Cut the dead air out of your talking videos with Claude Code

1. Workflow

1. Set up once: install Claude Code (desktop app: open the Code tab; or the terminal command on Anthropic's overview page) and install FFmpeg from a build linked on ffmpeg.org. Put your raw video in its own folder and keep a backup copy.

   Tool

   Claude Code + FFmpeg

   Why

   Anthropic's docs say Claude Code reads and edits files and runs commands on your machine, in the terminal or the desktop app (checked Oct 28, 2026). FFmpeg does the actual cutting; ffmpeg.org notes it only ships source code and links to compiled builds.

   Cost

   $0 for FFmpeg. Claude Code needs a paid Claude plan (see routes).

2. Decide your cut rules: how long a pause must be before it goes, how quiet counts as silence, how much breathing room to keep around words, and any quiet moments that must stay.

   Tool

   Claude (ChatGPT or Grok also fine)

   Why

   FFmpeg's silencedetect filter flags audio at or below a noise level (in dB) that lasts at least a set duration; its defaults are -60 dB and 2 seconds, which is far too gentle for punchy social video, so you set your own (FFmpeg filter docs, checked Oct 28, 2026).

   Cost

   $0 on Free plans.

   Copy prompt Paste into any chatbot. Have the video's file name and rough length ready.

   Preview prompt: Cut rules for my talking video

   ROLE You are a short-form video editor who sets the rules for trimming dead air and pauses out of talking-to-camera videos. GOAL Help me write a short, exact set of cut rules that Claude Code will follow to remove the silent gaps from my raw talking-head video. WHAT THE NEXT STEP NEEDS For Step 3: the video file name, how long a pause must be before it is cut, how quiet counts as silence (in dB), how much breathing room to keep around each cut, whether to keep the very start and end, the output shape and file name, and what must never be cut. HOW TO WORK WITH ME Do not write the deliverable yet. Interview me first. - Ask your questions ONE AT A TIME and wait for my answer before asking the next. (If I ask for speed, you may ask a short numbered batch of at most 4 questions instead.) - With every question, offer 2-3 sensible example answers or a default, so I can reply "default" or pick one. - If an answer is vague, ask one follow-up. If I don't know, choose a sensible default and tell me what you chose. - Do not generate the deliverable until I have answered every question. When you have enough, give me a 3-5 line summary of what you understood and ask me to confirm. - Do not invent facts about me, my business or the tools. If you are unsure, say so. QUESTIONS TO COVER (in a sensible order, skip any I already answered above) 1. What is the video and where will it be posted? (Examples: a 9:16 Reel or Short; a 16:9 YouTube video; a course lesson. Default: 9:16 for Reels, Shorts and TikTok.) 2. Roughly how long is the raw recording, and what is the file name? (Example: raw-take-01.mp4.) 3. How fast should it feel? (Examples: "punchy, cut every pause over 0.4 s"; "natural, cut pauses over 0.8 s". Default: cut pauses longer than 0.6 seconds.) 4. How noisy is the room? (Examples: quiet home office; fan or traffic in the background; music playing. Default: treat anything quieter than -35 dB as silence, and we will test and adjust.) 5. How much padding should stay around each cut so words don't get clipped? (Default: keep 0.15 seconds before and after each spoken part.) 6. Is there anything that must stay even if it is quiet? (Examples: a dramatic pause at a timestamp; a product demo with no talking from 0:40 to 0:55. Default: none.) 7. What should the finished file be called, and should Claude also give me a list of the cuts it made? (Default: same name with -tight added, plus a cut list.) THE DELIVERABLE (only after I confirm) 1. FILES: input file name and output file name. 2. SILENCE RULE: the dB threshold and the minimum pause length in seconds. 3. PADDING: seconds to keep before and after each spoken part. 4. KEEP LIST: any time ranges that must not be cut, as start-end timestamps. 5. OUTPUT: shape, and that the audio and video must stay in sync with no re-ordering. 6. CHECKS: ask for a cut list (start and end of each removed gap), the old and new length, and a short preview before the full export. Put the deliverable inside one clearly delimited block that starts with a line "=== COPY START ===" and ends with a line "=== COPY END ===", with no commentary inside the block. Put any notes outside it. AFTER THE DELIVERABLE Ask me: "Anything to tweak?" If I ask for changes, revise and give me the full updated block again between the same markers. Repeat until I say it is good. FINISH When I'm happy, end with one line telling me what to do next: copy the block and paste it into the Step 3 prompt in Claude Code, opened in the folder that holds the video.

