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create-video▌

heygen-com/skills · updated Apr 8, 2026

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$npx skills add https://github.com/heygen-com/skills --skill create-video
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summary

Generate complete videos from a text prompt. Describe what you want and the AI handles script writing, avatar selection, visuals, voiceover, pacing, and captions automatically.

skill.md

Create Video

Generate complete videos from a text prompt. Describe what you want and the AI handles script writing, avatar selection, visuals, voiceover, pacing, and captions automatically.

Authentication

All requests require the X-Api-Key header. Set the HEYGEN_API_KEY environment variable.

curl -X POST "https://api.heygen.com/v3/video-agents" \
  -H "X-Api-Key: $HEYGEN_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"prompt": "Create a 60-second product demo video."}'

Tool Selection

If HeyGen MCP tools are available (mcp__heygen__*), prefer them over direct HTTP API calls — they handle authentication and request formatting automatically.

Task MCP Tool Fallback (Direct API)
Generate video from prompt mcp__heygen__generate_video_agent POST /v3/video-agents
Check video status / get URL mcp__heygen__get_video GET /v3/videos/{video_id}
List account videos mcp__heygen__list_videos GET /v3/videos
Delete a video mcp__heygen__delete_video DELETE /v3/videos/{video_id}

If no HeyGen MCP tools are available, use direct HTTP API calls as documented in the reference files.

Default Workflow

Always use prompt-optimizer.md guidelines to structure prompts with scenes, timing, and visual styles.

With MCP tools:

  1. Write an optimized prompt using prompt-optimizer.md → visual-styles.md
  2. Call mcp__heygen__generate_video_agent with prompt and config (duration_sec, orientation, avatar_id)
  3. Call mcp__heygen__get_video with the returned video_id to poll status and get the download URL

Without MCP tools (direct API):

  1. Write an optimized prompt using prompt-optimizer.md → visual-styles.md
  2. POST /v3/video-agents — see video-agent.md
  3. GET /v3/videos/<id> — see video-status.md

Reference Files

Read these as needed — they contain endpoint details, request/response schemas, and code examples (curl, TypeScript, Python).

Core workflow:

Foundation:

Best Practices

  1. Optimize your prompt — quality depends entirely on prompt structure. Always use the prompt optimizer
  2. Lock avatar if needed — pass avatar_id for consistency across videos
  3. Specify voice — pass voice_id for a specific narrator voice
  4. Upload reference files — help the agent understand your brand/product
  5. Iterate on prompts — refine based on results; Video Agent is great for quick iterations
how to use create-video

How to use create-video on Cursor

AI-first code editor with Composer

1

Prerequisites

Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:

  • ›Cursor installed and configured on your development machine
  • ›Node.js version 16.0+ with npm package manager (verify with node --version)
  • ›Active project directory or workspace where you want to add create-video
2

Execute installation command

Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:

$npx skills add https://github.com/heygen-com/skills --skill create-video

The skills CLI fetches create-video from GitHub repository heygen-com/skills and configures it for Cursor.

3

Select Cursor when prompted

The CLI will show a list of available agents. Use arrow keys to navigate and space to select Cursor:

◆ Which agents do you want to install to?
│
│ ── Universal (.agents/skills) ── always included ────
│ • Amp
│ • Antigravity
│ • Cline
│ • Codex
│ ●Cursor(selected)
│ • Cursor
│ • Windsurf
4

Verify installation

Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:

.cursor/skills/create-video

Reload or restart Cursor to activate create-video. Access the skill through slash commands (e.g., /create-video) or your agent's skill management interface.

⚠

Security & Verification Notice

We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.

Skills execute code in your development environment. Always verify the publisher's identity, review recent commits, and test in isolated environments before production deployment.

Additional Resources

›View source code on GitHub›Skills CLI documentation›Learn more about Cursor›What are agent skills?

