explaingit

dataants-ai/cutscript

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

93TypeScriptAudience · generalComplexity · 3/5LicenseSetup · moderate

TLDR

An open-source, local-first video editor that lets you cut audio and video by deleting words from a transcript instead of using a timeline.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Transcript based editing
      Word level cuts
      AI clip suggestions
    Tech stack
      Electron
      React
      FastAPI
      WhisperX
    Use cases
      Podcast editing
      Screen recordings
      Filler word removal
    License
      MIT open source

Code map

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filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Edit a podcast or screen recording by deleting filler words directly from the transcript.

USE CASE 2

Automatically remove ums and ahs from a recorded video.

USE CASE 3

Export finished edits up to 4K resolution without uploading footage to the cloud.

What is it built with?

TypeScriptElectronReactPythonFastAPIWhisperXFFmpeg

How does it compare?

dataants-ai/cutscriptheyfive-dev/polymarket-arbitrage-trading-bot-v2hisorange/artgen
Stars939395
LanguageTypeScriptTypeScriptTypeScript
Setup difficultymoderatehardmoderate
Complexity3/54/53/5
Audiencegeneraldeveloperdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Requires Node.js, Python, and FFmpeg installed locally, runs a local FastAPI backend alongside the Electron app.

MIT License: free to use, modify, and distribute, including commercially, as long as the copyright notice is kept.

In plain English

CutScript is an open-source desktop app that lets you edit audio and video by editing text. Instead of scrubbing through a timeline, you see a full transcript of your recording. To cut something out, you simply delete the words from the transcript, and the corresponding audio or video is removed automatically. Think of it like editing a document, except the result is a trimmed video file. When you import a video, CutScript uses WhisperX, an AI transcription tool, to generate a word-level transcript, meaning each word is precisely aligned to the moment it appears in the video. From there, you can delete filler words, rearrange clips, or use AI features to automatically remove ums and ahs or generate short-form clip suggestions for platforms like YouTube Shorts. The app can export your final video up to 4K resolution using FFmpeg, a widely used media processing tool. You would use CutScript if you regularly record podcasts, screen recordings, or video tutorials and want a faster way to edit without learning traditional timeline-based video editors. The tech stack includes Electron and React for the desktop interface, a FastAPI Python backend that runs locally in the background, WhisperX for transcription, FFmpeg for video processing, and optional AI integrations with Ollama, OpenAI, or Claude for smart editing features. It runs entirely on your own machine with no cloud dependency required.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Install CutScript and use it to remove filler words from my podcast recording.
Prompt 2
Explain how CutScript keeps everything local instead of uploading video to the cloud.
Prompt 3
Show me how to export a 4K video from CutScript after editing.

Frequently asked questions

What is cutscript?

An open-source, local-first video editor that lets you cut audio and video by deleting words from a transcript instead of using a timeline.

What language is cutscript written in?

Mainly TypeScript. The stack also includes TypeScript, Electron, React.

What license does cutscript use?

MIT License: free to use, modify, and distribute, including commercially, as long as the copyright notice is kept.

How hard is cutscript to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is cutscript for?

Mainly general.

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