Turns a long-form video into 3–5 short-form clips for Reels, Shorts, and TikTok — identifies the most clip-worthy moments, then generates platform-ready hooks, captions, hashtags, and timestamps for editing.
Triggers: "create shorts from this video", "repurpose for short-form", "make reels from my video", "clip this video".
Pipeline
- Get the transcript — same URL/"latest" detection and the same three-method fallback as
content-cascade(Apify → youtube-transcript → yt-dlp subtitles), with the same title sanity-check. - Identify 3–5 clip-worthy moments, each 30–90 seconds spoken (~75–225 words).
- Generate content per clip.
- Rank the clips.
- Output in the standard clip format; optionally save to
content/short-form/.
What makes a moment clip-worthy
✅ Clip-worthy
Self-contained insight · high shock value (70+) · emotional peak · quotable statement · demo/before-after reveal that works vertical · contrarian take that sparks debate
❌ Not clip-worthy
Setup without payoff · "as I mentioned earlier…" references · technical walkthroughs needing wide-screen context · transitions between topics
Per-clip output
- Clip title (internal) and approximate timestamps (estimate ~150 words/min if no json3 timestamps).
- Transcript excerpt — exact words.
- Short-form hook (first 1–3 s): 2–5 word text overlay + spoken opening, mapped to a Horseman, fifth-grade reading level.
- Rewritten script only if the segment is loose ("Original is tight — use as-is" otherwise).
- Caption — one-line hook + 1–2 lines of value + CTA.
- Hashtags — 5–10, mixing broad reach (#ai #claudecode #programming #tech), niche, and trending.
Platform notes
| Platform | What works |
|---|---|
| Reels | Polished editing, text overlays throughout, trending audio optional |
| Shorts | Algorithm favors rewatchability — should make sense on loop |
| TikTok | Raw/authentic over polished; conversation-starter hooks; stitch/duet bait |
Ranking
Clips are tagged best for reach (broadest appeal, highest shock), best for conversions (drives traffic to the full video or paid community), or best for engagement (most comments/debate).
Key principles
- First frame decides everything — text overlay + opening words must stop the scroll.
- Self-contained > teaser — give value in the clip, then mention the full video.
- Vertical thinking — only pick moments that genuinely work in the format.
- Comments = algorithm fuel; 3–5 clips per video is the sweet spot; captions should sound natural, not copywritten.