Understand This Video For Me AI Plugin

Understand This Video For Me AI Plugin

Let any AI watch and hear a video. Give Claude, Cursor, Grok Bot or any MCP client a local video file or a YouTube / Vimeo / Loom link, and it gets back what it can actually read:

• 8–20 timestamped key frames (scene changes, duplicates removed, small JPEGs)
• a timestamped transcript (site captions when available, otherwise local Whisper)
• one contact-sheet image with all frames in a grid
• one context.md timeline mixing what was shown and what was said

Everything runs 100% on your computer. Your videos never leave it.

Price

$49 one-time. Lifetime license, up to 3 of your devices. No subscription. Buy: https://understandvideo.shipmonthly.com

No refunds for change of mind. If it won't work on your computer, email me within 7 days and I'll fix it or refund you.

Install: pick your app

You need your license key (it's in your purchase email). Buy one at https://understandvideo.shipmonthly.com. Works on Mac and Windows.

Step 0 for everyone: run the installer once. It adds everything the plugin needs (ffmpeg, Python, the transcript tools), registers Claude Desktop and Cursor for you, and asks for your license key.

• Mac
  1. Open the repo page, click the green Code button, then Download ZIP. Double-click the ZIP to unzip it.
  2. Open Terminal (press Cmd+Space, type Terminal, press Enter). Type cd (with a space after it), drag the unzipped folder into the Terminal window, press Enter.
  3. Type bash install.sh and press Enter. When it asks, paste your license key and press Enter.
• Windows
  1. Same download: Code, Download ZIP, then right-click the ZIP and choose Extract All.
  2. Open the extracted folder, right-click install.ps1, choose Run with PowerShell.
  3. When it asks, paste your license key and press Enter.

When it says "Done", the plugin lives in ~/.video-context/app (Windows: C:\Users\YOURNAME\.video-context\app). Now follow the section for your app. To activate later instead: understand-this-video activate YOUR-KEY.

The path the other apps need (replace YOURNAME with your computer user name):

• Mac: /Users/YOURNAME/.video-context/app/bin/understand-this-video-mcp
• Windows: C:\Users\YOURNAME\.video-context\app\Scripts\understand-this-video-mcp.exe

Claude Desktop

1. Run the installer above (it registers Claude Desktop for you).
2. Fully quit Claude Desktop (Mac: Cmd+Q; Windows: right-click its icon in the tray, Quit) and open it again.
3. Start a new chat and type: Understand this video for me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLTDLeDRrw4. If Claude asks permission to use the plugin, click Allow.

How to check it works: open Settings, Developer. "Understand This Video For Me" should show as running. In chat, Claude answers using frames and quotes with times like [00:21].

One-click alternative (needs Python 3 and ffmpeg already installed): download understand-this-video.mcpb from Releases, double-click it, click Install, and paste your license key when asked.

Cursor

1. Run the installer above (it registers Cursor for you). Restart Cursor.
2. Open Cursor Settings (Mac: Cmd+Shift+J; Windows: Ctrl+Shift+J), click Tools & MCP (or MCP).
3. To add it by hand instead, open the file ~/.cursor/mcp.json (Windows: C:\Users\YOURNAME\.cursor\mcp.json) and paste this, using your path from above: json { "mcpServers": { "Understand This Video For Me": { "command": "/Users/YOURNAME/.video-context/app/bin/understand-this-video-mcp", "args": [] } } }

How to check it works: in Cursor Settings, "Understand This Video For Me" has a green dot. In the Agent chat type Understand this video for me: /path/to/video.mp4.

Claude Code

1. Run the installer above.
2. Open Terminal (Windows: PowerShell) and paste one line.
   • Mac: claude mcp add understand-this-video -- ~/.video-context/app/bin/understand-this-video-mcp
   • Windows: claude mcp add understand-this-video -- "$env:USERPROFILE\.video-context\app\Scripts\understand-this-video-mcp.exe"
3. Start claude and ask: Understand this video for me: ~/Desktop/video.mp4.

How to check it works: type claude mcp list. You should see understand-this-video marked Connected.

Grok Bot

Grok Bot works on its own cloud computer, so it can't use a program on your laptop. You ask the Bot to set the plugin up on its computer. It then works on video links and on files you give the Bot (not on files that stay on your laptop).

1. Open a chat with your Bot.

2. Send this message:

   Please install the Understand This Video For Me plugin on your own computer: run pip install "video-context-ai[all] @ git+https://github.com/africaappstudio-max/understand-this-video-mcp.git" (install ffmpeg first if it's missing). Then add a command (stdio) MCP server named "Understand This Video For Me" with the command understand-this-video-mcp. Ask me for my license key with a secure secret request (never in chat or in the command), then run understand-this-video activate with it.

3. When the Bot asks for the key, enter it in the secure box it shows.

How to check it works: ask the Bot "Which tools does Understand This Video For Me have?" It should name understand_this_video. Then send a YouTube link and ask what happens in it.

Grok Build (command line): grok mcp add understand-this-video -- ~/.video-context/app/bin/understand-this-video-mcp

Windsurf, VS Code, LM Studio, Cline

Run the installer first. Then open your app's MCP settings file and paste the same block as in the Cursor section (with your path):

• Windsurf: click the MCP icon in the Cascade panel, then Configure. The file is ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json.
• LM Studio: open the Program tab on the right, click Install, then Edit mcp.json.
• Cline: click the MCP Servers icon, then Configure MCP Servers.
• VS Code (Copilot): press Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P, run MCP: Open User Configuration, and paste this instead (VS Code uses the word servers): json { "servers": { "Understand This Video For Me": { "type": "stdio", "command": "/Users/YOURNAME/.video-context/app/bin/understand-this-video-mcp", "args": [] } } }

How to check it works: the server shows as running or connected in that app's MCP list, and the app lists the tool understand_this_video.

If something goes wrong

• "License error": run understand-this-video activate YOUR-KEY (Mac: ~/.video-context/app/bin/understand-this-video activate YOUR-KEY).
• "ffmpeg not found": Mac: brew install ffmpeg. Windows: winget install ffmpeg. Then restart the app.
• A YouTube link fails: some videos block downloads. Download the video yourself and give the AI the file path.
• Still stuck? Email video@shipmonthly.com.

Example prompts

1. "Watch ~/Downloads/demo.mp4 and write the step-by-step instructions it shows."
2. *"Summarize this YouTube video with timestamps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=..."*
3. "Look at this screen recording of my bug, ~/Desktop/bug.mov, and tell me what went wrong."

Tool

understand_this_video: input source (file path or URL) plus optional options. Returns the frames as images, the transcript and the timeline.

Privacy

Videos are processed locally. The only network call is the license check with Freemius. See PRIVACY.md.

Support

video@shipmonthly.com

Demo video used on the website: "The Babbling Brooke" (YouTube zLTDLeDRrw4), CC BY.

Proprietary software © 2026 Ship Monthly. The source is visible, but use needs a paid license. See LICENSE.