Automated video editing

You send a prompt to the Rendley agent, it edits a project for you, and you get a project_url back. From there you can open the project in the editor to review it, make more edits, or export it to a downloadable MP4 through the API.

#Step 1: Start the agent

POSTmcp.rendley.com/v1/agent

Send a prompt describing what you want. You can optionally attach source files (as public URLs) and target an existing project.

curl -X POST "https://mcp.rendley.com/v1/agent" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "prompt": "Cut this interview into a 2-minute highlight reel with captions and music.",
    "files": [
      {
        "url": "https://cdn.example.com/interview.mp4"
      }
    ]
  }'

const res = await fetch("https://mcp.rendley.com/v1/agent", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: { Authorization: "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY", "Content-Type": "application/json" },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    "prompt": "Cut this interview into a 2-minute highlight reel with captions and music.",
    "files": [
      {
        "url": "https://cdn.example.com/interview.mp4"
      }
    ]
  }),
});
const { data } = await res.json();

import requests

res = requests.post(
    "https://mcp.rendley.com/v1/agent",
    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={
      "prompt": "Cut this interview into a 2-minute highlight reel with captions and music.",
      "files": [
        {
          "url": "https://cdn.example.com/interview.mp4"
        }
      ]
    },
)
data = res.json()["data"]

$ch = curl_init("https://mcp.rendley.com/v1/agent");
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, "POST");
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, ["Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY", "Content-Type: application/json"]);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, json_encode(["prompt" => "Cut this interview into a 2-minute highlight reel with captions and music.", "files" => [["url" => "https://cdn.example.com/interview.mp4"]]]));

$response = curl_exec($ch);
curl_close($ch);
$data = json_decode($response, true)["data"];

package main

import (
	"fmt"
	"io"
	"net/http"
	"bytes"
)

func main() {
	body := bytes.NewBufferString(`{
  "prompt": "Cut this interview into a 2-minute highlight reel with captions and music.",
  "files": [
    {
      "url": "https://cdn.example.com/interview.mp4"
    }
  ]
}`)
	req, _ := http.NewRequest("POST", "https://mcp.rendley.com/v1/agent", body)
	req.Header.Set("Authorization", "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY")
	req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
	res, _ := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
	defer res.Body.Close()
	b, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
	fmt.Println(string(b))
}

require "net/http"
require "json"

uri = URI("https://mcp.rendley.com/v1/agent")
req = Net::HTTP::Post.new(uri)
req["Authorization"] = "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
req["Content-Type"] = "application/json"
req.body = { prompt: "Cut this interview into a 2-minute highlight reel with captions and music.", files: [{ url: "https://cdn.example.com/interview.mp4" }] }.to_json

res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |http| http.request(req) }
data = JSON.parse(res.body)["data"]

API key

Body

promptREQUIREDstring

What you want done, in plain language.

project_idstring

Edit an existing project. When omitted, a new project is created.

filesobject[]

Media to bring in.

urlREQUIREDstring

Public https URL of the file.

thread_idstring

Continue a previous conversation.

Response

{
"job_id": "job_8f2c...",
"project_id": "prj_abc...",
"thread_id": "thr_xyz..."
}

#Step 2: Wait for the agent to finish

GETmcp.rendley.com/v1/jobs/{job_id}

Poll this endpoint every 3-5 seconds until status is completed or failed. The agent usually finishes in 1-3 minutes depending on what you asked for.

When the job completes, you get a project_url you can open in the browser to review and edit further. See Jobs and polling for the full polling loop.

curl "https://mcp.rendley.com/v1/jobs/{job_id}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

const res = await fetch("https://mcp.rendley.com/v1/jobs/{job_id}", {
  headers: { Authorization: "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" },
});
const { data } = await res.json();

import requests

res = requests.get(
    "https://mcp.rendley.com/v1/jobs/{job_id}",
    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"},
)
data = res.json()["data"]

$ch = curl_init("https://mcp.rendley.com/v1/jobs/{job_id}");
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, ["Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"]);

$response = curl_exec($ch);
curl_close($ch);
$data = json_decode($response, true)["data"];

package main

import (
	"fmt"
	"io"
	"net/http"
)

func main() {
	req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", "https://mcp.rendley.com/v1/jobs/{job_id}", nil)
	req.Header.Set("Authorization", "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY")
	res, _ := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
	defer res.Body.Close()
	b, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
	fmt.Println(string(b))
}

require "net/http"
require "json"

uri = URI("https://mcp.rendley.com/v1/jobs/{job_id}")
req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
req["Authorization"] = "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |http| http.request(req) }
data = JSON.parse(res.body)["data"]

API key

job_idREQUIREDstring

Response

{
"status": "completed",
"result": {
  "project_url": "https://app.rendley.com/project/prj_abc..."
}
}

At this point the project timeline is ready. You can stop here and use the editor, or continue to export a video file.

#Step 3: Export to MP4 (optional)

POST/v1/export

If you need a downloadable video file, start an export. This is a separate step because you might want to review the project first, or you might not need a rendered file at all.

curl -X POST "https://api.rendley.com/v1/export" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "project_id": "prj_abc...",
    "settings": {
      "target_resolution": "1080p",
      "codec": "h264"
    }
  }'

const res = await fetch("https://api.rendley.com/v1/export", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: { Authorization: "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY", "Content-Type": "application/json" },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    "project_id": "prj_abc...",
    "settings": {
      "target_resolution": "1080p",
      "codec": "h264"
    }
  }),
});
const { data } = await res.json();

import requests

res = requests.post(
    "https://api.rendley.com/v1/export",
    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={
      "project_id": "prj_abc...",
      "settings": {
        "target_resolution": "1080p",
        "codec": "h264"
      }
    },
)
data = res.json()["data"]

