How to Edit Videos with Claude in DaVinci Resolve (Free and Studio)

The official MCP server and external scripting API require Studio. The community davinci-resolve-lua-mcp instead runs Lua inside the free edition; its author reports tests on Apple Silicon with Resolve 21.1.0.17. Windows support is experimental. Orkas has not verified this integration end to end.

The short answer: on either edition, let VideoStudio in Orkas make the rough cut and captions from your footage, then finish the edit in Resolve. On Resolve Studio you can also connect the official MCP server and have an agent work in your timeline.

Can Claude edit videos in DaVinci Resolve?

It depends on the edition:

• DaVinci Resolve Studio. Resolve Studio 21.1 has a built-in MCP server, set up from File ▸ Setup AI Assistants. Blackmagic names Claude, Claude Code and ChatGPT Codex as supported assistants. An agent connected this way works in your project through Resolve's scripting functions.
• The official MCP server and external scripting API require Studio. The community davinci-resolve-lua-mcp instead runs Lua inside the free edition; its author reports tests on Apple Silicon with Resolve 21.1.0.17. Windows support is experimental. Orkas has not verified this integration end to end.
• Plain files, on both. An agent can do the edit outside Resolve and hand you a rough cut as an MP4 and the captions as an .srt file. Resolve imports both, free edition included.

For the details of the official server and the third-party ones, read our DaVinci Resolve MCP guide. This article is about getting the editing done.

Edit the video with VideoStudio in Orkas

We recommend starting with VideoStudio, the video agent built into Orkas, whichever edition of Resolve you use. Give it your footage and the result you want. It proposes the edit, waits for your approval and then produces the video. It can cut long pauses and filler words, add captions and voiceover, make vertical versions for Shorts and Reels, and prepare versions in other languages. It runs on macOS and Windows and doesn't need Resolve's scripting.

1. Install Orkas and sign in. New accounts get 500 free credits for the built-in models, so you can start without an API key. You can also connect your own model provider.
2. Choose VideoStudio and add your clips.
3. Describe the result: the length, the aspect ratio, what to keep, the caption language and the files you want back.
4. Review the proposed cut before it renders. Then review the video and ask for focused changes, such as a shorter opening or a different closing shot.

A task to give VideoStudio

Add your footage, replace the brackets and send this to VideoStudio:

Edit [my footage] into a [2-minute] video for [audience].
Read the footage and show me the cut before you render.
Remove long pauses and filler words such as "um" and "uh".
Keep the clearest take of each point and add [English] captions.
Deliver an MP4 without burned-in captions and a matching .srt file
so I can finish the edit in DaVinci Resolve.
Keep my original files unchanged.

When the cut is ready, ask for specific changes, for example: "Open with the second take, cut the middle example and keep the rest." VideoStudio revises that part and keeps what you have already approved.

Finish the edit in DaVinci Resolve

Let the agent handle the passes that are the same every time, and use Resolve for the decisions that need an editor's eye: pacing, music, color grading, Fusion titles and your audio mix in Fairlight.

1. Import the MP4 into the Media Pool and add it to a timeline.
2. Import the .srt file (File ▸ Import ▸ Subtitle) and drag it onto the timeline as a subtitle track, where you can restyle the captions.
3. Check the sync. Compare the first and last captions with the audio, and check again after any new cuts.

On Resolve Studio: let an agent work in your timeline

If you have Studio and want an agent to make changes inside your project, connect Resolve's official MCP server. Orkas is an MCP client: in a chat, ask the Commander to add the server as a connector, or connect your own Claude Code (choose Connect agents in the sidebar) and let it use the server.

• Use this route for project work such as organizing the Media Pool, building timelines and applying changes across clips. For the cut itself, VideoStudio's plan-then-render loop is usually quicker.
• Save a copy of the project before an agent changes it, and ask for a plan before it edits.
• The agent works from what Resolve exposes, such as clips, markers and the timeline, not from watching the footage.

Which route should you choose?

Questions

Can Claude edit videos in DaVinci Resolve?

The official MCP server and external scripting API require Studio. The community davinci-resolve-lua-mcp instead runs Lua inside the free edition; its author reports tests on Apple Silicon with Resolve 21.1.0.17. Windows support is experimental. Orkas has not verified this integration end to end.

Can I use Claude with the free version of DaVinci Resolve?

The official MCP server and external scripting API require Studio. The community davinci-resolve-lua-mcp instead runs Lua inside the free edition; its author reports tests on Apple Silicon with Resolve 21.1.0.17. Windows support is experimental. Orkas has not verified this integration end to end.

Do I need Claude Code or an API key?

No. VideoStudio runs in Orkas with the built-in models, and new accounts get 500 free credits. If you already use Claude Code or your own model provider, you can connect them instead.

Does it work on Windows and Mac?

Orkas, VideoStudio and DaVinci Resolve run on both.

Does the agent replace an editor?

No. It takes the repetitive passes, such as pauses, filler words, captions and extra formats. The story, the pacing, the grade and the best take stay with you.

For the same workflow with other editors, see How to Edit Videos with Claude in Premiere Pro and How to Edit Videos with Claude in Final Cut Pro. To try it on your own footage, download Orkas and start with VideoStudio.