3. Open Claude Code in the video's folder, paste the Step 3 prompt and your cut-rules block, approve each command when asked, and check the 60-second test before it exports the full video as a new file.

   Tool

   Claude Code

   Why

   Claude Code runs FFmpeg for you and turns the list of silent gaps into the parts to keep, so you never type the commands yourself. Testing a short clip first catches clipped words before you spend time on the full export.

   Cost

   Uses your Claude plan's usage limits.

   Copy prompt Paste into Claude Code opened in the folder with your video, then paste your cut-rules block from Step 2.

   Preview prompt: Cut the silences with FFmpeg

   ROLE You are a careful video editing assistant working on my computer with FFmpeg. You remove silent gaps from a talking-to-camera video, and you never delete or overwrite my original file. GOAL Use my cut rules to find the pauses in my video with FFmpeg's silencedetect filter, cut them out, and export a tighter copy, checking with me before the full export. WHAT THE NEXT STEP NEEDS For Step 4: a new video file (the original untouched), a cut list showing every removed gap, and the old and new length, so I can watch it and fix anything that sounds clipped. HOW TO WORK WITH ME Do not write the deliverable yet. Interview me first. - Ask your questions ONE AT A TIME and wait for my answer before asking the next. (If I ask for speed, you may ask a short numbered batch of at most 4 questions instead.) - With every question, offer 2-3 sensible example answers or a default, so I can reply "default" or pick one. - If an answer is vague, ask one follow-up. If I don't know, choose a sensible default and tell me what you chose. - Do not generate the deliverable until I have answered every question. When you have enough, give me a 3-5 line summary of what you understood and ask me to confirm. - Do not invent facts about me, my business or the tools. If you are unsure, say so. QUESTIONS TO COVER (in a sensible order, skip any I already answered above) 1. Paste the cut-rules block from Step 2. (Required. If I haven't pasted it, ask for it first.) 2. Is FFmpeg installed? (Check by running ffmpeg -version and tell me the result. If it is missing, tell me how to install it for my system and stop until I confirm.) 3. Confirm the video file is in this folder and that you will write a new file and never change or delete the original. (Default: yes, new file only.) 4. Should you first run a test on only the first 60 seconds so I can check the settings? (Default: yes.) 5. Do you need to explain each command before you run it? (Default: give a one-line plain-English summary before each command.) THE DELIVERABLE (only after I confirm) 1. Run silencedetect with my dB threshold and minimum pause length, and show me the list of silent gaps it found (start, end, length). 2. Turn that list into the parts to keep, adding my padding on both sides and honoring my keep list. Merge any keeps that overlap. 3. Export the 60-second test, tell me the file name, and wait for me to say it sounds right. If words are clipped, suggest a lower threshold or more padding and try again. 4. After I approve, export the full video as a new file, with audio and video in sync. 5. Give me the cut list, the original and new length, and the exact settings used, so I can reuse them. Put the final cut list and settings inside one clearly delimited block that starts with a line "=== COPY START ===" and ends with a line "=== COPY END ===", with no commentary inside the block. Put any notes outside it. AFTER THE DELIVERABLE Ask me: "Anything to tweak?" If I ask for changes, revise and give me the full updated block again between the same markers. Repeat until I say it is good. FINISH When I'm happy, end with one line telling me what to do next: watch the new file all the way through on my phone (Step 4), then save these settings as a skill (Step 5).

4. Watch the new file all the way through on your phone. Listen for clipped first or last words and jumpy cuts; if you hear any, ask Claude Code for more padding or a lower threshold and export again. Then add captions, music and your hook in your usual editor.

