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OpenShorts guides: clip, self-host and automate
Guides for the three things people do with OpenShorts after the first clip: understand what it did, run it on their own machine, and make it run without them.
Try it
Paste a link, get vertical clips
Get free clips
Your first video free up to 60 minutes, then 20 free minutes a month, no credit card. Or self-host it free under MIT.
All guides
How to clip a YouTube videoFour free ways, from the Clip button to AI-cut vertical Shorts.
How OpenShorts worksThe full pipeline, from the link to a captioned 9:16 clip.
Self-host the clip makerDocker setup, hardware, your own keys, and the real cost against credits.
Automate Shorts with n8nThe importable workflow: channel in, approved Shorts out.
Automate Shorts with the APIOne POST in, one signed webhook out, no polling.
Clip from an AI agent (MCP)Drive the whole pipeline from Claude, ChatGPT or n8n.
Where to start
- New to clipping? How to clip a YouTube video compares the free ways to do it by hand with letting the AI cut the Shorts.
- Want to know what happens to your video? How OpenShorts works walks through transcription, moment picking, reframing and captions.
- Want it on your own machine? The self-hosting guide covers Docker, hardware and keys. The code is MIT licensed.
- Want it to run on its own? Start with the n8n workflow for a channel, or the API and the MCP server for your own code or agent.
What it costs
OpenShorts Cloud clips your first video free up to 60 minutes, then 20 minutes a month, with a watermark and no credit card; paid plans start at $12/month with no watermark (all plans). The self-hosted edition is free under MIT.
AI clips for every platform: YouTube, TikTok, Reels, Twitch and KickYouTube, Shorts, TikTok, Reels, Twitch and Kick, with their specs side by side.AI clips by use case: podcasts, sermons, gaming and channels on autopilotPodcasts, sermons, gaming streams and channels clipped on autopilot.Free tools for YouTube and short-form videoFree transcript, metadata and 9:16 tools, no sign-up.