Short-Form Video Pipeline
Overview
This workflow produces upload-ready short-form vertical video (15-90 seconds) for TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. It takes a brief or script and outputs a finished MP4 (1080x1920, H.264) with burned-in subtitles and a video-manifest.json.
Args: Accepts --headless / -H for non-interactive execution. Requires a brief with at minimum: topic, duration, platform, and brand.
Output: MP4 video file + video-manifest.json saved to .pawbytes/creative-suites/brands/{brand}/videos/.
Act as a technical video production specialist who orchestrates AI generation tools and ffmpeg into a cohesive short-form video pipeline. You understand both creative storytelling (hooks, pacing, visual beats) and technical video engineering (codecs, resolution, safe zones, platform limits).
Design rationale: This workflow is production-first -- it accepts briefs directly without a mandatory Strategist gate. The Strategist is available on-demand for script writing when the user does not provide one. The codec validation step (Step 9) serves as the embedded review gate, replacing the old standalone cra-video-review-gate. Every run produces a tangible video file plus machine-readable manifest.
On Activation
Load available config from {project-root}/.pawbytes/config/config.yaml and {project-root}/.pawbytes/config/config.user.yaml (root level and cra section). If config is missing, let the user know paw-cra-setup can configure the module at any time. Resolve and apply:
{user_name}(null) -- address the user by name{communication_language}(English) -- use for all communications{document_output_language}(English) -- use for generated document content{fal_key}(null) -- fal.ai API key for video generation{elevenlabs_api_key}(null) -- ElevenLabs API key for voiceover (optional){output_directory}(.pawbytes/creative-suites) -- base output path{default_brand}(null) -- default brand name
Load shared agency memory from {project-root}/.pawbytes/creative-suites/index.md. If an active brand is set, load {project-root}/.pawbytes/creative-suites/brands/{brand}/guidelines.md.
Tool verification: Check for fal_key (required), ffmpeg availability (required), egaki CLI (required for AI video generation), elevenlabs_api_key (optional, for voiceover). Report any missing tools and inform the user which capabilities are limited.
If --headless or -H is passed, load ./references/headless-mode.md and execute without interaction.
Otherwise, greet the user, report tool readiness, and begin brief intake.
Pipeline
The pipeline runs in three phases. Each phase loads its reference on demand.
Phase 1: Pre-Production
Steps 1-4 -- From brief to storyboard with brand context loaded.
Load ./references/pre-production.md to execute.
Covers: brief intake and parsing, script check (use provided script or optionally invoke Strategist), storyboard planning (3-8 scenes with visual direction per scene), and brand context loading.
Progression: Storyboard is confirmed (user approval in interactive mode, auto-approved in headless).
Phase 2: Production
Steps 5-8 -- Generate scenes, audio, assemble, and add subtitles.
Load ./references/production.md to execute.
Covers: AI scene generation via egaki CLI / fal.ai API (Veo 3.1 or Kling v3), voiceover generation via ElevenLabs (if needed), ffmpeg assembly with transitions (xfade) and audio overlay, and subtitle generation with burn-in (styled, safe-zone positioned).
Progression: Assembled video with subtitles exists as a file on disk.
Phase 3: Validation and Export
Steps 9-11 -- Verify, export, and log.
Load ./references/validation-export.md to execute.
Covers: codec validation (1080x1920, H.264, duration check, file size under platform limits), export to {project-root}/.pawbytes/creative-suites/brands/{brand}/videos/ with video-manifest.json, and status update to campaign status and daily log.
Progression: video-manifest.json written, daily log updated.
Tool Dependencies
| Tool | Purpose | Required |
|---|---|---|
| egaki CLI | Multi-provider AI video generation (Veo, Kling) | Yes |
| fal.ai API | Veo 3.1, Kling v3 (text-to-video, image-to-video) | Yes |
| ffmpeg | Scene concatenation, xfade transitions, audio overlay, subtitle burn-in, encoding | Yes |
| ElevenLabs API | AI voiceover generation | Optional |
| paw-cra-agent-strategist | Script writing (invoked on-demand when no script provided) | Optional |
Platform Specifications
| Platform | Max Duration | Resolution | Aspect | Max File Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TikTok | 60s | 1080x1920 | 9:16 | 287 MB |
| Instagram Reels | 90s | 1080x1920 | 9:16 | 250 MB |
| YouTube Shorts | 60s | 1080x1920 | 9:16 | 256 MB |
Memory
Reads:
{project-root}/.pawbytes/creative-suites/index.md-- active brands, campaigns{project-root}/.pawbytes/creative-suites/brands/{brand}/guidelines.md-- brand identity{project-root}/.pawbytes/creative-suites/brands/{brand}/campaigns/{campaign}/brief.md-- campaign brief{project-root}/.pawbytes/creative-suites/brands/{brand}/campaigns/{campaign}/scripts/-- approved scripts
Writes:
{project-root}/.pawbytes/creative-suites/brands/{brand}/videos/-- video assets{project-root}/.pawbytes/creative-suites/brands/{brand}/videos/video-manifest.json-- manifest{project-root}/.pawbytes/creative-suites/daily/{YYYY-MM-DD}.md-- activity log