Palmier Pro: An Open-Source macOS Video Editor Built for AI Agents

Palmier Pro is a new kind of video editor for macOS, built from the ground up with Swift and designed to put AI agents directly into the editing timeline. It's open source (GPLv3), free to use, and aims to bridge the gap between professional video editing and the rapidly evolving world of generative AI.

What Makes Palmier Pro Different?

Unlike traditional editors like Adobe Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve, Palmier Pro is built with a "north star" of integrating AI into every part of the workflow. It's not just an editor that happens to have some AI features bolted on; it's an editor where AI is a first-class citizen.

Swift-Native Performance

The entire editor is written in Swift, leveraging Apple's modern language and frameworks. This means it's optimized for Apple Silicon (macOS 26 Tahoe required) and delivers smooth, responsive performance even with complex timelines and effects. The codebase is clean, with a focus on Metal for GPU-accelerated rendering and effects.

Built-In Generative AI

Palmier Pro comes with built-in support for state-of-the-art generative AI models. You can generate videos and images directly inside the timeline using models like:

Seedance (video generation)
Kling (video generation)
Nano Banana Pro (image generation)

This means you can create assets on the fly without leaving the editor. Need a B-roll clip? Generate it. Need a custom background? Generate it. The AI processing is the only closed-source component, but the editor itself, the MCP server, and the agent chat are fully open source.

Agent Integration via MCP

This is where Palmier Pro truly shines. It exposes a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server at http://127.0.0.1:19789/mcp whenever the app is open. This allows any MCP-compatible agent to connect and interact with your timeline.

Connecting Your Agent

You can connect Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, or Claude Desktop directly to the editor. Here's how:

Claude Code:

claude mcp add --transport http palmier-pro http://127.0.0.1:19789/mcp

Codex:

codex mcp add palmier-pro --url http://127.0.0.1:19789/mcp

Cursor: The easiest way is to go inside the app: Help -> MCP Instructions -> Install in Cursor. Or, manually add this to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "palmier-pro": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:19789/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop: The app bundles an mcpb tool that allows a one-click install of a Desktop Extension. Go to Help -> MCP Instructions -> Install in Claude Desktop.

What Can an Agent Do?

Once connected, an agent can manipulate the timeline programmatically. This opens up a world of possibilities:

Automated editing: An agent can trim, cut, and arrange clips based on a script or transcript.
AI-assisted effects: An agent can apply effects, transitions, and color grading based on natural language commands.
Generative fill: An agent can generate new video or image assets to fill gaps in the timeline.
Multi-cam syncing: The codebase includes logic for keeping multicam ripple trims synchronized, which an agent could automate.

Open Source and Community-Driven

Palmier Pro is fully open source under the GPLv3 license. The repository has already garnered over 11.5k stars and 856 forks, with 22 contributors. The community is active on Discord and X (Twitter).

Development and Contribution

The project is well-structured for contributors. The CONTRIBUTING.md file provides guidelines, and the codebase is organized into:

Sources/PalmierPro/ - Main application source code
Metal/ - Metal shaders for GPU effects
Plugins/MetalCIKernelPlugin/ - Custom Core Image kernel plugins
mcpb/ - MCP bridge tool for Claude Desktop integration
models/ - AI model integration code

Recent Commits Show Active Development

The commit history shows rapid iteration. Recent commits include:

[feat] edge roundness and edge softness - Adding visual polish
[fix] Keep multicam ripple trims synchronized - Fixing multicam editing
[agent] Add capture frame tool - New MCP tool for agents
[build] Update resolved package graph - Dependency management

Pricing and Licensing

Editor: Free, no login required. You can download and use it like CapCut or Adobe Premiere.
MCP Server: Free to use.
Generative AI Features: Require login and a subscription.

This model makes the core editing and agent integration accessible to everyone, while monetizing the compute-intensive AI generation.

Getting Started

Download: Grab the latest release from the GitHub releases page (v0.6.14 as of this writing).
Install: Requires macOS 26 (Tahoe) on Apple Silicon.
Connect an Agent: Use one of the MCP commands above to connect Claude, Codex, or Cursor.
Start Editing: Open a project and start giving your agent commands.

The Future of Video Editing

Palmier Pro represents a paradigm shift. Instead of manually clicking through menus, you can now have a conversation with your editor. Need a 30-second cut of a 10-minute interview? Tell your agent. Want to add a specific effect to every clip in a sequence? Describe it. The agent handles the rest.

This is especially powerful for:

Content creators who need to produce videos quickly.
Post-production houses looking to automate repetitive tasks.
AI researchers who want to experiment with generative models in a real-world editing context.

Conclusion

Palmier Pro is more than just another video editor. It's a platform for AI-assisted creativity, built on open source principles and designed for the future. Whether you're a developer looking to hack on a Swift codebase, a video editor wanting to supercharge your workflow, or an AI enthusiast exploring agent-driven tools, Palmier Pro is worth a serious look.

Check out the repository at github.com/palmier-io/palmier-pro and join the community on Discord.

Source

palmier-io/palmier-pro: macOS video editor built for AI