Report status of required dependencies (Node, ffmpeg, ffprobe, videotoolbox encoders, ANTHROPIC_API_KEY). Run this first if any other tool returns unexpected errors.

Create (or reopen) a SkyCut project for a folder of source footage and make it the active project. The source path is treated as READ-ONLY; all derived files go to the workspace under ~/SkyCut/projects/. Example: skycut_init_project({ source_path: "/Volumes/DJI/ogoki-lodge" })

List volumes under /Volumes with free/total space (GB), to help pick the source drive for skycut_init_project.

Recursively index video files (.mp4/.mov/.mts/.mkv) under the active project's source path: ffprobe metadata into the footage database + manifest.json, and build 720p proxies for previews. Idempotent — re-running skips clips and proxies that already exist. The source is never modified.

Sample keyframes (1 per 4s) from every scanned clip and analyze them with Claude vision to build the footage graph: scored segments with subjects, camera movement, and quality flags. Cached — already-analyzed clips are skipped unless force=true. If the run needs >500 frames, returns a cost estimate instead; re-call with confirm=true to proceed.

Query the footage graph for segments by subject, camera movement, quality, aesthetic score, or free text against notes. Example: { subject: "lodge", movement: "orbit", min_aesthetic: 7 }

Return a timeline version (latest by default) as JSON plus a human-readable shot list.

Apply structured edits to the latest (or given) timeline version, or replace it wholesale. Versions are immutable — the result is always saved as a NEW version. Ops: insert {at_index, clip}, remove {id}, reorder {id, to_index}, retrim {id, in_s?, out_s?, speed?}, set_transition {id, transition|null}, set_music {music|null}. Example: { edits: [{ op: "retrim", id: "c3", out_s: 51.0 }] }

Fast 720p preview render of a timeline version (latest by default) from proxies — works even with the source drive unplugged. Output goes to the project renders/ folder.

Full-quality render (HEVC videotoolbox, up to 4K, AAC audio) from the ORIGINAL files on the source drive. Requires an explicit timeline version — never renders 'latest' implicitly. The drive must be mounted.

Have the AI director assemble a timeline from the footage graph: narrative arc, varied movement, 3-8s shots, crossfades, within ±5% of the target duration. Saves an immutable timeline version for review — NEVER renders anything itself. Example: skycut_propose_cut({ brief: "90s cinematic cut for a fly-in fishing lodge, slow build to reveal", duration_s: 90 })

Pipeline state for the active project: scan/analysis progress, timeline versions, renders, and whether the source drive is currently mounted.