Install auto-editor with Homebrew, apt, Nix

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• auto-editor

Project history

The public repository was created in April 2020. The README describes the core idea: before real editing, remove dead space such as silence, a boring first pass for long videos.

The project has evolved substantially. Current docs describe label-based editing, actions for cutting, speed changes, audio and video effects, timeline formats, URL input through yt-dlp, and exports for Premiere, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro, ShotCut, Kdenlive, clips, JSON timelines, and related formats.

Recent official releases show very active maintenance. The 30.x and 31.x series added layered video compositing, OpenTimelineIO export, hardware encoder support, expanded action labels, black-frame detection, ducking, de-essing, keyframed visual actions, and FFmpeg updates.

Adoption history

auto-editor documents official binaries for Windows, macOS, and Linux as the recommended install path, plus Homebrew on macOS, Arch AUR, and source builds with Nim. Its docs explicitly note that the CLI is no longer published on pip and recommend switching to other installation methods.

Homebrew currently packages auto-editor 31.0.2 from the official GitHub tag and shows stronger formula analytics than the smaller tools in this batch. The input package-manager facts also list Debian, Ubuntu, and Nix packaging, making it a cross-distro media CLI rather than a single-ecosystem package.

How it is used

The simplest invocation is `auto-editor path/to/video.mp4`, using audio analysis by default to cut inactive sections. Users tune pacing with `--margin`, `--smooth`, and `--edit`, and use `--when-active` and `--when-inactive` actions to keep, cut, speed up, or transform segments.

More advanced usage treats auto-editor as a timeline compiler: it can export to NLE formats, generate or consume timeline JSON, handle URL inputs through yt-dlp, normalize audio, mix streams, choose codecs, and render through bundled or system FFmpeg paths depending on build and platform.

Why package nerds care

auto-editor is package-nerd significant because its packaging moved with its implementation and distribution strategy. It used to be familiar to Python/pip users, but current official docs steer users toward standalone binaries, Homebrew, AUR, and Nim-based source builds.

It is also a good example of a CLI where package-manager users care about bundled multimedia dependencies. Releases mention FFmpeg versions and hardware encoder support, and the Homebrew formula supplies a repeatable install path for a tool that otherwise spans codecs, NLE interchange formats, and platform-specific binaries.

Timeline

• 2020: Public GitHub repository created.
• 2020s: Project grows from silence-cutting automation into a broader media timeline and export CLI.
• 2025-2026: Official docs state the CLI is no longer published on pip and recommend binaries or platform package managers.
• 2026-05: 30.3.0 adds OpenTimelineIO export and visual actions.
• 2026-06: 31.0.0 expands edit labels to 255 and adds new actions; 31.0.2 updates FFmpeg and fixes rendering issues.

Related projects

• auto-editor integrates conceptually and practically with FFmpeg, yt-dlp, Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro, ShotCut, Kdenlive, OpenTimelineIO, Nim, Homebrew, and Arch AUR.

Sources

• https://api.github.com/repos/WyattBlue/auto-editor
• https://auto-editor.com/docs
• https://auto-editor.com/docs/actions
• https://auto-editor.com/installing
• https://auto-editor.com/ref/options
• https://formulae.brew.sh/api/formula/auto-editor.json
• https://github.com/WyattBlue/auto-editor#readme
• https://github.com/WyattBlue/auto-editor/releases
• source_facts.package-manager