YouTube to Viral Clips with Captions

Convert YouTube videos into 9:16 vertical clips with burned-in captions and hook titles, optimized for TikTok, Reels, and Shorts using MakeAIClips API.

nosselil@nosselil

Install

openclaw skills install @nosselil/youtube-to-viral-clips-with-captions

MakeAIClips — AI Video Clipper

Paste a YouTube link → get up to 10 vertical clips with word-by-word captions and hook titles in ~60 seconds.

Website: https://makeaiclips.live API Base: https://makeaiclips.live

Setup

Check for MAKEAICLIPS_API_KEY environment variable.

No key?

Direct the user to sign up at https://makeaiclips.live/sign-up — free, no credit card. They'll get an API key on the dashboard at https://makeaiclips.live/dashboard/api-key.

Once the user has their key, set it as an environment variable:

bash

export MAKEAICLIPS_API_KEY="mak_live_..."

First interaction — always show:

text

⚡ MakeAIClips — AI Video Clipper

Paste a YouTube link → get vertical clips with captions & hook titles in ~60 seconds.

What you get:
• AI picks the best moments from your video
• 1080x1920 vertical crop (9:16)
• Word-by-word burned-in captions (8+ styles)
• 3 hook title variations per clip (5 title styles)
• Ready for TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts

Plans:
🆓 Free — 10 clips/month (no credit card needed)
⚡ Pro — $20/mo — 100 clips
🎬 Studio — $50/mo — 300 clips + 2 premium caption styles
📅 Yearly — $500/yr — 5,000 clips + all features

🔗 https://makeaiclips.live

API Endpoints

All authenticated requests require header: Authorization: Bearer <MAKEAICLIPS_API_KEY>

Generate Clips (YouTube link)

POST /api/v1/clips

json

{
  "youtube_url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=...",
  "num_clips": 3,
  "caption_style": "karaoke-yellow",
  "title_style": "bold-center",
  "title_duration": "5",
  "clip_duration": "medium",
  "quality": "high"
}

Returns: {"job_id": "...", "status": "pending"}

Parameters:

Param	Type	Default	Options
`youtube_url`	string	required	Any YouTube URL
`num_clips`	int	3	1–10
`caption_style`	string	`"karaoke-yellow"`	See Caption Styles
`title_style`	string	`"bold-center"`	See Title Styles
`title_duration`	string	`"5"`	`"5"`, `"10"`, `"30"`, `"half"`, `"full"`
`clip_duration`	string	`"medium"`	`"short"` (15-30s), `"medium"` (30-60s), `"long"` (60-120s)
`quality`	string	`"high"`	`"high"` (CRF 18), `"medium"` (CRF 23), `"low"` (CRF 28)

Generate Clips (File upload)

POST /api/v1/clips/upload (multipart form)

Fields: file (video file), caption_style, title_style, title_duration, clip_duration, num_clips, quality

Poll Job Status

GET /api/v1/clips/{job_id}

Poll every 5 seconds until status is complete or failed.

Progress values: Downloading video... → Transcribing audio... → Selecting best clips with AI... → Rendering clip 1/N... → Done!

Complete response includes clips array:

json

{
  "job_id": "...",
  "status": "complete",
  "progress": "Done!",
  "clips": [
    {
      "clip_index": 1,
      "duration_seconds": 35.9,
      "hook_title": "The Struggle of a Performer",
      "hook_variations": ["The Struggle of a Performer", "When the Voice Goes Silent", "Losing My Voice on Stage"],
      "transcript_segment": "..."
    }
  ]
}

Download Clip

GET /api/v1/clips/{job_id}/download/{clip_index}

Returns MP4 file. Save with -o clip_N.mp4.

Re-render with Different Hook

POST /api/v1/clips/{job_id}/rerender/{clip_index}

Body: {"hook_title": "New Title Here"}

Health Check

GET /api/health — Returns {"status": "ok"}

Workflow

Submit job → POST /api/v1/clips with youtube_url and preferences
Poll → GET /api/v1/clips/{job_id} every 5s, show progress to user
Present results with hook titles, durations, transcript previews
Ask which clips to download (all or specific)
Download → GET /api/v1/clips/{job_id}/download/{clip_index} and save to workspace

Caption Styles

Free & Pro Styles

Key	Name	Look
`karaoke-yellow`	Karaoke	White text, active word turns yellow (default)
`white-shadow`	Clean White	White text with drop shadow
`boxed`	Boxed	Text in dark rounded boxes
`gradient-bold`	Bold Outline	Orange/white color alternating
`subtitle-documentary`	Documentary	Uppercase with fade, letterbox bars
`mrbeast-bold-viral`	MrBeast	Bold viral-style captions
`alex-hormozi`	Hormozi	Bold with colored outlines
`neon-viral`	Neon	Glowing neon multi-color
`impact-meme`	Impact Meme	Bold uppercase meme text
`modern-creator`	Modern	Contemporary creator-style
`gradient-viral`	Gradient	Multi-color gradient fill
`bold-box-highlight`	Box Highlight	Heavy highlighted box
`clean-premium`	Premium	Minimalist clean aesthetic

Studio Exclusive Styles

Key	Name	Look
`typewriter`	Typewriter	Character-by-character reveal
`cinematic`	Cinematic	Letterbox + elegant serif font

Title Styles

Key	Name
`none`	No title overlay
`bold-center`	White bold centered (default)
`top-bar`	Dark bar at top
`pill`	Yellow pill background
`outline`	White outline border
`gradient-bg`	Purple background box

Video Quality

Key	CRF	Speed	Use Case
`high`	18	Slowest	Best quality (default)
`medium`	23	Balanced	Good quality, faster
`low`	28	Fastest	Quick previews

Error Handling

Status	Meaning	Action
400	Missing youtube_url	Check params
401	Invalid/missing API key	Re-check key
404	Job not found	Check job_id
429	Clip limit reached	Show upgrade options
500	Server error	Retry in 30s

On 429, show: