Palmier Pro — macOS Video Editor Built for AI Workflows

Introduction

Palmier Pro is a macOS-native video editor that treats AI agents as first-class editing collaborators. Rather than requiring manual timeline manipulation, it exposes video editing operations through MCP tools and scriptable commands, letting AI coding agents cut, arrange, caption, and export video programmatically.

What Palmier Pro Does

• Provides a native macOS video editing timeline with drag-and-drop and keyboard shortcuts
• Exposes editing operations via MCP server for AI agent integration
• Supports prompt-driven scene assembly, captioning, and transition insertion
• Renders to common formats including MP4, MOV, and ProRes
• Integrates with AI voice and image generation services for end-to-end production

Architecture Overview

Palmier Pro is built in Swift using AVFoundation for media processing and SwiftUI for the interface. It runs an embedded MCP server that translates agent tool calls into timeline operations. The editing pipeline is non-destructive: source clips remain untouched while the project file tracks cuts, transitions, and effects as metadata that gets baked in only at export time.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Requires macOS 14+ with Apple Silicon or Intel processor
• Clone the repo and open in Xcode 15+ to build and run
• Configure MCP endpoint in the preferences to allow agent connections
• Set default export resolution, codec, and frame rate in project settings
• Optionally connect external TTS or image generation APIs via environment variables

Key Features

• Native macOS performance with Metal GPU acceleration for real-time preview
• MCP server built in for direct control by AI coding agents
• Non-destructive editing pipeline that preserves original media files
• Built-in support for SRT/VTT subtitle tracks and burned-in captions
• Scriptable export pipeline for batch rendering multiple cuts

Comparison with Similar Tools

• DaVinci Resolve — professional-grade editor; far more powerful but no AI agent integration and not open source
• Shotcut — cross-platform open-source editor; broader platform support but no MCP or AI workflow hooks
• FFmpeg — universal CLI tool; scriptable but no visual timeline or interactive editing
• Remotion — React-based video creation; code-first but web-oriented, not native macOS

FAQ

Q: Does Palmier Pro require a GPU? A: It runs on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. Metal GPU acceleration is used when available for faster previews and exports.

Q: Can I use it without AI agents? A: Yes. It works as a standalone video editor with a standard timeline UI. The AI integration is optional.

Q: What video formats are supported? A: Import supports MP4, MOV, MKV, WebM, and most formats FFmpeg handles. Export targets MP4 (H.264/H.265) and ProRes.

Q: Is it production-ready? A: It is under active development. Suitable for short-form video and demo production; feature film workflows may need more mature tools.

Sources

• https://github.com/palmier-io/palmier-pro