Cutscript
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Troubleshooting

Fixes for the problems people hit most: opening the app, recording, transcripts, AI accounts, links, missing media, saving and export.

Updated 6 min read

Find the message you see, or the area where it happens, and follow the steps. If nothing here helps, see Get help.

Installing and opening

macOS will not open Cutscript

  • Check that your Mac has Apple silicon and macOS 14 or later. Intel Macs are not supported. See System requirements.
  • Download the file again from cutscript.dev/download, then run the two checks in Install Cutscript. If the checksum does not match, do not open the file.

Recording says "Recording requires macOS 15.0 or later."

Your Mac is on macOS 14. You can import, edit and export, but not record. Update macOS, or record with another app and import the file.

Recording

The recorder asks for Screen Recording permission

The message reads "Cutscript needs Screen Recording permission. Open System Settings, allow Cutscript, then press Re-check."

  1. Open Settings › Recording and click Allow screen recording, or Open System Settings if you refused before.
  2. In Privacy & Security › Screen & System Audio Recording, switch Cutscript on.
  3. Click Re-check recording access. If macOS asks you to quit and reopen Cutscript, save your work and do so.

On macOS 15 and later, macOS asks you to confirm screen recording again from time to time. Cutscript says "macOS wants you to confirm Screen Recording for Cutscript again." Confirm it in System Settings, then re-check. If Cutscript says it "could not confirm Screen Recording access", relaunch it.

The recorder says there is not enough free space

A recording needs at least 5 GB free on the drive that holds your recordings. Free up space, or choose another folder in Settings › Recording › Recordings folder › Change folder…. During a recording, Cutscript warns you below 2 GB and stops and saves the take below 500 MB.

Clicks have no sounds, zooms or effects

Click tracking is off or not allowed. Cutscript says "Click tracking is off: clicks won’t get sounds, zooms or effects."

  1. Click Turn on in the recorder, in Get set up, or in Settings › Tools.
  2. In Privacy & Security › Input Monitoring, switch Cutscript on.
  3. If it says "Quit and reopen Cutscript to finish turning on click tracking", or "Cutscript couldn’t start the click listener", click Relaunch.

Also check that Track clicks is on in Settings › Recording. A recording made without it says "This recording has no click data." Turn click tracking on for the next one. See Click tracking.

The microphone is silent or missing

The recorder warns "The microphone is sending silence", "The microphone is not being recorded" or "The microphone disconnected".

  • Click Allow microphone in Settings › Recording if the permission is off.
  • Pick the right input from the microphone menu in the recorder bar, and check that it is not muted.
  • For your Mac's own sound, check System audio in Settings › Recording.

A recording was interrupted

If Cutscript quit or your Mac lost power, the recorder offers "Recover 1 unfinished recording". Open it and click Recover to save the take as a project, or Discard…, which asks first. Closing the offer keeps every file.

The recorder bar is off screen

Click Reset recorder position in Settings › Recording.

Transcripts and AI

"No transcription key yet"

The home screen says "No transcription key yet, so the AI can’t edit by script until there’s a transcript." Click Add a key, or open Settings › AI › Providers, and connect ElevenLabs, fal.ai or OpenRouter. A ChatGPT plan or a Claude plan cannot transcribe.

The pill says Add API keys or Check API keys

Add API keys means a provider you need has no key. Check API keys means a saved key was rejected. Click the pill to open Settings › AI › Providers, then click Check accounts. To replace a key, paste the new one in its field and click Save. A rejected key shows a message such as "Invalid ElevenLabs API key. Check the key in Settings."

Transcription failed

You see "Transcription failed", the provider's reason and a Retry button. The reason comes from the provider, so the fix is usually on their side:

  • "Not enough ElevenLabs credits for this request. Top up or upgrade your plan, then try again."
  • "The file is too large for ElevenLabs." Choose another model in Settings › AI › Transcription.
  • "Rate limited by ElevenLabs. Try again in a moment." Wait, then click Retry.

If the script says "This media has no audio", there is nothing to transcribe. You can still edit on the timeline.

The AI request waits in the chat

The home screen says "No AI is connected yet, so your request waits in the chat." Connect an OpenRouter key, your ChatGPT plan or your Claude plan in Settings › AI.

The Claude plan says Not installed or Installed, not signed in

The Claude plan runs your own Claude Code. If it is Not installed, copy Anthropic's install command from Get set up into Terminal. If it is Installed, not signed in, click Sign in. Then click Check again.

The model lists look out of date

Click Refresh models in Settings › AI › Providers. Keep model lists up to date refreshes them each time Cutscript starts.

Bringing media in

Open Settings › Tools. If it says "No connection; you can set this up later.", reconnect and click Set up again. If it says Needs reinstalling or Couldn’t install, click Reinstall. If YouTube videos offer few qualities, click Finish setup, because the YouTube helper is missing.

The message says why. The common ones:

  • The video is private, for channel members, or age-restricted. Cutscript does not sign in to sites, so it cannot download these.
  • The video is copy-protected, a live stream that has not ended, or not available in your country.
  • "The site is limiting downloads right now." Wait a few minutes and try again.
  • "Cutscript can’t download from this link." Copy the address of the page the video plays on.

Download only videos you have the right to use.

"Cutscript can’t import .xyz files"

Cutscript imports the video, audio and image types listed in File formats and where files live. Convert the file, then import it again.

The preview says a file is missing

You moved or deleted the original file. Click Locate… on the card, then choose where each file is now in the Relink media dialog. Your edits stay as they are.

"This project was created by a newer version of Cutscript"

Update Cutscript to open it. See Update Cutscript.

Saving and exporting

The top bar says Retry save

The tooltip reads "Changes could not be saved. Click to retry." Check that the drive holding your projects folder is connected and has free space, then click Retry save.

Export failed

The panel shows "Export failed" and a reason. Click Retry, or Back to change the settings. Check that the drive you are saving to has free space. If some formats are greyed out with "Motion effects export as H.264", your project uses effects that only MP4 H.264 can carry. Pick that format.

"ffmpeg was not found"

Waveforms, thumbnails and exports need the video engine, which is built into Cutscript. Open Settings › Media & export and click Re-detect. If it is still missing, install Cutscript again. You can also point ffmpeg path and ffprobe path at your own copies.

Settings shows "Loading settings…"

If it stays for more than a few seconds, the settings file could not be read. Click Try again.

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