What the tech

Search

Browse topics

/ opens search from anywhere. Esc closes it.

Tools
What the tech
Get the newsletter

watch: a Claude Code skill by bradautomates

For people who want Claude to summarize or answer questions about a YouTube link or video file. Skip it if you can't install ffmpeg and yt-dlp or add a Gemini key.

Before you install: It offers to take API keys pasted in chat and write them into its config file.

Copy install command View the source
Score
65of 100
Rank
#212of 239
Installs
18.4Kon skills.sh
Stars
20.5Kon GitHub
Security
Mixed 3 scanners
Updated
2026
Context
~89tokens always

Install

npx skills add https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video --skill watch

Run it in your terminal. View the source

Most people install it straight from GitHub, where it has 20.5K stars, so its skills.sh count understates how widely it is used.

Using the Claude app rather than Claude Code? You can add a skill there too. How to add it in the app

What does watch do?

watch is a skill that lets Claude answer questions about a video from a URL or a local file. On first run setup.py asks how to view videos: the gemini engine sends YouTube links or uploads the file to Google's model, while the local engine downloads with yt-dlp, pulls frames with ffmpeg and uses the video's captions. Without captions, the local engine transcribes with WhisperX on your machine, or with Groq or OpenAI. You also pick a detail level from transcript only up to token-burner. Claude then runs watch.py with your question, reads every listed frame, and answers with timestamps.

When should you use watch?

Use it when

  • You want a long talk summarized with timestamps
  • You need to know what a screen recording shows
  • You want to quote a moment from a tutorial

Skip it when

  • You can't install ffmpeg and yt-dlp or add an API key
  • You need every frame of a long video checked

What it needs and what it can touch

You need

  • Python 3.10+, ffmpeg and yt-dlp for the local engine
  • A Gemini API key for the Gemini engine (optional)
  • A Groq or OpenAI key for cloud transcription (optional)

What it can do

  • Runs bundled Python scripts and installs missing tools through Homebrew or package managers
  • Downloads videos and transcription models
  • Sends video to Google, or audio to Groq or OpenAI, if you pick those engines
  • Stores keys in ~/.config/watch/.env

From reading its instructions, not from running it.

Why it scores 65

Strongest on quality (85 of 100), weakest on adoption (47).

  • Adoption35 points 47
  • Upkeep20 points 84
  • Trust20 points 60
  • Quality15 points 85
  • Reader answers10 points Not enough answers yet, so this does not count

How the formula works

Is watch safe to install?

At least one scanner raised a medium warning. Read the results below. Scanners often miss what other scanners catch, and a skill can change after a scan. Read its source before you install it.

ScannerResultDate
Gen Agent Trust HubPassedSep 25, 2026
SocketPassedSep 25, 2026
SnykMedium riskSep 25, 2026

Details

Installs
18,356
Repository stars
20,480
Last repository change
Tokens always loaded
about 89
Tokens when used
about 4,164
License
MIT
Data confidence
High

Alternatives to watch

All skills for this job

  • summarize

    For anyone who wants quick summaries or transcripts of links, YouTube videos, podcasts and PDFs.

    Score 69 22.6K installs

    Get summarize

  • book-to-skill

    For readers who want a technical book's frameworks on hand as a skill Claude can consult.

    Score 68 37.5K GitHub stars

    Get book-to-skill

  • HyperFrames

    For people who want Claude to build videos or live slide decks as HTML and render them to MP4.

    Score 92 1.5M installs Official

    Get HyperFrames

  • video-shotcraft

    For product teams who want a cinematic promo cut in Remotion from their real app screens.

    Score 66 18.6K GitHub stars

    Get video-shotcraft