How to Use OpusClip: Clip Video in ChatGPT & Claude

OpusClip turns long videos into short, ready-to-post clips, and its new MCP server means you can now do it right inside your AI assistant. This guide shows exactly how to use OpusClip, from the classic web app to the two-minute setup that lets you clip, caption, and reframe video by simply asking ChatGPT or Claude. Best of all, there is no editing timeline and no separate dashboard to learn.

You do not need any editing skills to get started. We ran the whole thing ourselves before writing this, so here is exactly what to have ready:

• An OpusClip account — free to start, and the free tier is genuinely usable: you get the full set of clips plus HD downloads.
• A YouTube link — the free plan clips straight from a YouTube URL, while uploads and Google Drive open up on the paid plans. Use your own content: OpusClip asks you to confirm that first, which is a sensible guardrail.
• Credits — roughly 1 credit per minute of source video, so a 15-minute talk costs about 15. You start with 60, which is plenty to try it properly.
• An MCP-compatible AI client (optional) — ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, or VS Code, if you want the in-chat method.
• About two minutes — that is the whole setup for the AI-assistant workflow.

One tip worth knowing before you start: the workflow screen has a Processing timeframe slider labelled “Credit saver”. Narrow it to the part of a long video you actually care about and you are only charged for those minutes.

It connects through the open Model Context Protocol, so the same steps work in ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, and VS Code. Because the server is brand new, you add it as a custom connector rather than picking it from a list. Here is the whole setup, step by step.

Once connected, it gives your assistant six tools you can trigger just by describing the result. In other words, you say what you want and the agent runs the right one:

• Clip — find the highlights and cut short clips from a long video.
• Find Viral Moments — score a video and return its highest-engagement segments.
• Caption — burn in animated, styled subtitles.
• Reframe — convert to 9:16, 1:1, or 16:9 with subject tracking.
• Repurpose — re-edit a clip for TikTok, Reels, Shorts, or LinkedIn.
• Schedule — queue finished clips to your connected social accounts.

In practice, a few habits get you sharper, more shareable clips:

• Start with clear talking content. Podcasts, webinars, and interviews clip best because the AI has distinct moments to find.
• Be specific in your prompt. Ask for a number and a format — “10 clips, 9:16, captioned” — to guide the output.
• Scout first. Run Find Viral Moments to see what the AI rates highest, then clip those.
• Match the aspect ratio to the platform. Reframe to 9:16 for Reels, TikTok, and Shorts; keep 16:9 for YouTube.
• Try it free first. Finally, new users who connect through this link get 90 free trial credits to test the tools before spending anything.

Now that you know how to use OpusClip, dig a little deeper. See whether it earns its hype in our hands-on OpusClip review, learn how the new MCP server brings clipping into ChatGPT and Claude, or line it up against the best free AI video generators before you commit.