Palmier Pro: The AI Video Editor Where Claude Actually Edits Your Timeline

Palmier Pro is a free, open-source video editor for Mac that lets Claude, Codex, or Cursor make real edits - trimming, reordering, generating clips - directly on your timeline through a local connection called MCP (Model Context Protocol). It launched in mid-June 2026, and the team behind it frames it as one of the first editors built so an AI agent can actually operate the timeline, not just advise from a chat window on the side.

What Is Palmier Pro?

Palmier Pro comes from Palmier, a Y Combinator company started by Marcos Rico Peng and Harrison Tin. Before building the editor, the two spent a year making launch videos for other YC startups, including Kinect, Respan, and Overdrive Health. Every project followed the same loop: generate a clip somewhere on the web, download it, drag it into a timeline editor, redo the cut by hand, repeat for the next shot. Palmier Pro exists because they got tired of that loop.

It's a native Swift application built from scratch for macOS, not a wrapper around an existing editor. The team's own comparison point is Premiere Pro: a real multi-track timeline with trimming, speed changes, and export options — except AI generation sits inside the same project instead of living on a separate website you keep switching back to. The full source, minus the generative AI backend, is open on GitHub under the GPLv3 license, so you can inspect exactly how the editor and its MCP server work.

How Does Claude Actually Connect to Palmier Pro?

When Palmier Pro is open, it runs a local MCP server on your machine - the same Model Context Protocol

that coding agents like Claude Code already use to work with tools on your computer. Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor all connect to that server and can then read your timeline, add or trim clips, generate new footage from a prompt, reorder segments, and transcribe audio, with full visibility into the actual project state. It's not just "paste in an API key and text it instructions" — the agent is genuinely looking at and editing your project file.

The server only listens on your own machine and checks the origin of every request, so it isn't reachable from outside your computer. There's also a second, simpler way in: an in-app chat panel powered by your own Anthropic API key. It uses the same tools as the MCP connection, just without switching apps.

What Can Claude Do Inside the Timeline?

Once connected, an agent isn't limited to giving suggestions. It can:

1. Generate video and image clips using Seedance 2.0, Kling 3.0, Veo 3.1, Grok Imagine, or Nano Banana Pro, with the result landing directly on a track
2. Trim silence and cut dead air, reordering clips to fix pacing
3. Search footage by what was actually said in it — Palmier Pro transcribes and semantically indexes clips on-device using Google's SigLIP 2 model, so a search like "the part where I mention pricing" actually finds the right clip
4. Regenerate an AI clip with a new prompt if the first pass doesn't land

The workflow the team describes is straightforward: import your clips, connect Claude, describe what you want in plain language, and watch the edits land in real time instead of copying files between separate tools.

How to Try Palmier Pro

1. Download the latest build from the Palmier Pro GitHub releases page — - it's a free

dmg), no account needed.

2. Install it by dragging the app into Applications, like any other Mac app.

3. Connect your agent open Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, or Codex, and

connect to Palmier Pro from the app's Help menu. Most clients pick it up in one click.

4. Start small- ask the agent to list your clips or trim one segment before asking it to build a finished cut. It's a more reliable way to learn what the agent handles well before you hand it a real deadline.

Palmier Pro vs. Premiere Pro, CapCut, and Runway

Palmier Pro isn't trying to out-feature Premiere Pro — it's answering a narrower question: can an AI agent actually drive a real timeline instead of just talking about one? Right now, it's the only editor in this table where the answer is yes.

What Does Palmier Pro Cost?

The editor, the MCP server, and the in-app chat are free, open source under GPLv3, and the editor itself needs no account to use. Generating AI media is the one thing you pay for, and that part does require creating a Palmier account once you subscribe. Pro runs $29 a month at launch pricing (regular price $49) for 5,000 credits - roughly 333 images or 3 to 7 minutes of generated video depending on the model. Max is $69 a month for 12,000 credits. Export goes to MP4 in H.264, H.265, or ProRes, or to an NLE XML file that opens in Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve, so a Palmier Pro cut isn't a dead end if you want to finish it

somewhere else.

Palmier Pro: Pros and Cons

Pros

1. Free to edit, no account required for the core editor and MCP connection
2. The only editor in this comparison where an AI agent can directly drive a real timeline instead of just describing changes
3. On-device transcription and semantic search, so your footage stays private until you choose to generate something
4. Exports to formats Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve can open, so you're never locked in

Cons

1. Mac-only, and only on macOS 26 (Tahoe) with Apple Silicon — no Intel, Windows, or Linux build, and no public timeline for one. (An unofficial, AI-built Windows fork exists on GitHub, but it's explicitly experimental and incomplete — not something to depend on for client work.)
2. No effects, transitions, color grading, masking, or motion graphics yet - it's a cutting

engine with AI generation built in, not a full post-production suite

1. Generation itself costs money once you go past the free editor

Is It Worth Adding to Your Workflow?

If you're on the right hardware and your work leans toward short-form content where speed matters more than heavy grading, I'd try it. Watching an agent trim dead air and reorder a rough cut while you focus on the shots that actually carry the story feels genuinely different from prompting a chatbot and then manually applying its advice yourself. But I wouldn't uninstall Premiere Pro or After Effects over it. Use Palmier Pro for the fast, disposable stuff — Shorts, Reels, quick social cuts where a rougher cut shipped today beats a polished one shipped next week. Keep your main editor for anything that needs real color work or motion graphics.

If you're building an AI-assisted editing workflow beyond just Palmier Pro, Ediskool's guide to AI editing tools for creators and our freelance video editor roadmap are good next reads.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Palmier Pro free to use?

Yes. The video editor and its MCP server are completely free with no account required. You only pay for AI generation credits if you use Palmier Pro's built-in models, and that does require creating an account once you subscribe.

Does Palmier Pro work on Windows?

No. Palmier Pro currently requires macOS 26 (Tahoe) running on Apple Silicon. There's no official Windows or Intel Mac build, though an unofficial, experimental fork exists on GitHub for Windows users willing to try an incomplete community project.

How does Claude connect to Palmier Pro? Palmier Pro runs a local MCP (Model Context Protocol) server whenever the app is open. Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Codex, or Cursor connect to that server directly, so the agent reads and edits the actual project timeline instead of just chatting about it.

What AI models does Palmier Pro use for generation?

Palmier Pro supports Seedance 2.0, Kling 3.0, Veo 3.1, Grok Imagine, and Nano Banana Pro for image and video generation, all usable directly on the timeline.

Can I export a Palmier Pro project to Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve?

Yes. Palmier Pro exports to MP4 (H.264, H.265, ProRes) or to an NLE XML file that both Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve can open.

Is Palmier Pro safe to use?

The local MCP server only listens on your own machine and checks the origin of every request, so it isn't exposed to the outside internet. Your footage and transcripts are processed on-device too - only the AI generation step sends data to Palmier's cloud, and only when you actually generate something.

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Disclaimer

Palmier Pro is an actively evolving AI video editing tool. Features, integrations, platform compatibility, pricing, and availability may change over time as new updates are released.

While we've made every effort to ensure the information in this guide is accurate at the time of publication, we recommend verifying the latest details on Palmier Pro's official website or GitHub repository before making workflow or purchasing decisions.

Any trademarks, product names, or third-party services mentioned in this article belong to their respective owners and are used for informational and comparison purposes only.

Last Updated: July 2026

Review Status: Regularly reviewed to reflect the latest Palmier Pro features, integrations, pricing changes, and AI video editing workflow updates.