Install ZeyoCut¶

ZeyoCut runs on Windows 10 and 11 (x64). It is an MCP server with no window of its own: you use it from an MCP client such as Claude Desktop or Claude Code, and the client starts it.

1. Download¶

Get the latest release from the Releases page:

File	What it is
`ZeyoCut-<version>.mcpb`	The bundle for Claude Desktop, installed in a few clicks
`ZeyoCut-<version>-win-x64.zip`	For any MCP client: `ZeyoCut.Mcp.exe` (about 180 MB, with the .NET runtime and every library inside, so nothing else is needed to run it), `appsettings.json` and the license notices
`SHA256SUMS.txt`	The SHA-256 checksum of both files

Check the download¶

Put SHA256SUMS.txt in the same folder as the files you downloaded, open PowerShell there and run:

foreach ($line in Get-Content .\SHA256SUMS.txt) {
  $hash, $name = $line -split '\s+', 2
  if (Test-Path $name) {
    if ((Get-FileHash $name).Hash -eq $hash) { "OK        $name" } else { "MISMATCH  $name" }
  }
}

For one file, Get-FileHash .\ZeyoCut-<version>-win-x64.zip prints its hash to compare by eye (upper or lower case doesn't matter). The same checksums are in the release notes.

If a file says MISMATCH, don't run it. Download it again; if it still doesn't match, please report it as described in SECURITY.md.

Windows warnings¶

The exe isn't code-signed yet, so Windows may warn about it:

SmartScreen. If you start the exe yourself, Microsoft Defender SmartScreen can show "Windows protected your PC". Once the checksum matches, choose More info → Run anyway. You don't normally start it yourself: the MCP client does.
Downloaded-file mark. Windows marks files that come from the internet. After checking the checksum you can clear the mark before unzipping, with right-click → Properties → Unblock or Unblock-File .\ZeyoCut-<version>-win-x64.zip.
Smart App Control (Windows 11) can block programs that aren't signed, and it can't be told to allow a single program.

2. Install FFmpeg¶

ZeyoCut uses FFmpeg to import video, draw video layers and export. Editing and previewing pictures work without it.

winget install Gyan.FFmpeg

This puts ffmpeg and ffprobe on your PATH. Restart your MCP client afterwards so it sees the new PATH. To use an FFmpeg you unzipped yourself, set its path in the bundle's settings or with FFMPEG_PATH (the exe or its folder).

Transcripts are optional and need whisper.cpp; see Transcripts below.

3. Connect a client¶

Claude Desktop, with the bundle¶

Open Settings → Extensions. In newer versions this is Settings → Desktop app, then Manage next to Extensions.
Click Advanced settings, and under Extension Developer click Install Extension…. Choose ZeyoCut-<version>.mcpb.
Click ZeyoCut in the list to see its settings. All of them are optional:

Setting	Leave empty for
Projects folder	`%USERPROFILE%\ZeyoCut\projects`
Import folder	your Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures and Videos (see Folders)
FFmpeg	FFmpeg on `PATH`
whisper-cli (optional)	whisper-cli on `PATH`, or no transcripts
Whisper model (optional)	a `ggml-*.bin` model next to whisper-cli

Claude Desktop, with the zip¶

Unzip the files to a folder of your own, for example C:\Tools\ZeyoCut.
In Claude Desktop open Settings → Developer → Edit Config. This opens %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json. Add:
```
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zeyocut": {
      "command": "C:\\Tools\\ZeyoCut\\ZeyoCut.Mcp.exe"
    }
  }
}
```
Settings go in an "env" object next to "command", for example "env": { "WHISPER_PATH": "C:\\Tools\\whisper" }. In JSON every \ is written \\. 3. Quit Claude Desktop fully (from the tray icon) and start it again.

If ZeyoCut doesn't show up, its log is %APPDATA%\Claude\logs\mcp-server-zeyocut.log.

