# Claude Video Skill Installation Guide: Cross-Platform Setup for Claude Code, Codex, and Web > Easily install the Claude Video skill across Claude Code, Codex, and Claude.ai web. Follow our guide for cross-platform setup and automated configuration with setup.py. - Repository: [bradautomates/claude-video](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video) - Tags: how-to-guide - Published: 2026-07-29 --- **Install the `watch` skill via marketplace commands in Claude Code, `npx skills add` for Codex/Cursor, or manual upload for claude.ai web, then let the automated [`setup.py`](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/blob/main/setup.py) handle dependency detection and API key configuration.** The **claude-video** repository by `bradautomates` provides a harness-agnostic **watch** skill that enables Claude to analyze video content through frame extraction, caption parsing, and Whisper transcription. Whether you are using Claude Code in your terminal, Codex in your IDE, or the claude.ai web interface, the installation process adapts to your specific host environment while maintaining a consistent runtime contract defined in [`skills/watch/SKILL.md`](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/blob/main/skills/watch/SKILL.md). ## Claude Code Installation For **Claude Code** users, installation leverages the built-in plugin marketplace. Execute these commands in your Claude Code session: ```bash /plugin marketplace add bradautomates/claude-video /plugin install watch@claude-video ``` This registers the skill from the `.claude-plugin/` manifest and makes the `/watch` command available immediately within your Claude Code workspace. ## Codex, Cursor, and Agent Skills Hosts For **Codex**, **Cursor**, **Copilot**, **Gemini CLI**, and over 50 other Agent Skills-compatible hosts, use the universal Node.js installer. Install globally to make the skill available across all projects: ```bash npx skills add bradautomates/claude-video -g ``` Or omit the `-g` flag to install locally within your current project directory only. This command references the `.codex-plugin/` and `.agents/plugins/` manifests to scaffold the skill environment. ## Claude.ai Web Interface For the **claude.ai** web interface, you must manually upload the bundled skill file. 1. Download the `watch.skill` bundle from the [latest release](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/releases) of the repository. 2. Navigate to **Settings → Capabilities → Skills** in the Claude web interface. 3. Click the **+** button and upload the `watch.skill` file. 4. Enable **"Code execution and file creation"** under Capabilities to allow the skill to process video files. This method bypasses the command-line tooling entirely while preserving full functionality. ## Manual and Development Installation For developers contributing to the skill or users preferring manual control, clone the repository and create a symbolic link to your skills directory. ```bash git clone https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video.git ln -s "$(pwd)/claude-video/skills/watch" ~/.claude/skills/watch ``` For Codex development, adjust the target path accordingly: ```bash ln -s "$(pwd)/claude-video/skills/watch" ~/.codex/skills/watch ``` This method exposes the raw `skills/watch/` directory, allowing you to modify [`scripts/watch.py`](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/blob/main/scripts/watch.py) or other modules and test changes immediately without rebuilding bundles. ## First-Run Setup and Binary Detection Regardless of installation method, the first execution of `/watch` triggers [`skills/watch/scripts/setup.py`](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/blob/main/skills/watch/scripts/setup.py) to verify your environment. The setup script performs three critical functions: 1. **Binary validation** – Checks for `ffmpeg`, `ffprobe`, and `yt-dlp` in your system PATH. 2. **Auto-installation** – On macOS, automatically installs missing binaries via Homebrew; on Linux and Windows, prints exact installation commands. 