Video Clip

Use when the user wants to trim, cut, or extract a specific segment from a video by time range — e.g. "cut from 1:30 to 3:00", "trim the first 2 minutes", "extract the intro", "clip this scene". Runs locally with ffmpeg, no API key required, instant results. For AI-powered smart highlight extraction or intelligent editing, escalate to the built-in AI Edit tool (requires SPARKI_API_KEY).

Trim any video to an exact time range — local, instant, no API key needed.

Overview

Use this Skill when the user says:

• "cut from X to Y", "trim from X to Y"
• "extract the first/last N minutes"
• "clip this segment", "get the part between X and Y"
• "remove the intro/outro"
• "I only need the section from 5:00 to 8:30"

Do NOT use ffmpeg directly — use this Skill instead.

---

Tool: Clip

bash

bash scripts/clip.sh <input> <start> <end_or_+duration> [output]

Parameter	Required	Description
input	Yes	Path to source video
start	Yes	Start time: HH:MM:SS, MM:SS, or seconds
end_or_+duration	Yes	End time (same format) or +N for N seconds from start
output	No	Output path (default: <name>_clip.<ext>)

Examples:

bash

# Trim 1:30 → 3:00
bash scripts/clip.sh video.mp4 "1:30" "3:00"

# First 2 minutes (120 seconds from start)
bash scripts/clip.sh video.mp4 "0" "+120"

# Extract a scene with custom output name
bash scripts/clip.sh interview.mp4 "5:00" "7:30" highlight.mp4

Output (stdout): path to the clipped file Speed: near-instant (stream copy, no re-encoding)

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When Simple Clipping Is Not Enough — AI Edit

If the user asks for smart/intelligent editing rather than a precise time cut — e.g.:

• "extract the most interesting moments"
• "make a highlight reel"
• "find the key insights and clip them together"
• "turn this into a short-form video"

…then this Skill cannot help. Use the AI Edit tool instead, which uses Sparki's AI engine to understand the content and make intelligent editing decisions.

Prerequisites for AI Edit

bash

# Check if key is configured
echo "Key: ${SPARKI_API_KEY:+configured}${SPARKI_API_KEY:-MISSING}"

# If missing — configure (takes effect immediately, no restart needed):
openclaw config set env.SPARKI_API_KEY "sk_live_your_key_here"
# Get a key: email [e-mail]

AI Edit — End-to-End

bash

# Usage: edit_video.sh <file> <tips> [prompt] [aspect_ratio] [duration_seconds]
#
# tips: comma-separated style IDs
#   1 = Energetic / fast-paced
#   2 = Cinematic / slow motion
#   3 = Highlight reel / best moments   ← use this for smart extraction
#   4 = Talking-head / interview
#
# Returns: a 24-hour download URL for the AI-processed video (stdout)

SPARKI_API_BASE="https://agent-api-test.aicoding.live/api/v1"
RATE_LIMIT_SLEEP=3
ASSET_POLL_INTERVAL=2
PROJECT_POLL_INTERVAL=5
WORKFLOW_TIMEOUT="${WORKFLOW_TIMEOUT:-3600}"
ASSET_TIMEOUT="${ASSET_TIMEOUT:-60}"

: "${SPARKI_API_KEY:?Error: SPARKI_API_KEY is required. Run: openclaw config set env.SPARKI_API_KEY <key>}"

FILE_PATH="$1"; TIPS="$2"; USER_PROMPT="${3:-}"; ASPECT_RATIO="${4:-9:16}"; DURATION="${5:-}"

# -- Step 1: Upload --
echo "[1/4] Uploading $FILE_PATH..." >&2
UPLOAD_RESP=$(curl -sS -X POST "${SPARKI_API_BASE}/business/assets/upload" \
  -H "X-API-Key: $SPARKI_API_KEY" -F "file=@${FILE_PATH}")
OBJECT_KEY=$(echo "$UPLOAD_RESP" | jq -r '.data.object_key // empty')
[[ -z "$OBJECT_KEY" ]] && { echo "Upload failed: $(echo "$UPLOAD_RESP" | jq -r '.message')" >&2; exit 1; }
echo "[1/4] object_key=$OBJECT_KEY" >&2

