reelmimic README

The project's README from github.com/edenfunf/reelmimic. As one markdown file: README.md.

ReelMimic

ReelMimic

Show it a video you love. Get a new video in the same style.

License: MIT Claude Code Codex CLI Node 22.18+ Python 3.10+

English · 繁體中文 · 简体中文

Sugar Rush Sunshine Boy Bath Time
Sugar Rush
music video · hand-painted · 58 s		 Sunshine Boy
music video · hand-painted · 63 s		 Bath Time
narrated comic · 30 s

Each one made with ReelMimic from a reference video and a one-line brief. Previews are silent, with the lyrics cropped out.

What is this?

Ever watched a video and thought "I want one in that style, but completely my own"?

Just drop it into ReelMimic. A file, a phone recording or a YouTube link all work. Then tell it what you want to make.

First it takes the reference apart: editing rhythm, shot lengths, transitions, framing, colors and camera moves. Then it puts together a plan for you to check. You can chat right next to it, change settings or add assets, and start when you're happy.

Once production starts, the work is split across several AI agents. Different parts of the video are made at the same time, and every shot is handed to a different agent to check. If something's wrong it goes back to be fixed, so it's not a one-shot generate-and-done.

ReelMimic learns how the reference was made. It doesn't carry over the original footage, characters or assets.

The whole thing runs on your own computer, with your own Claude Code or Codex.

ReelMimic home page

How ReelMimic works

What it does

Good to know

Roadmap

Getting started

You'll need Node.js 22.18+, Python 3.10+, FFmpeg, Chrome, and either Claude Code or Codex CLI (logged in).

git clone https://github.com/edenfunf/reelmimic.git && cd reelmimic
./install.sh      # on Windows, double-click install.bat
./start.sh        # on Windows, double-click start.bat

Then open http://localhost:4318. The install script checks your setup and tells you if anything's missing. You can run the check again any time with cd app && npm run doctor. Claude Code picks up the skills in this repo on its own, and Codex reads AGENTS.md, so there's nothing else to set up.

Your first video

  1. On the home page, drop in a reference video or paste a link, say what you want, and pick Claude Code or Codex.
  2. Wait for the breakdown and the plan. If you want changes, say so in the chat on the right. Screenshots work too.
  3. If the plan asks you for something (lyrics, say), add it or skip it, then hit Approve and start.
  4. The Production line tab shows where each character and each part of the video is, with the review screenshots.
  5. When it's done, leave a note at whatever second looks off.

Settings

API keys and a few paths go in ~/.reelmimic/secrets.json. That file lives outside the repo, so it never gets committed. See secrets.example.json for the format.

Key What it's for
YATING_KEY Yating's Taiwanese Mandarin voices, for narration
PIXABAY_KEY, FREESOUND_KEY More images, music and sound effects you're allowed to use (optional, Openverse works without a key)
FFMPEG_DIR, CHROME_PATH, CODEX_BIN, PYTHON Where to find these tools if they're not on your PATH
CODEX_SANDBOX Codex sandbox mode (default danger-full-access, like Claude Code with Bash allowed; workspace-write blocks the Chrome renderer)
BUILDERS, MAX_AGENTS How many agents work on one video at once (default 6), and the limit across all projects (default 12)
PORT Web port (default 4318)

Docs

Ground rules

License

The code is MIT. Third-party skills and assets bundled here keep their own licenses, listed in THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md.

reelmimic (edenfunf/reelmimic)

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3.6K ·GitHub
Reelmimic
What is this?ReelMimic looks at a reference video you like — a file, phone recording, or YouTube link — and plans, builds and reviews a brand-new 2D animated video in that same style using an AI crew of Claude Code or Codex agents.
Is this a hosted service or does it run on my own machine?It's a local app you run yourself: a Node.js web server plus your own Claude Code or Codex account do all the work, with no cloud backend or SaaS hosting involved.
How do I create my first video?On the home page you drop in a reference video or paste a link, describe what you want, and pick Claude Code or Codex. You then review and chat about the generated plan before approving production, and watch each shot's progress in the Production line tab.
What do I need installed before I start?You'll need Node.js 22.18 or newer, Python 3.10+, FFmpeg, Chrome, and a logged-in Claude Code or Codex CLI. The included install script checks your setup and flags anything missing.
How long does it take to render a video?A 30–60 second clip usually takes 1 to 3.5 hours after you approve the plan, with watercolor and crayon styles being slowest since every frame is hand-painted with brushes. The job runs through your own Claude Code or Codex plan, so it counts against that account's usage limits.
Does it work on macOS and Linux, or just Windows?It's cross-platform in principle, but it's been tested mostly on Windows so far; macOS and Linux should work but have had less real-world testing.
What animation styles can it produce?Seven 2D drawing engines: vector/motion graphics, hand-painted watercolor, crayon picture book, pixel art, paper cut-out stop-motion, whiteboard doodle, and anime cel. If a reference doesn't match any of them, it picks the closest engine and proposes a new style.
How does the multi-agent review process work?Up to 6 AI agents split the work across different parts of the video, and every finished shot gets checked by a different agent than the one who made it. Fixes have to come with before-and-after screenshots so the reviewer can verify them.
Does it reuse footage or characters from the reference video?No. ReelMimic only learns technique — pacing, framing, transitions, color — from the reference, never the original footage, characters, logos or assets. Characters it creates are original unless you supply your own designs.
Do I need an Anthropic or OpenAI API key?No separate API key for the AI itself — ReelMimic runs through your existing logged-in Claude Code or Codex account/plan, so usage counts against that plan. You might add optional keys like YATINGKEY or PIXABAYKEY in secrets.json for extra voices or stock assets.
What are similar projects?flick, eian-riso-broll, herk-edit-kit, onetake, explainroo, ClaudeAnimationBase, shuohao-skills, film-studio-skills
Which topics is it in?storyboarding, style-transfer, character-animation, pixel-art, motion-graphics, ai-video, llm-agents, content-creation, video-processing, ffmpeg, multimodal, video-generation
Creator
edenfunf
Size
42.5 MB
Stars
3.6K
Updated
CommitOct 16
Age
19d
Commits · 90 Days