3. **Configuration scaffolding** – Creates `~/.config/watch/.env` with mode `0600` (read/write for owner only) containing placeholders for `GROQ_API_KEY` or `OPENAI_API_KEY`, plus the default `WATCH_DETAIL` setting. Subsequent invocations use the silent `--check` mode of [`setup.py`](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/blob/main/setup.py) (approximately 100ms) to validate the environment without re-running the full installation routine. ## Skill Architecture and Key Files The **watch** skill follows a harness-agnostic design where the only required environment variable is `SKILL_DIR`, which points to the location of [`skills/watch/SKILL.md`](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/blob/main/skills/watch/SKILL.md). Core implementation files include: - **[`skills/watch/SKILL.md`](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/blob/main/skills/watch/SKILL.md)** – The skill contract defining the entry point, version, and usage instructions. - **[`skills/watch/scripts/watch.py`](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/blob/main/skills/watch/scripts/watch.py)** – Central orchestrator that coordinates download, frame extraction, and transcription pipelines. - **[`skills/watch/scripts/setup.py`](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/blob/main/skills/watch/scripts/setup.py)** – Pre-flight installer handling binary dependencies and API key configuration. - **[`skills/watch/scripts/config.py`](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/blob/main/skills/watch/scripts/config.py)** – Reads the user configuration from `~/.config/watch/.env` at runtime. All scripts reference `${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/` for internal imports, ensuring portability across Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and manual installations. ## Running the Skill Manually After setting the `SKILL_DIR` environment variable, you can invoke the skill directly for debugging or development purposes: ```bash SKILL_DIR="$(pwd)/skills/watch" python3 "${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/watch.py" "https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ" --detail balanced ``` Common usage patterns include: **Basic video analysis with default balanced detail:** ```bash /watch https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ what happens at the 30-second mark? ``` **Efficient mode for faster processing (keyframes only):** ```bash /watch https://youtu.be/abc --detail efficient ``` **Specific time range with denser frame sampling:** ```bash /watch https://youtu.be/abc --start 2:15 --end 2:45 ``` **Higher resolution for text-heavy content:** ```bash /watch video.mp4 --resolution 1024 ``` **Disable Whisper fallback (frames and captions only):** ```bash /watch video.mp4 --no-whisper ``` ## Summary - **Claude Code** users install via `/plugin marketplace add` and `/plugin install` commands. - **Codex, Cursor, and 50+ hosts** use `npx skills add bradautomates/claude-video -g` for global installation. - **claude.ai web** requires downloading the `watch.skill` bundle from releases and uploading via Settings → Capabilities. - **Manual installation** involves cloning the repository and symlinking `skills/watch/` to `~/.claude/skills/` or `~/.codex/skills/`. - **First-run setup** automatically handles `ffmpeg`, `ffprobe`, and `yt-dlp` dependencies while scaffolding `~/.config/watch/.env` for API keys. - The skill is **harness-agnostic**, relying only on the `SKILL_DIR` environment variable to locate [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/blob/main/SKILL.md) and the `scripts/` directory. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Can I use the Claude Video skill without installing ffmpeg manually? Yes. On the first run, [`skills/watch/scripts/setup.py`](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/blob/main/skills/watch/scripts/setup.py) automatically detects missing binaries and installs them via Homebrew on macOS. For Linux and Windows systems, the script outputs the exact commands needed to install `ffmpeg`, `ffprobe`, and `yt-dlp`, but you must execute them manually before proceeding. ### What is the difference between installing with and without the `-g` flag in npx skills? The `-g` flag installs the skill globally, making the `/watch` command available in any directory you open with Codex, Cursor, or other Agent Skills hosts. Omitting the flag restricts the skill to the current project directory only, useful for testing or project-specific configurations. ### Where does the skill store my OpenAI or Groq API keys? The skill writes API keys to `~/.config/watch/.env` with file permissions set to `0600` (readable only by your user account). This file is read at runtime by [`scripts/config.py`](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/blob/main/scripts/config.py) and never committed to version control, ensuring your credentials remain private even when using manual or development installation methods. ### How do I build the `.skill` bundle for manual upload to claude.ai? Run the build script located at [`skills/watch/scripts/build-skill.sh`](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/blob/main/skills/watch/scripts/build-skill.sh) from the repository root. This generates `dist/watch.skill`, which you can then upload directly to the Claude web interface via Settings → Capabilities → Skills without using any command-line marketplace tools.