openclip-ugc-ads

OpenClip: UGC ad generation

generate_ugc renders a short vertical UGC-style clip (roughly 7 to 12 seconds) from a creative brief. Free accounts get ONE generation per day. Paid accounts are metered in credits by the seconds rendered.

Renders are heavy. Expect a couple of minutes per clip, not seconds.

Setup (once)

OpenClip is a remote MCP server at https://openclip.app/mcp. Sign in with your OpenClip account when the OAuth prompt appears, there is no API key to copy.

• Claude Code: claude mcp add --transport http openclip https://openclip.app/mcp, then /mcp to authorize.
• Claude Desktop / web: Settings, Connectors, "Add custom connector", paste the URL, sign in.
• Cursor (.cursor/mcp.json): { "mcpServers": { "openclip": { "url": "https://openclip.app/mcp" } } }
• Header-only clients: mint an MCP token at openclip.app/settings/connect and connect to https://openclip.app/mcp/key with Authorization: Bearer <token>.

Sanity check: call get_account.

The loop

1. Discover the roster FIRST. list_ugc_creators returns the valid creator and start_frame values for this team: a curated roster plus the team's own saved creators, grouped by niche. Never guess a creator name, pick one from this call.
2. Generate. generate_ugc(...) with either:
   • brief_name - a server-side preset, the fast path, or
   • brief - an inline object of structured creative fields (character and friends).
3. Poll. Returns a ugc_job hashid. Poll get_ugc_job_status(ugc_job) every 10 to 15 seconds. queued / rendering are in flight. completed returns video_url plus result_meta (duration, dimensions, fps, seed). failed returns error.
4. Review past work. list_ugc_jobs lists a team's previous UGC clips, and is how you find a ugc_job id to poll if you lost it.

The brief is structured, not a prompt

This is the thing agents get wrong most. brief is not a prose prompt. It is an object of discrete creative fields (character, and the other fields the API accepts). Writing a paragraph into one field wastes the structure and produces mush.

Write each field as a concrete, physical, filmable detail:

• Name what is in frame, not how it should feel. "Holding the bottle at chest height, kitchen counter behind" beats "energetic and aspirational vibes".
• One idea per field. Do not stack three beats into character.
• Constraints produce better output than adjectives. A specific setting, a specific prop, and a specific action beat "high quality, professional, engaging".

Testing ad angles

When the user wants variations rather than one clip, change ONE variable per render so the comparison means something:

• Same creator, different hook.
• Same hook, different creator, when you are testing who lands the message.
• Same everything, different start_frame, when you are testing the thumbnail moment.

Free accounts get one generation per day, so on a free account, spend it on the single most different angle rather than a near-duplicate. Check get_account before promising a batch.

Rules

• list_ugc_creators before every first generation in a session. The roster is team-specific and changes.
• Always poll. Renders take minutes, generate_ugc returns immediately.
• Clips are short by design, roughly 7 to 12 seconds. Do not promise a 60 second ad.
• Free tier is ONE generation per day. Say so before the user plans a batch on a free account.
• result_meta includes the seed. Keep it when the user liked a render and wants a close variant.

Errors

Tool failures come back as a tool result with isError: true and a plain-text message, not an HTTP status. "Not authenticated. Reconnect your OpenClip token." means reconnect or re-mint the token. Validation messages (an unknown creator, a malformed brief) come back as the message text, fix the argument and retry.

Example prompts to actions

• "Make a UGC ad for my app" - list_ugc_creators, pick a fitting creator, generate_ugc(brief={...}), poll get_ugc_job_status, return video_url.
• "Give me three angles to test" - one render per angle, one variable changed each time, poll each. Check the daily limit first on a free account.
• "Use the same girl as last time" - list_ugc_jobs to find the previous job, read its creator, reuse it.
• "What creators can I use?" - list_ugc_creators, show them grouped by niche.

Related

Clipping real long-form footage into shorts is openclip-clipping. Free trimming, cropping, and compression of the generated clip is openclip-video-editing.