Claude Code¶

Unzip the files as above, then run:

claude mcp add --transport stdio --scope user zeyocut -- C:\Tools\ZeyoCut\ZeyoCut.Mcp.exe

--scope user makes ZeyoCut available in every folder you use Claude Code in; leave it out to add it to the current folder only. Settings are added with --env, which must come before --transport:

claude mcp add --env WHISPER_PATH=C:\Tools\whisper --transport stdio --scope user zeyocut -- C:\Tools\ZeyoCut\ZeyoCut.Mcp.exe

claude mcp list should then show zeyocut as connected. Inside Claude Code, /mcp shows the same.

Other MCP clients¶

Any client that runs local (stdio) MCP servers can use ZeyoCut. The command is the full path to ZeyoCut.Mcp.exe, with no arguments; settings are environment variables. Many clients use the same mcpServers form as Claude Desktop above. VS Code uses .vscode/mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "zeyocut": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "C:\\Tools\\ZeyoCut\\ZeyoCut.Mcp.exe"
    }
  }
}

Two things to know:

Tools such as render_frame and contact_sheet return PNG images so the model can check its work. With a client that doesn't pass images to the model, everything still works, but the model edits without seeing the result.
ZeyoCut has 90 tools. Some clients limit how many tools they turn on at once.

4. First run¶

Ask the model:

Run ZeyoCut's system check.

system_check reports whether FFmpeg and whisper were found, with what to do if not, which folders ZeyoCut uses, and the CPU, RAM, GPU and AI models of this computer. Then try something small:

Create a ZeyoCut project "hello", 1280x720, 3 seconds, with the title "Hello" popping in, and show me a frame at 1 second.

The guide shows every tool with an example call and its real response.

Folders¶

What	Where
Projects	`%USERPROFILE%\ZeyoCut\projects`
Library (rigs, actions, text styles, templates, sound effects)	`%USERPROFILE%\ZeyoCut\library`
AI models, downloaded on first use	`%USERPROFILE%\ZeyoCut\library\models`
Logs and the record of background jobs	`%LOCALAPPDATA%\ZeyoCut`
Native libraries, unpacked from the exe on first run	`%TEMP%\.net\ZeyoCut.Mcp`

ZeyoCut only reads files from the projects folder, the library and the import folders: by default your Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures and Videos. Importing from anywhere else gives an error that names the setting. To add folders, set ZEYOCUT_IMPORT_DIRS (folders separated by ;), the bundle's Import folder setting, or ImportFolders in appsettings.json. Projects must be inside the projects folder.

Every setting is listed under Configuration in the README.

Transcripts (optional)¶

analyze_video makes a transcript with a time for every word when whisper.cpp is installed. Cutting by words and automatic captions need it; without it, analysis still finds scene cuts and silences.

Download a Windows build of whisper.cpp, for example whisper-bin-x64.zip from its GitHub releases, and unzip it to C:\Tools\whisper.
Put a model in C:\Tools\whisper\models. ggml-small.bin (about 470 MB) is a good balance of speed and accuracy, and handles many languages.
Set WHISPER_PATH to C:\Tools\whisper (or choose whisper-cli.exe in the bundle's settings), and restart the client.

Privacy¶

ZeyoCut has no telemetry and no account. Your projects and media stay on your computer. It goes online for one thing only: downloading an AI model from its original source the first time a feature needs it, checked against a pinned SHA-256. The preview page runs on 127.0.0.1, reachable only from your own computer. To run models on a GPU, ZeyoCut uses Microsoft's DirectML, which may send diagnostic information to Microsoft as your Windows diagnostic data settings allow; AiDevice cpu keeps every model on the CPU. What you make with ZeyoCut is yours; see Privacy for the details.

Update and uninstall¶

Update. With the bundle, install the new .mcpb the same way. With the zip, quit the client, replace ZeyoCut.Mcp.exe (keep your appsettings.json if you changed it) and start the client again. Projects saved by an older version open in a newer one.

Uninstall. Remove ZeyoCut from the client: on Claude Desktop's Extensions page, by deleting its entry from claude_desktop_config.json, or with claude mcp remove zeyocut. Then delete the folder you unzipped it to, %LOCALAPPDATA%\ZeyoCut and %TEMP%\.net\ZeyoCut.Mcp. Your projects and library are in %USERPROFILE%\ZeyoCut; delete that folder only if you don't want them any more.

Build from source¶

Building needs the .NET 10 SDK; see Build and test in the README and CONTRIBUTING.md.