papercut-explainer skill
Nine skills and a Remotion library make short vertical explainer reels in a layered paper-cut style, from strategy to render.
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Extended access
Why this level
- The installer creates links in skill folders, can download a multi-gigabyte voice model and runs Node.js, ffmpeg and Python on your machine.
Install
- Works in
In your terminal, with SkillFoxx CLI
npx skillfoxx add skills/papercut-explainerDetects the agents on your machine, shows the access level and pins the version.
Other ways to install
Access and checks
How we reviewExtended accessThe tool runs code or makes network calls and only reads external data.
- The installer creates links in skill folders, can download a multi-gigabyte voice model and runs Node.js, ffmpeg and Python on your machine.
This is third-party code. Review the repository files before installing.
What it does
papercut-explainer drives making a vertical reel in a layered paper style with your coding agent: Claude Code, OpenCode, Codex, Gemini CLI, Cursor or Copilot. Nine skills walk the whole path: strategy, hook, script, storyboard, voice, build and quality check, plus an installer. A `papercut-scene` subagent builds scenes in parallel. The skills come with a Remotion library: a paper component kit, 24 backdrops, 17 camera moves, 10 transitions, film-look layers, 79 sound effects and 8 music beds, synthesized with no licensed files. A request such as explain this repo in 25 seconds becomes a script, a camera plan and finished scenes, with voice made locally or a placeholder.
Who it is for. Short vertical video makers and developers who need a reel about a repository or product with no manual editing.
Good fit when
- A 25-second what does this repo do reel is needed for Reels or Shorts.
- A story is built from a ready format: hook, script, storyboard with camera moves.
- Voice-over must run locally, with no text sent to external services.
- A series in one style is built from a shared component library.
- Finished scenes are checked with frame contact sheets before render.
Not a fit when
- You need live video processing; the project makes paper-style animation only.
- You need a landscape format; backdrops and camera are built for 1080 by 1920.
- The machine lacks Node.js 20, ffmpeg and Python 3.
Example request
Make a 25-second paper-cut reel that explains this repository, starting with strategy and hook.Limitations
It needs Node.js 20 or newer, npm, ffmpeg, rsync and Python 3. Installing with `npx skills` adds only the skills, not the Remotion library and scripts; the `papercut-setup` skill clones the repository for those. The Full install mode downloads the local Qwen3-TTS voice model and needs 4–6 GB. Without voice, a reel renders with a silent placeholder. The installer creates symlinks in the skill folders of detected agents and supports `--dry-run` for a preview.
How to disable. Run `./install.sh --uninstall`, which removes the links it made. Delete the cloned folder and downloaded models by hand.
FAQ
How do I install papercut-explainer?
Run `npx skills add 0xS4N4TG/papercut-explainer` for skills only, or `git clone` and `./install.sh` for everything with the Remotion library.
Which agents work?
Claude Code, OpenCode, Codex, Gemini CLI, Cursor, Copilot and any tool that reads the Agent Skills format. The installer finds them itself.
Is local voice required?
No. Minimal and Standard modes use a placeholder, and Full installs a 4–6 GB Qwen3-TTS model for local voice.
What is in the library?
Paper components, 24 backdrops, 17 camera moves, 10 transitions, film-look layers, 79 effects and 8 music beds.
How do I try it without installing everything?
`./install.sh --mode minimal` installs only the skills and the subagent. Script, hook and storyboard work, but nothing renders.
Discussion
No questions or reviews yet.
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README in short
The repository has two layers: nine skills and a Remotion library. Install modes, a table of supported agents and two example reels in `examples` follow.
README badge
Original SKILL.md
---
name: papercut-explainer
description: Make a papercut reel, video or explainer end to end. Short vertical (9:16) cut-paper explainers from a link (repo, product page, announcement), idea to mp4. Also routes partial asks to the stage skills and hands out the style prompt for other tools.
---
# Papercut Explainer
A ~20-45 s vertical explainer that looks like layered construction paper brought to life: grainy paper props with drop shadows, rigid cut-out animation, a slow camera push with stop-motion paper boil, a taped headline banner per beat and word-by-word torn-paper caption tags. Built with Remotion, optional AI-generated textured assets, and any TTS.
Every beat runs three tracks:
- the voiceover tells the story
- the taped banner adds a hard fact the voiceover skips
- a fresh paper set illustrates the voiceover's words, with a rough papercut rebuild of the product UI doing the demo
Reuse the style and the storytelling, not the worked examples' content. Every product, company and number in the examples is invented. The style rules are in `references/style-guide.md` (section 2 is the Style DNA).
## Preflight
- **Library.** Resolve `$PAPERCUT_LIB`, else the `PAPERCUT_LIB=` line in `${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-~/.config}/papercut-explainer/config.env`, else ask once. Never hard-code a machine path. Stages 1 to 4 need no library.
- **Install mode.** Probe it before promising a stage (see Install modes below).
- **Series.** Find the series folder (it holds `episodes/`). Read its `SERIES.md` if it exists.
## Run modes (ask first)
1. **Full reel**, idea to mp4: stages 1 to 8, then stage 9 after posting.
2. **Script only**: strategy, hook, script (stop after the staging table).
3. **Storyboard from an existing script**: `papercut-storyboard`. Ask for the script, the facts and the HOOK block.
4. **Style prompt for another tool**: give the right block from `references/style-prompt.md` and stop.
5. **Fix or rebuild one scene**: `papercut-build` (scenes step), then `papercut-qa`.
## Intake (ask only what is missing)
- **Source**: usually a link (repo, product site, announcement). Everything else is researched from it.
- **The one claim** the video proves, and the topic.
- **Role framing**: who or what does the work, who advises or approves. Confirm it with the user and never invent product behaviour.
- **CTA keyword** and what the viewer gets (the deliverable).
- **Length**: default 22-30 s.
- **Audience level** (from `SERIES.md`) and any accent colour or mascot.
Write the answers as the BRIEF block at the top of `episodes/NN-slug/research/facts.md` (format in `papercut-strategy`).