showtime documentation
showtime's guides live next to the skill, in
skills/showtime/references/, because your coding agent reads them while it works.
They are written for your agent first and for you second: each one opens with a "Read this when" line, so
you can tell in one sentence whether it is the page you need. This map puts them in running order.
New here? Start with the README, then come back for the act you need. The map below is the whole programme at a glance; the tables under it link every guide.
Tip
You never have to read these to make a video: ask your agent in one sentence and it picks the right guide itself. Read them when you want to know why a video came out the way it did, change a default, or build a project by hand.
Choose your path#
What are you making? Each card opens the workflow guide your agent follows; the preview is an example made with it.
 A launch or promo video launch-video see it done: 01 10 17 |
 An explainer explainer see it done: 02 13 22 |
 A tutorial or product demo tutorial see it done: 04 11 21 |
 A reel, Short, TikTok or audiogram social-short see it done: 05 16 |
 A chart or data story data-story see it done: 07 12 |
 An edit of real footage footage-edit see it done: 06 14 |
 A trailer or teaser trailer see it done: 09 18 |
 A slideshow from photos slideshow see it done: 08 19 |
 A video for a release or changelog changelog-video see it done: 15 |
 A picture cut to a song music-video see it done: no example yet |
 Narration for an existing video voiceover-only see it done: no example yet |
 A video in another language localize see it done: 03 13 14 |
 A logo sting, lower thirds, transitions components see it done: 20 |
Act I · Before the curtain#
| Guide | Read it when |
|---|---|
| showtime in your coding agent | you want the exact install for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Devin, OpenCode or another agent, and to know which were tested |
| onboarding | it is your first run, setup is missing, or you want to know what showtime needs and downloads |
| modes | you want to know how much your agent asks, quick versus studio, and what the delivery card says |
| studio | you want options first: concepts, looks, beds, storyboard and animatic on local boards |
| boards | you are writing or changing a studio board (board.json) |
| crew | you want to know how the ten specialist sub-agents are used (their briefs) |
| harness-notes | you run showtime from another agent host, a script or CI |
| mcp | you use showtime's MCP server from another client, the plugin settings, the progress monitor |
| diagnosing | something came out wrong, or setup failed |
Act II · Story and craft#
| Guide | Read it when |
|---|---|
| story | before any plan: angle, hook, structure, lines, and the honesty rules |
| tones | choosing a tone, or turning "make it feel premium" into choices |
| pacing | holds, cut rhythm, beat sync, narration word budgets, durations |
| motion-craft | easing, timing, stagger and camera moves |
| typography | fonts, sizes, spacing and safe areas for type |
| color | palettes, contrast, grading footage |
| brand-kit | there is a brand, or a repo or site with a visual identity |
| platforms | delivery specs, safe zones, posters, thumbnails, README loops, cut-downs and share copy |
Act III · Building the picture#
| Guide | Read it when |
|---|---|
| render | checking, snapping, previewing or rendering a project |
| stage-api | writing a page (index.html + showtime.json) and its time contract |
| components | titles, captions, charts, frames, cursor, end card, logo stings and lower thirds |
| transitions | scene handoffs, CSS and WebGL |
| film-api | drawing a canvas film or tutorial with Film |
| series | several episodes that share one look, sound and pacing |
| manim | equations, proofs, graphs and grid transforms with Manim |
| html-export | a single-file interactive HTML video: player, chapters, keys, deep links |
| debugging-renders | a render fails, flickers, shows black or frozen frames, or differs from the preview |
Act IV · Sound and voice#
| Guide | Read it when |
|---|---|
| audio | composing, effects, the local library, beats, the mix, mastering |
| music | choosing or composing music, and syncing it to picture |
| synth-score | writing music or sound design in code with Synth |
| sound-design | placing effects, balancing voice against music, loudness targets |
| voice | narration: voices, scripts, word timings, pronunciation, alignment |
Act V · Footage, capture and assets#
| Guide | Read it when |
|---|---|
| editing | editing real footage by transcript (the edit decision list and its rules) |
| captions | caption styles, grouping, sizes and safe zones |
| footage-tools | one footage tool: probe, scenes, reframe, denoise, stabilize, grade, views |
| capture | material from a repo, a running app, a website or a PDF |
| tutorial-recording | scripting and recording an app demo, with auto zoom |
| assets | fonts, icons, emoji, stock photos and video, cutouts, credits, contact sheets |
Finale · Proof it is done#
| Guide | Read it when |
|---|---|
| qa | the checklists, the showtime qa rules and the expect block |
| review | building a review pack and running the critic pass on publish-bound work |
These guides are also a searchable site: faviovazquez.github.io/showtime/docs.
Backstage#
| Page | What it is |
|---|---|
| SKILL.md | the skill itself: what your agent reads first on every request |
| references/index.md | the same map in the agent's own words |
| CONTEXT.md | the glossary: the words showtime uses and the ones it avoids |
| .out-of-scope/ | what showtime deliberately does not do, and why |
| CONTRIBUTING.md | tests, release checks, how to send a change |
| CHANGELOG.md | what changed and why, so it also answers "where did X go?" |
| showtime-examples | every example with its request, commands and review rounds, in its own repository |
| assets/brand/ | the Curtain Call brand: logo, colours, type, the sting and the sound logo |
showtime --help lists every command with examples; showtime <command> --help has the details.