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Set up Claude Code to create AI videos with varg. The varg skill gives Claude Code full context on components, models, prompting, and rendering.
Only need the generation tools? Skip the skill and connect the MCP server instead: claude mcp add --transport http varg https://mcp.varg.ai/mcp, then /mcp to sign in. No API key needed. See MCP Server.

Prerequisites

Setup

1

Install the varg skill

In your project directory:
This installs:
  • SKILL.md — complete instructions for Claude Code
  • references/ — 10 reference docs (models, components, recipes, prompting, templates, etc.)
  • scripts/ — environment check scripts
2

Set your API key

If you already have a key, add it to .env:
If you don’t have one, Claude Code will walk you through authentication when you ask it to create a video. It will:
  1. Ask for your email
  2. Send a verification code
  3. Save your API key to ~/.varg/credentials
3

Start creating

Try these prompts:
  • “Create a 10-second TikTok video about cats”
  • “Make a talking character video with this script: …”
  • “Generate a slideshow from these prompts: …”

How it works

The skill teaches Claude Code:
  • All available components (Render, Clip, Image, Video, Speech, Music, Captions, etc.)
  • All AI models with pricing (kling-v3, nano-banana-pro, flux, eleven_v3, etc.)
  • Two rendering modes: cloud render (curl, zero dependencies) and local render (bun + ffmpeg)
  • Prompting best practices for cinematic video
  • Common patterns: talking head, character consistency, slideshows, lipsync
  • Caching strategy to minimize costs

Example prompts

Simple video

Talking character

Product video

Slideshow

Tips for best results

Be specific about format

Include style details

Specify audio

Troubleshooting

”VARG_API_KEY not found”

The skill will prompt you to authenticate. You can also set it manually:
Or log in:

“Video rendering failed”

  • Check prompt doesn’t violate content policy
  • Try simpler motion descriptions
  • Reduce video duration (kling-v3 supports 3-15s)

“Slow generation”

First run generates AI assets (1-2 min per clip). Subsequent runs with same prompts are instant (cached at $0).

Updating the skill

The skill checks for updates automatically. You can also update manually:

Next steps

  • Browse Templates for copy-paste examples
  • Check Components for all available JSX components
  • See AI Models for the full model catalog with pricing