Capabilities · Last updated November 2, 2026
AI video analyzer for AI agents.
AnyCap is an AI video analyzer for agent workflows. Give video-read one URL or local recording and ask a specific question; it returns text the agent can use, such as reproduction evidence from a bug recording, key events from a demo, or a checkpoint before the next action.
Can Claude watch videos?
Not directly. Claude takes text and images, and Anthropic's upload docs list no video formats. A pasted transcript gives Claude the speech but not the picture; a few screenshots give it the picture but not what happens between them. From Claude Code, AnyCap video-read sends the whole video to a model that can watch it, and Claude gets the answer back as text.
| What you need | Claude on its own | Claude Code + AnyCap |
|---|---|---|
| Analyze a local recording or screen capture | No. Video isn't an accepted file type. | video-read --file uploads the recording first, up to 100 MB per file. |
| Analyze a hosted video | No. Claude only sees text you paste, like a transcript. | video-read --url with a direct link to the video file. |
| Follow what happens on screen: UI states, motion, event order | Only through screenshots you take and attach. | A focused --instruction returns events, defects or a summary as text. |
| Spoken content only | Works when you paste a transcript. | video-read on the video, or audio-read on an extracted audio track. |
1. Install once and sign in
npx -y skills add anycap-ai/anycap -a claude-code -y curl -fsSL https://anycap.ai/install.sh | sh anycap login2. Ask a specific question; Claude Code runs video-read
anycap actions video-read --file ./bug-report.mp4 --instruction "List the reproduction steps with timestamps"In Claude Code, a request like "Watch ./bug-report.mp4 with AnyCap and list the reproduction steps with timestamps" produces this command. A narrow question gets a better answer than "analyze this video". Each successful request costs 10 credits and returns text; spot-check timestamps against the recording before you rely on them.
Checked November 2, 2026 against Anthropic's upload documentation and models overview.
Use a focused instruction
Ask for the evidence you actually need: visible defects, timestamps, event order, or a concise summary. A narrow instruction produces a more useful result than a generic request to analyze the video.
- The action accepts one video URL or one uploaded local file and an optional instruction or model.
- The CLI returns analysis content with request context instead of exposing provider-specific response fields.
- The same result can support quality review, content extraction, or a checkpoint before another agent action.
Checked in the current CLI · CLI help verified October 21, 2026
Video analysis accepts a URL or a local file.
We rechecked the video-read help output in AnyCap CLI 0.6.5 on October 21, 2026. It accepts one remote URL or one local file, plus an optional instruction for a focused answer. This confirms the command interface; the example analysis elsewhere on this page remains illustrative.
- Remote input
- One video URL
- Local input
- One uploaded video file
- Instruction
- Optional focused analysis prompt
- Successful request
- 10 credits
anycap actions video-read --helpRepresentative successful response — 10 credits per request
Inspectable output
{
"status": "success",
"content": "The recording shows the checkout modal clipping its submit button on a narrow viewport.",
"credit_cost": 10,
"request_id": "req_abc123"
}This is a representative response shape, not a guarantee that every request returns the same content. The content changes with the input and instruction; operational fields may vary by server response.
CLI usage and representative output
Analyze a remote video
anycap actions video-read --url https://example.com/demo.mp4Analyze a local recording
anycap actions video-read --file ./recording.mp4Ask a focused question
anycap actions video-read --url https://example.com/demo.mp4 --instruction "Identify the visible checkout defect"Representative successful response — 10 credits per request
{
"status": "success",
"content": "The recording shows the checkout modal clipping its submit button on a narrow viewport.",
"credit_cost": 10,
"request_id": "req_abc123"
}How video analysis fits the workflow
Provide
Give the action one remote video URL or one local file. Local files are uploaded before analysis.
Direct
Use --instruction when the agent needs a focused result such as a defect, event list, or checkpoint decision.
Continue
Use the returned content in the next review, document, generation, or automation step and retain request context for support.
Three ways agents use video analysis
Quality review
Inspect a bug recording or recorded test session for visible defects, reproduction evidence, and UI behavior.
Content extraction
Turn a demo, walkthrough, or research clip into a summary, event list, or focused observation.
Workflow checkpoint
Confirm that a recorded step reached the expected state before the agent writes, routes, or generates the next artifact.
FAQ
Can Claude Code analyze a video file?
Yes, through AnyCap. Claude Code runs anycap actions video-read --file with a focused --instruction. Local files up to 100 MB are uploaded first, and each successful request costs 10 credits.
What does the video-read action accept?
Provide either one --url or one --file. A local file is uploaded first and must be no larger than 100 MB. You can also add --instruction or select a model.
Why is the command named video-read?
video-read is the AnyCap action for analyzing video content. It sends the supplied video and optional instruction to the video read capability and returns the analysis as structured CLI output.
Which fields can the CLI return?
Every successful video-read request costs 10 credits and includes credit_cost: 10. The response also includes status and content; request_id appears when the server supplies one, and the top-level CLI normally adds trace_id. Additional operational fields may appear.
Can an agent ask a focused question about a recording?
Yes. Pass --instruction to request a specific observation, summary, event list, or review finding instead of a general description.
Ask the recording a useful question.
Provide the video, name the evidence you need, and pass the answer to the review or task that prompted it.
CLI version and updating · 0.6.5
Current release checked October 21, 2026: 0.6.5. Use the update command for your installation method, then verify the version and login in the same environment that runs your agent.
Direct binary installation
anycap updatenpm installation
npm install -g @anycap/cli@latestanycap --version
anycap statusVersion 0.6.5 retries transient downloads, recovers an expired video link by querying the same task, and saves multiple image outputs to numbered files. After a video download failure, resume the existing task instead of generating again.
anycap video tasks wait <task-id> -o result.mp4Dated examples retain the CLI version, output and charge from the original run. Updating the CLI does not revalidate an old result. Check the live model schema and current pricing before a new billed task.