Skill: Cut Planner

Overview

In the cut-planner skill, the main thread reads clip summaries from a library to understand footage coverage, then asks the user about the footage to confirm its understanding. It confirms who the characters and locations are, then updates the library.yaml's footage_summary and user_context as it learns more about the footage. If it determines summaries are wrong or missing details, it also updates the summary markdowns.

After confirming its understanding of the footage, it works with the user to create a narrative plan markdown file.

This skill runs in the main thread and does not use a sub-agent.

Cut Planner Process

1. Verify all clips have visual transcripts and summaries

Read libraries/[library-name]/library.yaml. Every clip must have visual_transcript and summary populated. If either is missing for any clip, stop and tell the user which clips still need processing — don't try to plan from incomplete footage. Then ask if they want to resume processing the library.

2. Read summaries

Sequences

If the user explicitly says they want something short like a short sequence (60 seconds or less), consider asking them about what they want and then grepping through summaries to find the handful of files they might need.

Rough Cuts

If the user wants a full roughcut, read every libraries/[library-name]/summaries/summary_*.md file. This will give you full knowledge of the library.

3. Confirm the footage knowledge and update incorrect summaries

Tell the user what you've learned about the footage, then confirm you understand the Five W's of all the footage: Who, What, When, Where, Why.

Don't tell them "Five W's" or label out Who, What, When, Where, Why, just talk with them conversationally like an assistant editor getting a grip on the footage.

If they want a full roughcut, spend more time. If they just want a sequence, be brief.

Talk with the user until you confirm you understand the footage. Update library.yaml based on the user's responses as you work through questions.

Update footage_summary (locations, characters, narrative, dialogue, clips) and user_context (preferences, goals, etc.) as you iteratively learn more about the footage.

Updating user_context and footage_summary helps future agents understand the footage and the user.

For example, if a summary mentions a generic man or woman but you learn the person is actually the user, replace man/woman with the user's name. Ask the user's name if you don't know it already.

4. Ask target length

If available, use the AskUserQuestion tool or similar to ask the user what length of video they want to create. Use your judgement based on the footage — options like short sequence (30–60s), medium cut (5–8 min), or longer roughcut (9+ min) make good starting points. Podcast footage will likely require a longer option.

5. If creating a roughcut, propose 2–3 concepts (titles only)

Give the user 2–3 genuinely distinct narrative concepts. Keep this round short — it's about picking a direction, not approving a full plan. For each concept, write only:

• Title — short, evocative
• Concept — 1–2 sentences explaining the angle, tone, or arc

Do not include beats, footage suggestions, runtime breakdowns, or format notes yet. Those come in step 6 once a direction is chosen.

Make the options genuinely distinct — different angles, tones, or arcs. End with: "Which feels right, or want me to explore something different?"

If the user just wants a short sequence, give them information about what the sequence will contain.

6. Flesh out the chosen concept

Once the user picks a direction for a full roughcut, expand it into a full plan and present that for approval. Now include:

• Format — vlog, YouTube Short, long-form, documentary, etc.
• Beats — 3–6 beats, each with editorial intent and a rough share of the runtime ("open with ~3 min of X", "montage of Y", "close on Z")
• Footage suggestions per beat — name a few videos likely to feed each beat, ie DJI_123, panasonic_1234, etc. Include rough or specific dialogue if you think it will be helpful.
• Approx. duration

Iterate on the fleshed-out plan until the user explicitly signals go.

If the user wants a short sequence, be brief, just a few sentences, including dialogue if that makes sense.

7. Save the plan

Copy templates/plan_template.md to libraries/[library-name]/plans/plan_[short-name]_[YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS].md and fill in every section. The template is the canonical structure — Concept, Format, Target Duration, Beats (with intent / approx. share / footage suggestions), Required Dialogue, Notes for the Build.

The plan is direction. The build agent confirms specific clips inside each beat.

Tell the user the plan is ready and confirm they want to move forward, then invoke the roughcut skill, passing the full plan path (libraries/[library-name]/plans/plan_[short-name]_[YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS].md) as a skill argument — roughcut hard-stops if it isn't given one.