# Vidiyo for developers: edit video with the Claude Code or Codex you already use

Canonical URL: https://getvidiyo.app/for/developers
Last updated: 2026-10-08

> TL;DR: Vidiyo drives video edits through the Claude Code or Codex CLI you already have signed in. The agent gets Vidiyo's editing tools in place of its usual coding tools, and every change goes through a validated edit engine with atomic undo. Motion graphics are HTML scenes rendered in a network-blocked sandbox. A CLI exposes the same engine.

Image: Vidiyo editor with a text layer selected, its inspector showing Animate presets and keyed Transform properties, and keyframe lanes for Y and Opacity on the timeline.

If you already live in Claude Code or Codex, Vidiyo puts that agent in front of a video timeline. You describe the edit in chat; the agent inspects the project, reads the transcript, looks at frames and applies edits through a validated engine. You keep a normal editor with layers and keyframes for anything you'd rather do by hand.

## What does a developer need from a video editor?

Developers mostly make three kinds of video: product demos and screen recordings, changelog or release videos, and launch posts. They want it fast, scriptable where possible, and predictable: an edit that can be inspected, undone and reproduced. They also want to know exactly what an agent can touch on their machine.

## How does the agent integration work?

Vidiyo runs the CLI you already have, on its existing sign-in, with a locked-down tool set.

| | Claude Code | Codex |
|---|---|---|
| Process | `claude -p` per turn | A dedicated `codex app-server` |
| Sign-in | `claude auth login` (Claude Pro or Max) | `codex login` with ChatGPT |
| Tools | Built-in tools removed; Vidiyo's host tools served over a loopback MCP endpoint with a per-session token | Vidiyo's tools as dynamic tools; shell and filesystem features disabled |
| Your config | User settings, hooks, plugins, skills and other MCP servers ignored | Shell, inherited integrations and project replacement disabled |
| Checks | Tool inventory verified every turn; each model passes a one-time edit round-trip gate | Version and tool policy checked against a compatibility certificate |

The host tools cover project inspection, transcript search, frame inspection, validated edit batches, media jobs, public web page context and public video import. Research uses the provider's own web search.

## What does the agent actually see?

It sees a readable edit decision list, a story view of kept and cut sentences, measured faces and on-screen text mapped into the composed frame, loudness measurements, and still frames it requests. After every batch, quality checks run on geometry and timeline rules and the findings come back in the tool result. On Claude, read-only subagents (a critic, a story analyst, a moment scorer and a researcher) can review the work.

## How do edits stay safe?

Every edit, by you or the agent, goes through one engine. Batches carry a base revision and are rejected atomically if the project moved on. An idempotency key makes a retried batch safe. Each chat request's changes share one undo group, so ⌘Z reverts the whole request. A manual edit interrupts a running request. Projects are portable bundles with stable IDs, atomic saves and revision snapshots.

## Is there a CLI?

Yes. The packaged app ships a `viditor` launcher inside the app bundle, using the same engine, media jobs and renderer:

```sh
viditor new ./Launch.viditor "Launch"
viditor media import ./Launch.viditor ./talking-head.mov ./demo.mp4
viditor media transcribe ./Launch.viditor
viditor inspect ./Launch.viditor
viditor apply ./Launch.viditor ./edit-batch.json
viditor frames ./Launch.viditor ./frames --frames 0,39,90
viditor export ./Launch.viditor ./Launch.mp4
```

`apply` takes a JSON edit batch with a `baseRevision`, an optional `idempotencyKey` and an `undoGroupId`. Results go to stdout as JSON, progress and errors to stderr. Exports are verified (H.264, 30 fps, frame count, AAC, duration) before the file is published. The CLI never runs generated shell commands, and it has no chat.

## How do motion graphics work under the hood?

Motion scenes are HTML fragments on a small runtime (`M.scene({ setup, render(t) })`) with helpers for easing, staggered text, counters, charts and kinetic type. Each scene renders in its own offscreen, sandboxed window: an in-memory session cancels every request except its own document, a CSP sets `default-src 'none'`, and fonts and images are inlined. Clocks, timers and randomness are virtualized to the frame time, a lint and a determinism check flag scenes that keep state, and a timeline audit catches text off the frame or under the Shorts interface. Frames are cached by content hash. Beats anchor to transcript words and survive trims.

## How do I make a changelog video?

A short release video is a good first project. Record a screen capture of each change and a quick voice or face take, then:

1. Import the clips into a 16:9 or 9:16 project.
2. Ask: "Make a 45-second changelog video: a title card with the version, then each change with its screen recording, me in a corner bubble."
3. Ask for captions, a lower third with the version number and quiet music under the voice.
4. Pin notes on anything that's off and use **Fix with AI**.
5. Export, then schedule the post through Buffer or upload it with your release notes.

Keep the brand look in the project's **Brand** tab so the next week's video starts from the same colors and fonts. Brand looks are per project, so ask the assistant to apply the same values in each new one.

## What can I say to Vidiyo?

The same things you'd ask a human editor, plus some precise ones:

- "Cut the pauses and false starts, keep every meaningful word."
- "Show the terminal above me and punch in on the output."
- "Add a lower third with my name and the repo."
- "Count up to 2.3× when I say faster."
- "Write a scene that types out the command, then shows the result."
- "Make a 30-second changelog video from these three clips."
- "Review it before I export."

## What are the limits?

Vidiyo is a desktop app for Apple Silicon Macs on macOS 14 or later. The agent runs inside the app; the CLI is for structured operations without chat. Screen zooms are keyframed punch-ins, not cursor-follow. Timelines stop at 5 minutes, export at 1080p, 30 fps, and there's no speed control.

Vidiyo is free during its invite-only beta. [Request access](https://getvidiyo.app/request) if you want to try it on your next release video.

## Honest limits

- Mac only: Apple Silicon on macOS 14 or later.
- The CLI has no chat; the agent runs inside the desktop app.
- No cursor-follow zoom on screen recordings. Zooms are keyframed punch-ins.
- Timelines max out at 5 minutes; export is 1080p at 30 fps.
- No speed ramps or speed control.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does Vidiyo use my Claude Code or Codex subscription?

Yes. It runs Claude Code on your Claude Pro or Max sign-in, or a dedicated Codex app-server on your ChatGPT sign-in. Usage counts toward that plan; Vidiyo never handles your credentials.

### Can the agent run shell commands on my Mac?

Not freely. Claude Code's built-in tools are removed and only Vidiyo's tools are served. On Claude, a Shell access setting (on by default, in Settings → Assistant) lets the assistant run checked commands in its own workspace to download and convert files, and risky commands ask you first. Codex gets no shell.

### Is there a command-line interface?

Yes. The packaged app includes a viditor CLI for creating projects, importing and transcribing media, applying JSON edit batches, capturing frames and exporting. It uses the same engine as the editor but doesn't include chat.

### How are motion graphics built?

As HTML fragments on a small runtime, rendered frame by frame in an offscreen, sandboxed window with every network request blocked, then cached by content hash so preview and export show the same pixels.

## Related

- [Can Claude edit videos?](https://getvidiyo.app/claude-video-editor)
- [Can ChatGPT edit my video?](https://getvidiyo.app/chatgpt-video-editor)
- [How to make product demo videos with Vidiyo](https://getvidiyo.app/for/product-demo-videos)
- [What is agentic video editing?](https://getvidiyo.app/blog/what-is-agentic-video-editing)
- [How to make changelog videos](https://getvidiyo.app/blog/changelog-videos)
- [Agentic video editing](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/agentic-video-editing)

Request access to the Vidiyo beta: https://getvidiyo.app/request