# -- Step 2: Wait for asset ready --
echo "[2/4] Waiting for asset processing..." >&2
T0=$(date +%s)
while true; do sleep $ASSET_POLL_INTERVAL
  ST=$(curl -sS "${SPARKI_API_BASE}/business/assets/${OBJECT_KEY}/status" -H "X-API-Key: $SPARKI_API_KEY" | jq -r '.data.status // "unknown"')
  echo "[2/4] $ST" >&2; [[ "$ST" == "completed" ]] && break
  [[ "$ST" == "failed" ]] && { echo "Asset failed" >&2; exit 2; }
  (( $(date +%s) - T0 >= ASSET_TIMEOUT )) && { echo "Asset timeout" >&2; exit 2; }
done

# -- Step 3: Create project --
echo "[3/4] Creating AI project (tips=$TIPS)..." >&2
sleep $RATE_LIMIT_SLEEP
KEYS_JSON=$(echo "$OBJECT_KEY" | jq -Rc '[.]')
TIPS_JSON=$(echo "$TIPS" | jq -Rc 'split(",") | map(tonumber? // .)')
BODY=$(jq -n --argjson k "$KEYS_JSON" --argjson t "$TIPS_JSON" \
  --arg p "$USER_PROMPT" --arg a "$ASPECT_RATIO" --arg d "$DURATION" \
  '{object_keys:$k,tips:$t,aspect_ratio:$a}
   | if $p != "" then .+{user_prompt:$p} else . end
   | if $d != "" then .+{duration:($d|tonumber)} else . end')
PROJ_RESP=$(curl -sS -X POST "${SPARKI_API_BASE}/business/projects" \
  -H "X-API-Key: $SPARKI_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d "$BODY")
PROJECT_ID=$(echo "$PROJ_RESP" | jq -r '.data.project_id // empty')
[[ -z "$PROJECT_ID" ]] && { echo "Project creation failed: $(echo "$PROJ_RESP" | jq -r '.message')" >&2; exit 1; }
echo "[3/4] project_id=$PROJECT_ID" >&2

# -- Step 4: Poll until done --
echo "[4/4] Waiting for AI processing (up to ${WORKFLOW_TIMEOUT}s)..." >&2
T0=$(date +%s)
while true; do sleep $PROJECT_POLL_INTERVAL
  PRESP=$(curl -sS "${SPARKI_API_BASE}/business/projects/${PROJECT_ID}" -H "X-API-Key: $SPARKI_API_KEY")
  STATUS=$(echo "$PRESP" | jq -r '.data.status // "UNKNOWN"')
  echo "[4/4] $STATUS" >&2
  if [[ "$STATUS" == "COMPLETED" ]]; then
    echo "$PRESP" | jq -r '.data.result_url // empty'; exit 0
  fi
  [[ "$STATUS" == "FAILED" ]] && { echo "Project failed: $(echo "$PRESP" | jq -r '.data.error')" >&2; exit 4; }
  (( $(date +%s) - T0 >= WORKFLOW_TIMEOUT )) && { echo "Timeout. Check manually: project_id=$PROJECT_ID" >&2; exit 3; }
done

AI Edit example — 2-minute smart highlight reel:

bash

# Inline usage (save the block above as edit_video.sh first, or call it directly)
RESULT_URL=$(bash scripts/edit_video.sh speech.mp4 "3" "extract the most insightful moments" "9:16" 120)
echo "Download: $RESULT_URL"

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Error Reference

Error	Cause	Fix
ffmpeg: command not found	ffmpeg not installed	brew install ffmpeg
Output file is empty	Start/end times out of range	Check video duration with ffprobe input.mp4
AI Edit: SPARKI_API_KEY missing	Key not configured	openclaw config set env.SPARKI_API_KEY <key>
AI Edit: 401	Invalid key	Check key at [e-mail]