumiClip, OpusClip, Klap and Katto all offer MCP access as of October 2026.

For context, LumiClip is an AI video clipper that turns long videos into short vertical clips for TikTok, Reels and YouTube Shorts. It finds the strongest moments, reframes 16:9 footage to 9:16 with speaker tracking, and burns in word-level captions in 30+ languages.

The MCP server is a thin layer over the same engine. Claude doesn't edit video itself. It sends the job to LumiClip and reads back the results.

Does OpusClip have an official Claude connector?

Yes. OpusClip is listed in Anthropic's Claude connector directory, so you can add it from Customize > Connectors with an OAuth sign-in and no API key. According to the OpusClip Claude Connector docs, calling its tools needs a Pro Beta, Max or Business plan, and posting or scheduling only happens after you confirm it inside OpusClip.

That's a smoother setup than ours today. LumiClip isn't in Claude's Connectors Directory yet. Our MCP page says a submission is planned, so for now you connect LumiClip as a custom MCP server with an API key.

The trade-off is price and access. OpusClip Pro is $29/month, or $14.50/month billed yearly, as of October 2026, per the OpusClip pricing page. LumiClip's API and MCP server work on a free account with 1 hour of credits.

What do you need before you start?

You need a LumiClip account, an API key, and an MCP client such as Claude Desktop or Claude Code. For the local setup you also need Node.js installed, because the server runs through npx. A free account is enough to test everything end to end.

Here's the checklist:

• A LumiClip account: sign up free at LumiClip, no credit card required.
• An API key: open the Developer tab in the dashboard at app.lumiclip.ai/developers and generate a key. Keys start with sk_live_, and you can have up to 5 active keys per account.
• Node.js: only for the local package. Run node --version in a terminal to check.
• A public YouTube link: the MCP tools currently take YouTube URLs. To clip a local file, use the LumiClip web app instead.

Treat the key like a password. Anyone with it can spend your credits, and you can revoke it from the Developer tab.

How do you connect LumiClip to Claude Desktop?

In Claude Desktop, add LumiClip to your claude_desktop_config.json file as a local MCP server that runs @lumiclip/mcp-server with your API key, then restart the app. This is the setup LumiClip documents for Claude Desktop and Cursor, and it takes about two minutes.

Step 1: Open the config file

In Claude Desktop, go to Settings, then the Developer tab, and click Edit Config. Per the MCP documentation, the file lives at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS and %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json on Windows.

Step 2: Add the LumiClip server

Inside the top-level mcpServers object, add an entry named lumiclip with these three values:

• "command": "npx"
• "args": ["-y", "@lumiclip/mcp-server"]
• "env": { "LUMICLIP_API_KEY": "sk_live_..." }

Replace sk_live_... with your own key. If you already have other servers in the file, add a comma between entries so the JSON stays valid. The full snippet is on our MCP page.

Step 3: Restart and check the tools

Quit Claude Desktop completely and reopen it. Open the connectors menu in the chat box and you should see LumiClip with five tools. If it doesn't appear, check the JSON for a missing comma or quote, then look at the logs in ~/Library/Logs/Claude (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\logs (Windows).

How do you add LumiClip to Claude Code?

In Claude Code, add LumiClip with one claude mcp add command, either pointing at the hosted endpoint with a bearer header or running the npm package locally. Both options use the same API key and credits, and both are documented in Anthropic's Claude Code MCP guide.

• Hosted endpoint (no Node.js needed): claude mcp add --transport http lumiclip https://mcp.lumiclip.ai/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer sk_live_..."
• Local package: claude mcp add lumiclip --env LUMICLIP_API_KEY=sk_live_... -- npx -y @lumiclip/mcp-server

Run claude mcp get lumiclip afterwards to confirm it connected. The hosted server at mcp.lumiclip.ai/mcp uses Streamable HTTP and rejects requests without a valid key, so a connection error usually means the key or the Bearer prefix is wrong.

Can you use LumiClip in claude.ai on the web?

Only if your Claude account can add request headers to custom connectors. Claude's custom connector dialog normally expects OAuth sign-in, and LumiClip's hosted endpoint authenticates with an API key instead. Anthropic lists request-header authentication as a beta for a limited set of organizations in its custom connector docs.

If you have it, go to Customize > Connectors, click Add custom connector, enter https://mcp.lumiclip.ai/mcp, choose No sign-in, and add an authorization header with the value Bearer sk_live_.... Include the word "Bearer" and the space, because Claude sends the value exactly as typed.

If you don't see a Request headers section, use Claude Desktop or Claude Code for now. This is the main gap between LumiClip and OpusClip's directory connector.

What tools does the LumiClip MCP server give Claude?