$ch = curl_init("https://api.rendley.com/v1/export");
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, "POST");
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, ["Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY", "Content-Type: application/json"]);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, json_encode(["project_id" => "prj_abc...", "settings" => ["target_resolution" => "1080p", "codec" => "h264"]]));

$response = curl_exec($ch);
curl_close($ch);
$data = json_decode($response, true)["data"];

package main

import (
	"fmt"
	"io"
	"net/http"
	"bytes"
)

func main() {
	body := bytes.NewBufferString(`{
  "project_id": "prj_abc...",
  "settings": {
    "target_resolution": "1080p",
    "codec": "h264"
  }
}`)
	req, _ := http.NewRequest("POST", "https://api.rendley.com/v1/export", body)
	req.Header.Set("Authorization", "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY")
	req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
	res, _ := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
	defer res.Body.Close()
	b, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
	fmt.Println(string(b))
}

require "net/http"
require "json"

uri = URI("https://api.rendley.com/v1/export")
req = Net::HTTP::Post.new(uri)
req["Authorization"] = "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
req["Content-Type"] = "application/json"
req.body = { project_id: "prj_abc...", settings: { target_resolution: "1080p", codec: "h264" } }.to_json

res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |http| http.request(req) }
data = JSON.parse(res.body)["data"]

API key

Body

project_idREQUIREDstring

The project to export.

settingsobject

Export settings.

target_resolutionstring

e.g. 1080p, 720p, 4k.

codecstring

e.g. h264, h265.

Response

{
"data": {
  "job_id": "job_9d3a..."
}
}

#Step 4: Download the rendered file

GET/v1/jobs/{job_id}

Poll this endpoint the same way until status is completed. The result_data field contains a storage_url you can download from. See Jobs and polling for the full polling loop.

The storage_url is a time-limited presigned link. Download the file soon after the export completes.

curl "https://api.rendley.com/v1/jobs/{job_id}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

const res = await fetch("https://api.rendley.com/v1/jobs/{job_id}", {
  headers: { Authorization: "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" },
});
const { data } = await res.json();

import requests

res = requests.get(
    "https://api.rendley.com/v1/jobs/{job_id}",
    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"},
)
data = res.json()["data"]

$ch = curl_init("https://api.rendley.com/v1/jobs/{job_id}");
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, ["Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"]);

$response = curl_exec($ch);
curl_close($ch);
$data = json_decode($response, true)["data"];

package main

import (
	"fmt"
	"io"
	"net/http"
)

func main() {
	req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", "https://api.rendley.com/v1/jobs/{job_id}", nil)
	req.Header.Set("Authorization", "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY")
	res, _ := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
	defer res.Body.Close()
	b, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
	fmt.Println(string(b))
}

require "net/http"
require "json"

uri = URI("https://api.rendley.com/v1/jobs/{job_id}")
req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
req["Authorization"] = "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |http| http.request(req) }
data = JSON.parse(res.body)["data"]

API key

job_idREQUIREDstring

Response

{
"data": {
  "status": "completed",
  "result_data": "{\"storage_url\":\"https://storage.rendley.com/exports/...mp4\",\"media_id\":\"med_...\"}"
}
}

#Continuing a conversation

POSTmcp.rendley.com/v1/agent

To make follow-up edits, send another request with the same project_id and thread_id. The agent keeps the full context of what it did before.

curl -X POST "https://mcp.rendley.com/v1/agent" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "prompt": "Make the intro shorter and add a call-to-action at the end.",
    "project_id": "prj_abc...",
    "thread_id": "thr_xyz..."
  }'

const res = await fetch("https://mcp.rendley.com/v1/agent", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: { Authorization: "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY", "Content-Type": "application/json" },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    "prompt": "Make the intro shorter and add a call-to-action at the end.",
    "project_id": "prj_abc...",
    "thread_id": "thr_xyz..."
  }),
});
const { data } = await res.json();

import requests

res = requests.post(
    "https://mcp.rendley.com/v1/agent",
    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={
      "prompt": "Make the intro shorter and add a call-to-action at the end.",
      "project_id": "prj_abc...",
      "thread_id": "thr_xyz..."
    },
)
data = res.json()["data"]

$ch = curl_init("https://mcp.rendley.com/v1/agent");
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, "POST");
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, ["Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY", "Content-Type: application/json"]);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, json_encode(["prompt" => "Make the intro shorter and add a call-to-action at the end.", "project_id" => "prj_abc...", "thread_id" => "thr_xyz..."]));

$response = curl_exec($ch);
curl_close($ch);
$data = json_decode($response, true)["data"];

package main

import (
	"fmt"
	"io"
	"net/http"
	"bytes"
)

func main() {
	body := bytes.NewBufferString(`{
  "prompt": "Make the intro shorter and add a call-to-action at the end.",
  "project_id": "prj_abc...",
  "thread_id": "thr_xyz..."
}`)
	req, _ := http.NewRequest("POST", "https://mcp.rendley.com/v1/agent", body)
	req.Header.Set("Authorization", "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY")
	req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
	res, _ := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
	defer res.Body.Close()
	b, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
	fmt.Println(string(b))
}

require "net/http"
require "json"

uri = URI("https://mcp.rendley.com/v1/agent")
req = Net::HTTP::Post.new(uri)
req["Authorization"] = "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
req["Content-Type"] = "application/json"
req.body = { prompt: "Make the intro shorter and add a call-to-action at the end.", project_id: "prj_abc...", thread_id: "thr_xyz..." }.to_json

res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |http| http.request(req) }
data = JSON.parse(res.body)["data"]

API key

Body

promptREQUIREDstring

The follow-up instruction.

project_idREQUIREDstring

The same project from the first request.

thread_idREQUIREDstring

The thread_id returned from the first request.