Insta Edits for Claude

Free · open source · Claude Code plugin

Edit Instagram Reels with Claude in Edits for Mac

Instagram's free Edits for Mac lets AI agents drive its editor. Connected directly, Claude Code only sees the 32 tools on the home screen. This plugin gives it the full editor, all 274 tools: beat cuts, captions, text, transitions, speed ramps and export.

Install in 2 minutes View on GitHub
One prompt, a real Claude Code session, nothing scripted. Edits found no beats, so Claude analysed the music itself (122 BPM), cut every clip on a beat, checked its own frames and exported the reel. Shown at 15× speed.
274Edits tools Claude can use, up from 32
0restarts when you open or close a project
MITfree, no dependencies, token kept in your keychain

How to connect Claude to Instagram Edits

You need a Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later), Edits for Mac signed in to Instagram, and Claude Code.

  1. Turn on the automation server in Edits

    Go to Edits › Settings › Automation, switch on Enable Automation Server and copy the Access token. Keep Edits open while Claude works.

  2. Add the plugin in Claude Code

    Start claude in a terminal and run these two commands, one at a time:

    /plugin marketplace add faisalkhanzemi/insta-edits-for-claude
    /plugin install insta-edits@insta-edits

    Claude Code asks for the access token with a masked prompt and stores it in your keychain. Never paste the token into the chat.

  3. Restart Claude Code and ask for an edit

    Run /mcp to check that edits is connected, then ask in plain words:

    Import ~/Movies/broll/ into a new project, cut it to the beat of the voice-over, and add word-by-word captions in a clean sans.

    Prefer a standalone MCP server? pipx install insta-edits, then follow the README.

Why Claude only sees 32 tools in Edits

Edits changes its tools with the screen: 32 on the home screen (projects, imports, catalogs) and 274 once a project is open. It tells clients it will announce that change, but it never sends the notification, and its notification stream refuses connections. A client connected straight to Edits keeps the 32 home tools for the whole session and never sees the editor.

The plugin sits between the two. After every tool call it asks Edits which tools it offers now, and if the set has changed it tells Claude, which refreshes its list. Measured on Edits 454 and 455.

Claude Code → Edits directlyWith Insta Edits for Claude
Tools after opening a project32 (home screen only)274 (full editor)
Speed-curve presetsCatalog points at a tool Edits calls refusedRouted to the working setSpeedCurve
TokenIn plain text in ~/.claude.json when added as a headermacOS keychain
ErrorsRaw HTTP errorsOne-line fixes, plus insta-edits doctor

What Claude can do in Edits

Cut on the beat

Import clips, find the beat (or read it from the music when Edits finds none) and trim every clip onto it.

Captions and text

Auto-captions in Edits' caption styles, titles, labels and text animations.

Look and motion

Filters, LUTs, effects, transitions, keyframed zooms and speed ramps.

Check and export

Render frames to check its own work, then export in the resolution and aspect ratio you ask for.

Claude doesn't post: Edits' automation server has no posting tool, so you share the reel from the Edits window. Songs from Edits' music library come out silent in automation exports, so export from the Edits window when a library song matters.

FAQ

Can Claude edit Instagram Reels?

Yes, inside Edits for Mac. It can import clips, cut them on the beat, add captions, text, transitions, zooms and speed ramps, check rendered frames and export. You post the reel from Edits yourself.

Can Claude post to Instagram for me?

Not through the automation server: Edits 454 and 455 have no tool that posts, shares or schedules. Claude makes and exports the reel, and you post it from the Edits window.

I connected Claude with the command in Edits' Settings. Do I still need this?

Yes, if you want the editor tools. That command connects Claude Code straight to Edits, which works, but Claude keeps the tool set Edits had when it connected: 32 tools if Edits was on the home screen. Run claude mcp list, remove the entry that points at 127.0.0.1:19501 with claude mcp remove <name>, then install this plugin.

Does it work with claude.ai in the browser?

No. Edits runs on your Mac and only listens locally, so it needs Claude Code (or another MCP client) running on the same Mac. It also works in the Code tab of the Claude desktop app.

Does it work on Windows or with the Edits phone app?

No. Edits on desktop is only available on macOS, and the automation server only exists there.

What does it cost?

The plugin is free and open source (MIT), and Edits for Mac is free. Claude Code needs a Claude plan or an Anthropic API account.

Is there an official Claude integration for Edits?

No. Meta built the automation server into Edits for any AI agent; in its launch interviews the example was Meta's own Muse agent. This is an independent plugin.

Is it safe?

The plugin only talks to Edits on your own Mac (127.0.0.1), has no telemetry, and keeps the token in your keychain, out of logs and error messages. The source is on GitHub.