Prerequisite: connect an account
A human must create the Tella account and choose how the agent authenticates:- OAuth (recommended for chat assistants): when the agent’s client connects to the MCP server, a browser opens, you sign in to Tella, and you pick a workspace (or your default one is used). Nothing to copy.
- API key (for clients that can’t open a browser, scripts, and CI): create one under Settings → API Keys and pass it as a Bearer token. See Create and manage API keys.
One connection sees one workspace. OAuth binds the agent to the workspace you chose; an API key belongs to the workspace it was created in. The agent has exactly the signed-in user’s permissions: it can read what they can see and edit what they can edit.
Tella MCP Server
MCP is an open protocol that standardizes how applications provide tools and context to LLMs. Tella hosts its MCP server, so most clients can connect with just the URL:Add Tella to Claude
One-click install from Claude’s connector directory. Select Connect, sign in, and authorize your workspace.
MCP Server
Setup for Claude, Claude Code, ChatGPT, Claude Desktop, Cursor, and Codex, plus the full tool reference.
mcp-remote stuck reconnecting, stale credentials)? See Tella MCP Server troubleshooting.
Tella docs for agents
You can hand your agent current docs in three ways:-
Markdown docs
Every page has a markdown version. Append
.mdto any URL. -
Full llms.txt
Give your agent the index, or every page in one file.
-
Docs MCP server
For structured search over the docs from Cursor, Codex, Claude Code, or any MCP client.
Skills for agents
Skills give agents specialized knowledge for a task. Tella has two kinds.Official skill
Thetella skill in tellahq/skills is maintained by Tella. It drives the MCP server: it teaches the agent how to connect the server if it isn’t set up yet, how to inspect a video before editing it, which tool fits which edit, and how to verify the result before reporting back. Install it into Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, or any other skills-compatible agent:
https://www.tella.com/docs/mcp-server.md.
Community skills
The Skills directory collects open-source workflows for editing local video files — cutting dead air, adding zooms, finding B-roll, and publishing your latest Tella recording to YouTube. Most are built by Louise de Sadeleer on the Tella team, with community contributions alongside. They run on the files on your machine rather than through the MCP server, so they don’t need a Tella account.Browse the Skills directory
Install a skill with one command and start editing videos with your agent in minutes.
Example prompts
Once connected, you can ask your agent things like:- “Find the video where I talk about pricing and cut the part where I misspoke”
- “Add zooms to my demo wherever I clicked, put a title on the first five seconds, then export it in 4K”
- “Blur the email address in the bottom-left of the screen between 12s and 18s”