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INSTALLATION.md

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Installation

Prerequisites

  • Node.js 20.6 or later — check with node --version
  • API keys — you'll need at least an OpenAI key and a stock footage key to generate real videos (see API Keys below)

Install Into An Agent Project

Use this path when you want Claude Code, Codex CLI, Cursor, or another repo-aware agent to use Content Machine from your own project.

npm install @45ck/content-machine

cat <<'JSON' | node ./node_modules/@45ck/content-machine/agent/run-tool.mjs install-skill-pack
{
  "targetDir": ".content-machine",
  "includeFlows": true,
  "includeExamples": true,
  "overwrite": false
}
JSON

This creates a materialized pack:

  • .content-machine/README.md — how humans and agents should use the pack
  • .content-machine/AGENTS.md — agent operating rules to read or copy into root project instructions
  • .content-machine/skills/ — all shipped SKILL.md files
  • .content-machine/flows/ — runnable flow manifests when includeFlows is true

Tell the agent to read .content-machine/README.md, .content-machine/AGENTS.md, and .content-machine/skills/ before making videos. Full copy-paste prompt: Agent Harness Install.

Install options:

Option Default Use
targetDir .content-machine Where to materialize skills, flows, README, and agent instructions
packageName @45ck/content-machine Package or fork name used in generated runner commands
includeFlows true Copy .flow manifests for multi-step runs
includeExamples true Keep skill examples/request.json files
overwrite false Refresh an existing materialized pack intentionally

Install From A Repo Checkout

Use this path when contributing to Content Machine itself or running the source checkout directly.

git clone https://github.com/45ck/content-machine.git
cd content-machine
npm install

Verify the primary surfaces:

cat <<'JSON' | node --import tsx scripts/harness/skill-catalog.ts
{}
JSON

Or use the npm alias:

printf '{}\n' | npm run agent:skill-catalog

If you only need the thin compatibility shell, you can also run:

npx -y @45ck/content-machine doctor

Optional: Whisper (Better Captions)

For word-level timestamp accuracy and the best caption sync, install Whisper:

npm run cm -- doctor

Whisper remains optional. The old cm setup whisper workflow is part of the archived CLI control plane.

Optional: ffmpeg

Some features (Ken Burns motion effects, gameplay transcoding) use ffmpeg. Install it if you plan to use motion strategies:

  • macOS: brew install ffmpeg
  • Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt install ffmpeg
  • Windows: download from ffmpeg.org and add to PATH

API Keys

Set these as environment variables or in a .env file in your project directory.

Required (for real videos)

Key What it's for Get one at
OPENAI_API_KEY Script generation (LLM) platform.openai.com

Recommended (at least one visual provider)

Key What it's for Get one at
PEXELS_API_KEY Stock video footage pexels.com/api (free)
GOOGLE_API_KEY AI-generated images (Nanobanana) + Gemini LLM aistudio.google.com

Optional

Key What it's for
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY Use Claude as the LLM instead of OpenAI
GEMINI_API_KEY Alternative to GOOGLE_API_KEY for Gemini
PIXABAY_API_KEY Alternative stock footage provider
TAVILY_API_KEY Web search for research-driven scripts
BRAVE_SEARCH_API_KEY Alternative web search provider
ELEVENLABS_API_KEY Premium TTS voices

Example .env file

OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
PEXELS_API_KEY=...

Full list of environment variables: docs/reference/ENVIRONMENT-VARIABLES.md

Verify Your Setup

Run the built-in diagnostics:

npm run cm -- doctor

This checks for Node.js version, API key presence, Whisper installation, and other dependencies.

If you want the repo-side JSON entrypoint instead:

printf '{"strict":false}\n' | npm run agent:doctor-report

Next Steps