What it does

OpenMontage is an open-source project, listed on its repository page under the AGPL-3.0 license, that uses an AI coding assistant such as Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, Windsurf or Codex as the orchestrator. You describe a video in plain language, and the agent works through research, proposal, script, scene plan, assets, edit and compose stages, asking for your approval at creative decision points. The page lists 12 pipelines, including animated explainers, avatar spokesperson videos, cinematic trailers, a clip factory, documentary montage, localization and dubbing, podcast repurposing, screen demos and talking-head videos. It also lists over 100 tools and more than 60 provider integrations. You can paste a YouTube video, Reel, TikTok or local clip as a reference and get concepts, cost estimates and a sample before full production. No paid keys are required to start. The site lists free offline narration, free stock and archive footage sources, Remotion and HyperFrames for composition, and FFmpeg for encoding. Optional keys unlock image, video, voice and music providers, and local GPU video models are supported. Budget controls estimate cost before generation and support spend caps and approval thresholds. A local board called Backlot shows production progress and pauses asset generation for scene-by-scene approval. Setup needs Python 3.10 or newer, FFmpeg, Node.js 18 or newer and an AI coding assistant.

Capabilities

Agent-run pipelines from research and script through to final render
Reference-video analysis that turns a clip into production concepts
A free path using offline narration and open footage sources
Scored provider selection with an auditable decision log
Cost estimates, spend caps and approval gates
Backlot local board that tracks each production live

When to use it

You already use an AI coding assistant and want it to produce complete videos
You want explainers, documentary montages or short clips cut from long content
You want to see cost estimates before paying for generation