Questions and answers

About Cutscript

Is Cutscript really free?

Yes. Cutscript is free and open source. There is no Cutscript account, no licence key, no paid tier and no watermark on your exports. Donations are optional and add nothing in the app. The source code is public on GitHub under the GNU AGPL-3.0-only, with an additional permission for linking with Remotion. See Licences.

Do I need to pay for AI?

Cutscript does not charge for AI. The AI features run on accounts you own, and each provider charges you at its own prices: ElevenLabs, fal.ai, OpenRouter, or a ChatGPT or Claude plan for the AI director's text. Cutscript shows the price before most paid AI steps. The few that start without one are listed in Prices before every paid step.

Recording, timeline editing, zooms, cursor effects and export need no AI account. Editing by text and captions need a transcript, and transcription is a paid step on your provider. Settings › AI › Transcription lists each model with its price.

Do I need an account?

Not with Cutscript. You only need accounts with the AI providers you choose to use. The community forum on cutscript.dev has its own optional accounts, through GitHub or Google, for people who want to post. The app does not use them.

Is it safe to download?

Every release is signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarized by Apple. You can check the file's checksum and the app's notarization yourself. See Install Cutscript. Cutscript sends no analytics or crash reports. See What leaves your Mac.

Which computers does it run on?

Macs with Apple silicon, on macOS 14 or later. Recording needs macOS 15 or later. A Windows version is being prepared and is not ready to download. There is no Linux version yet.

Is it finished?

It is a beta. The app calls its version "0.1 beta". It works, and you should expect rough edges. Known limitations lists the ones we know about, and the changelog lists every release.

Using Cutscript

Does it work offline?

Mostly. These work with no connection: recording, the timeline, editing a script that already has a transcript, zooms, cursor effects, blur, captions, Design pack graphics and export. These need the internet: transcription, AI steps, downloads from links, model lists and the support widget.

Why does editing by text need the internet?

Because the transcript is written by a cloud service, ElevenLabs, fal.ai or OpenRouter, using your account. There is no on-device transcription today. Once a project has its transcript, you can edit it offline.

Which AI account should I connect first?

For a transcript, any one of ElevenLabs, fal.ai or OpenRouter. If you want a single account for most things, OpenRouter's card says it covers text, pictures, transcription, music and voiceover, and you pay per request. A ChatGPT plan or a Claude plan covers the AI director's text only, so it cannot transcribe or make pictures. See Connect an AI account.

Does Cutscript upload my videos?

Cutscript does not upload your video files. For a transcript it sends the audio of your media, not the video. Review and the clipper's image check send small still frames. Enhance voice sends audio only if you choose its ElevenLabs or fal.ai engine. The full list is in What leaves your Mac.

How much will a transcript cost?

It depends on the model and the provider. Settings › AI › Transcription shows each model's price, and File › New Project… shows an estimate for your file's length before you click Create project. Cutscript does not set or add to these prices.

Where are my projects, and how do I back them up?

Projects live in ~/Library/Application Support/Cutscript/projects unless you changed the folder in Settings › Storage. To make a single-file copy of a project with its media, use File › Export Project Package…. See File formats and where files live.

Can I move a project to another Mac?

Yes. Export a project package (a .csproj file), then open it on the other Mac with File › Import Project Package…. If you left the media out, relink it with Locate….

Can I send my edit to Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve?

Yes. Click Export, open the Timeline tab and choose a format. See Send to Final Cut, Premiere or Resolve.

Can I record my iPhone or iPad?

Device mode records a cabled iPhone or iPad. It is experimental and off until you turn on Experimental recording modes in Settings › Recording. Its description in Settings says it is built but not yet checked on real hardware. See Record an iPhone or iPad.

Can I change the keyboard shortcuts?

You can change the drawing keys in Settings › Drawing and the pause shortcut in Settings › Recording. The editor's other shortcuts cannot be changed from Settings. See Keyboard shortcuts.

How do I hide the heart in the corner?

It is the support widget. Turn off Show support widget in Settings › About. With it off, Cutscript stops making its one request to cutscript.dev.

Help and support

Where do I ask a question?

Ask in the community forum at cutscript.dev/community, in the Help and questions category. Anyone can read it, and you sign in with GitHub or Google to post. Search first, say your Cutscript and macOS versions, and mark the reply that solved it. See Get help.

How do I report a bug?

Post in the Bug reports category of the community forum. Give your version, the steps that make it happen again, what you expected and what happened, and the exact message if there is one. Security problems do not go there: use the security page.

How do I support Cutscript or hire the team?

Donate at cutscript.dev/donate, or choose Hire us in the app to reach Kwebby, the team that makes Cutscript. See Get help.

Related

• Troubleshooting
• Known limitations
• How AI works in Cutscript