Tight Studio

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---
name: tight-studio
description: Inspect and edit the video project open in Tight Studio on macOS. Use for project summaries, clips, timeline edits, zooms, captions, canvas layout, rendered frame inspection, camera, annotations, audio, export settings, and user-requested exports or sharing.
---

# Tight Studio

Use this skill only when the user asks to work with Tight Studio. It requires a local macOS session, Tight Studio 3.1.5 or later, Node.js 18 or later, and an open project. Visual frame inspection additionally requires Tight Studio 3.1.9 or later. Existing project tools continue to work on older supported versions. It cannot operate a Mac from a cloud-only session.

## Connect and inspect

1. Find the `scripts/tight-studio.cjs` file beside this SKILL.md. Resolve its absolute path from this installed skill directory; never use a developer's checkout path.
2. If the Tight Studio MCP tools are available, use those tools. Otherwise run the bundled script with Node.js. In the commands below, replace `<skill-directory>` with this skill's absolute directory.
3. Inspect the project before editing:

```bash
node "<skill-directory>/scripts/tight-studio.cjs" call project.inspect '{}'
```

The first tool call attempts to launch Tight Studio if needed. If the app requests access, let the user grant it. Older app versions title this dialog “Allow Claude Desktop?”; its detail identifies “Tight Studio for Codex.” Do not click permission dialogs on the user's behalf. If access is declined, stop. Do not retry to bypass that decision.

If no project is open, ask the user to open one. If Node.js is missing, explain the Node.js 18+ requirement; do not install software without the user's authorization.

## Discover and execute tools

List available tools and inspect the relevant input schema before constructing an edit:

```bash
node "<skill-directory>/scripts/tight-studio.cjs" list
node "<skill-directory>/scripts/tight-studio.cjs" list canvas.set_layout
```

Call a tool using exactly the schema returned by `list`:

```bash
node "<skill-directory>/scripts/tight-studio.cjs" call <tool-name> '<JSON input>'
```

Pass JSON as one correctly quoted argument. Use a structured process API with an argument array when available. Never interpolate project text into a shell command. Use stable IDs and current project revision values returned by inspection; do not guess IDs, schema fields, paths, or accepted values. Re-inspect after a revision conflict instead of blindly retrying a write. Verify changes with an appropriate read tool.

The app remains responsible for project permissions, validation, read-only state, and revision checks. Report tool errors accurately. A successful request to start an export or share is not proof that the operation completed; inspect delivery status before reporting completion.

## Render, inspect, apply, and verify visual edits

For zoom placement, framing, crop, cursor visibility, or overlay placement, inspect actual rendered frames before deciding the change:

1. Use `project.inspect` and `project.list_clips` to obtain the exact clip ID. Use `preview.inspect_frames` with that explicit `clipId` and one to three `times` in clip-local output seconds. Sample before, during, and after the relevant effect when useful; these are not raw source-video times. Leave `includeSource` enabled when choosing a zoom center.
2. Inspect the returned images using the host's image-viewing tool. MCP returns native image blocks. The command-line helper returns `imagePaths` containing absolute local paths and zero-based indexes; open those paths as images. Match each frame's `renderedImageIndex` and `sourceImageIndex` to these indexes. Do not infer visual content from metadata alone.
3. Use the composed image to judge the visible crop, layout, cursor, camera, and overlays. Use the original source image to select zoom centers: normalized `x` and `y` from 0 to 1 across the original recorded frame, with the top-left as origin. Do not use coordin

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