The LumiClip MCP server exposes five tools: generate_clips, get_project_status, list_projects, get_clip and check_usage. They wrap LumiClip's REST API, so Claude can start a clipping job, poll until it finishes, read each clip's details and check your credits. The list comes from the @lumiclip/mcp-server README (version 3.3.0) and our API page.

Start a job

generate_clips starts a job from a YouTube URL and returns a project_id right away. Optional settings include:

• Segment: start_time and end_time in seconds, so you only process (and pay for) one section.
• Aspect ratio: aspect_ratio is 9:16 by default, or 16:9 for landscape platforms.
• Language: language takes an ISO-639-1 hint such as es or hi. The README recommends it for non-English audio.
• Caption style: subtitle_style sets a caption preset such as punch, glow or retro. The default is yellow.
• Webhook: callback_url is a URL LumiClip calls when every clip is exported.

Check progress and get clips

get_project_status reports progress through steps like downloading, transcribing, detecting highlights and exporting. When the project is complete, it returns the clips sorted by score, highest first, each with a title, description, three hashtags and a download link.

List projects, inspect a clip and check credits

list_projects shows your recent jobs and clip counts. get_clip returns one clip's full details, including 720p and 1080p video links. check_usage reports your plan and remaining credits, which is worth asking for before a long video.

One honest limit: the published tool list doesn't include channel watching or social publishing. To have LumiClip watch up to 10 YouTube or Twitch channels and post on its own, set up the automation agent in the web app. Our guide to auto-clipping a YouTube channel to TikTok walks through it.

How do you make short clips from Claude?

Paste a YouTube link and ask Claude to clip it. Claude calls generate_clips, checks progress with get_project_status, and replies with the top clips and their download links. Most jobs finish faster than the video's running time, according to LumiClip's API docs, and the README suggests polling every 10-15 seconds.

Prompts that map cleanly onto the tools:

• "Check my LumiClip credits, then clip this video: [YouTube link]."
• "Clip only minutes 12 to 40 of this podcast in Spanish, with the punch caption style." Claude converts the times to seconds for start_time and end_time.
• "Make 16:9 clips from this webinar for LinkedIn."
• "Show me the three highest-scoring clips with their titles, hashtags and why they were picked."
• "Write a TikTok caption for clip 2 using its description and hashtags."

Claude will usually ask your permission before each tool call. You can allow LumiClip's tools for the conversation so it can poll without stopping.

Review the clips before you post them. The score is a ranking aid, not a promise of views, and you can retrim captions or the crop in the LumiClip editor.

How much does the LumiClip MCP server cost?

The MCP server itself is free. Clipping uses the same credits as the web app, where one credit is one minute of source video. New accounts get 60 free credits (1 hour) once, with 720p exports. Starter is $9.99/month for 360 credits and Pro is $24.99/month for 1,200 credits, as of October 2026, per the LumiClip pricing page.

A few billing details from the API docs:

• You pay for source minutes, not clips. A 45-minute episode uses 45 credits however many clips come back.
• Credits are reserved when the job starts and refunded if processing fails.
• Trimming saves credits. Passing start_time and end_time reserves credits only for that section.
• Paid plans export at 1080p with no watermark. The free plan is capped at 720p.

Visitors in the EU see the same numbers in euros on the pricing page. For a full price comparison with OpusClip, see LumiClip vs Opus Clip, and for seven tools priced the same way, our cheaper Opus Clip alternatives roundup.

FAQ

Is LumiClip an official Claude connector?

Not yet. LumiClip isn't listed in Claude's Connectors Directory, so you add it as a custom MCP server in Claude Desktop, Claude Code or, where request headers are available, claude.ai.

Can Claude clip a video without an MCP server?

No. Claude can't cut or render video on its own. It needs a connected tool such as LumiClip or OpusClip to process the file and return clips.

Does the LumiClip MCP server work in Cursor?

Yes. Add the same mcpServers entry to .cursor/mcp.json, or use the hosted endpoint with your bearer key.

Can I clip a local video file through Claude?

Not with LumiClip's current MCP tools, which take YouTube URLs. Upload local files in the LumiClip web app instead.

Can Claude post the clips to TikTok for me?

Not through LumiClip's documented MCP tools. Claude can give you download links and write captions, and LumiClip's web app handles scheduling and auto-posting.

Should you use LumiClip or OpusClip with Claude?

Pick OpusClip if you want a one-click directory connector and already pay for Pro. Pick LumiClip if you want to test MCP clipping free, pay less per hour of video, or call the same engine from Claude Code, Cursor and your own scripts. Either way, start with a short video to see how the results look.

Create a free account on LumiClip, grab your API key, and compare plans on the pricing page when you need more than an hour a month.

Cover photo by Jo Lin on Unsplash