   Tool

   Your phone, then any video editor

   Why

   Silence detection only hears loudness, not meaning, so a breath, a soft word or background noise can fool it. A full watch-through is the only real check.

   Cost

   $0 to check. Editor costs vary (cost not sourced).

5. Save it as a skill so next time is one command: paste the Step 5 prompt in the same Claude Code session and let it write a personal skill (for example /cut-silences) with your settings.

   Tool

   Claude Code (skills)

   Why

   Anthropic's skills docs say to create a skill when you keep pasting the same instructions, and that a personal skill saved at ~/.claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md works across all your projects and runs when you type /skill-name (checked Oct 28, 2026).

   Cost

   $0 beyond your Claude plan.

   Copy prompt Paste into the same Claude Code session right after Step 3, so it remembers the settings that worked.

   Preview prompt: Save this as a reusable skill

   ROLE You are a Claude Code skill writer who turns a workflow I just finished into a reusable personal skill. GOAL Save the silence-cutting workflow we just used as a personal Claude Code skill, so next time I can type one slash command instead of pasting prompts. WHAT THE NEXT STEP NEEDS For my next video: a SKILL.md saved at ~/.claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md that runs the same steps with my saved settings and still asks before the full export. HOW TO WORK WITH ME Do not write the deliverable yet. Interview me first. - Ask your questions ONE AT A TIME and wait for my answer before asking the next. (If I ask for speed, you may ask a short numbered batch of at most 4 questions instead.) - With every question, offer 2-3 sensible example answers or a default, so I can reply "default" or pick one. - If an answer is vague, ask one follow-up. If I don't know, choose a sensible default and tell me what you chose. - Do not generate the deliverable until I have answered every question. When you have enough, give me a 3-5 line summary of what you understood and ask me to confirm. - Do not invent facts about me, my business or the tools. If you are unsure, say so. QUESTIONS TO COVER (in a sensible order, skip any I already answered above) 1. What should the command be called? (Examples: cut-silences; tighten-video. Default: cut-silences.) 2. Which settings should be the defaults? (Default: the threshold, pause length and padding we just used.) 3. Should the skill always do a 60-second test first? (Default: yes.) 4. Should only I be able to run it, or may Claude use it on its own when I mention a video? (Default: only when I type the command.) THE DELIVERABLE (only after I confirm) 1. Show me the full SKILL.md: a short description, my default settings, the steps (check FFmpeg, find silences, build the keep list with padding, test export, wait for my OK, full export to a new file, cut list), and the rule never to change or delete the original file. 2. After I approve the text, create the folder and save the file, then tell me the exact path and the command to type. Put the SKILL.md text inside one clearly delimited block that starts with a line "=== COPY START ===" and ends with a line "=== COPY END ===", with no commentary inside the block. Put any notes outside it. AFTER THE DELIVERABLE Ask me: "Anything to tweak?" If I ask for changes, revise and give me the full updated block again between the same markers. Repeat until I say it is good. FINISH When I'm happy, end with one line telling me what to do next: open Claude Code in a folder with my next raw video and type the slash command.

2. Recommended tool chain

1. Claude Code + FFmpeg
2. Claude (ChatGPT or Grok also fine)
3. Claude Code
4. Your phone, then any video editor
5. Claude Code (skills)

3. Total cost

Unpriced items are left out of the total (marked “cost not sourced”), so the real total is higher. All totals are our arithmetic from sourced unit prices.

4. Current promos

No active promos found for these tools.

5. Learn it

Last verified Oct 28, 2026. Items older than 30 days are marked.

6. Caveats and assumptions

• Silence detection goes by loudness only. Background noise, music or a quiet speaker can stop it cutting, and a soft word can get cut; always test on a short clip and watch the full result.
• Keep your original file. The prompts tell Claude Code to write a new file, but approve each command and keep a backup anyway.
• Claude Code runs commands on your computer and counts toward your Claude usage limits.
• Prices are list prices on the checked date; totals are our arithmetic.

Last verified Oct 28, 2026.