List & Monetize Your Skill

Submit your Claude Code skill and start earning

GET_STARTED →

Use Cases▌

Task Automation & Efficiency

Automate repetitive workflows and reduce manual effort

Example

Generate reports, summarize documents, draft communications

✓

Save 3-5 hours per week on routine tasks

Knowledge Enhancement

Learn new skills, understand complex topics, get expert guidance

Example

Explain concepts, provide examples, suggest learning resources

✓

Accelerate learning and skill development by 2x

Quality Improvement

Enhance output quality through reviews, suggestions, and refinements

Example

Review drafts, suggest improvements, catch errors

✓

Improve work quality by 30-40% with less effort

Implementation Guide▌

Prerequisites

  • ›Claude Desktop or compatible AI client with skill support
  • ›Clear understanding of task or problem to solve
  • ›Willingness to iterate and refine outputs

Time Estimate

15-45 minutes depending on use case complexity

Installation Steps

  1. 1.Install skill using provided installation command
  2. 2.Test with simple use case relevant to your work
  3. 3.Evaluate output quality and relevance
  4. 4.Iterate on prompts to improve results
  5. 5.Integrate into regular workflow if valuable

Common Pitfalls

  • ⚠Expecting perfect results without iteration
  • ⚠Not providing enough context in prompts
  • ⚠Using skill for tasks outside its intended scope
  • ⚠Accepting outputs without review and validation

Best Practices▌

✓ Do

  • +Start with clear, specific prompts
  • +Provide relevant context and constraints
  • +Review and refine all outputs before using
  • +Iterate to improve output quality
  • +Document successful prompt patterns

✗ Don't

  • −Don't use without understanding skill limitations
  • −Don't skip validation of outputs
  • −Don't share sensitive information in prompts
  • −Don't expect skill to replace human judgment

💡 Pro Tips

  • ★Be specific about desired format and style
  • ★Ask for multiple options to choose from
  • ★Request explanations to understand reasoning
  • ★Combine AI efficiency with human expertise

When to Use This▌

✓ Use When

Use when skill capabilities match your task, clear ROI on time saved, and you can validate outputs. Best for repetitive tasks, learning, and quality improvement.

✗ Avoid When

Avoid when task requires deep expertise you can't validate, involves sensitive decisions, or when learning process is more valuable than speed of completion.

Learning Path▌

  1. 1Familiarize yourself with skill capabilities and limitations
  2. 2Start with low-risk, non-critical tasks
  3. 3Progress to more complex and valuable use cases
  4. 4Build expertise through regular use and experimentation

Discussion

Product Hunt–style comments (not star reviews)
  • No comments yet — start the thread.
general reviews

Ratings

4.6★★★★★55 reviews
  • ★★★★★Fatima Rahman· Dec 28, 2024

    Keeps context tight: create-video is the kind of skill you can hand to a new teammate without a long onboarding doc.

  • ★★★★★Chaitanya Patil· Dec 20, 2024

    Registry listing for create-video matched our evaluation — installs cleanly and behaves as described in the markdown.

  • ★★★★★Mei Sanchez· Dec 20, 2024

    create-video reduced setup friction for our internal harness; good balance of opinion and flexibility.

  • ★★★★★Kofi Okafor· Dec 4, 2024

    create-video is among the better-maintained entries we tried; worth keeping pinned for repeat workflows.

  • ★★★★★Arjun Bansal· Nov 19, 2024

    I recommend create-video for anyone iterating fast on agent tooling; clear intent and a small, reviewable surface area.

  • ★★★★★Piyush G· Nov 11, 2024

    create-video reduced setup friction for our internal harness; good balance of opinion and flexibility.

  • ★★★★★Mei Jackson· Nov 11, 2024

    Registry listing for create-video matched our evaluation — installs cleanly and behaves as described in the markdown.

  • ★★★★★Tariq Menon· Oct 10, 2024

    create-video reduced setup friction for our internal harness; good balance of opinion and flexibility.

  • ★★★★★Shikha Mishra· Oct 2, 2024

    I recommend create-video for anyone iterating fast on agent tooling; clear intent and a small, reviewable surface area.

  • ★★★★★Li Thompson· Oct 2, 2024

    Keeps context tight: create-video is the kind of skill you can hand to a new teammate without a long onboarding doc.

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