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INSTALLATION.md

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Installation

Prerequisites

  • Node.js 20 or later — check with node --version
  • API keys — you'll need at least an OpenAI key and a stock footage key to generate real videos (see API Keys below)

Install

npm install -g @45ck/content-machine

# Verify
cm --help

Or run without installing:

npx -y @45ck/content-machine --help

Optional: Whisper (Better Captions)

For word-level timestamp accuracy and the best caption sync, install Whisper:

cm setup whisper --model base

This downloads a small (~150MB) speech recognition model. Without Whisper, Content Machine falls back to estimated timestamps that are less accurate.

Optional: ffmpeg

Some features (Ken Burns motion effects, gameplay transcoding) use ffmpeg. Install it if you plan to use motion strategies:

  • macOS: brew install ffmpeg
  • Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt install ffmpeg
  • Windows: download from ffmpeg.org and add to PATH

API Keys

Set these as environment variables or in a .env file in your project directory.

Required (for real videos)

Key What it's for Get one at
OPENAI_API_KEY Script generation (LLM) platform.openai.com

Recommended (at least one visual provider)

Key What it's for Get one at
PEXELS_API_KEY Stock video footage pexels.com/api (free)
GOOGLE_API_KEY AI-generated images (Nanobanana) + Gemini LLM aistudio.google.com

Optional

Key What it's for
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY Use Claude as the LLM instead of OpenAI
GEMINI_API_KEY Alternative to GOOGLE_API_KEY for Gemini
PIXABAY_API_KEY Alternative stock footage provider
TAVILY_API_KEY Web search for research-driven scripts
BRAVE_SEARCH_API_KEY Alternative web search provider
ELEVENLABS_API_KEY Premium TTS voices

Example .env file

OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
PEXELS_API_KEY=...

Full list of environment variables: docs/reference/ENVIRONMENT-VARIABLES.md

Verify Your Setup

Run the built-in diagnostics:

cm doctor

This checks for Node.js version, API key presence, Whisper installation, and other dependencies.

Next Steps