
BeatDesign
io.github.erickkkytPublished by GitHub account erickkkytv0.2.1Updated Oct 24, 2026
Local-first open-source AI media workbench with Canvas, video editor, Assets, and MCP tools.
Overview
BeatDesign is a local-first AI media workbench whose MCP tools let an assistant work in the same image and video projects you see in the browser.
- What you can do
- Discover and use built-in Skills and manage Projects and shared Assets across Studio, Canvas and Editor, including importing and generating media files and inspecting generation history. Build and edit infinite Canvas workflows with image, video, audio, generation, timeline and text nodes, branching and comparing generations. Generate images and videos and run Standard or Deep video analysis through the built-in BeatAPI provider. Edit timelines non-destructively with clips, audio, movable image overlays and styled SRT captions, then render an authoritative MP4 timeline and leave the Editor open for review.
- When to use it
- Use it when you want a coding agent to drive local AI image and video projects: assembling clips on a timeline, placing overlays, adjusting subtitles, or generating and analyzing media inside the same workspace you review in the browser.
- Requirements
- Runs as a local process on macOS or Windows with Node.js 22+, pnpm 10+ and a current Chrome browser; the workspace is started with pnpm dev, the stdio MCP server with pnpm mcp, and an HTTP MCP endpoint with pnpm dev:agent. A BeatAPI API key is needed only for media generation, analysis or AI redo; local importing, editing, previewing and exporting need no key.
Installation
In SourceWeft
- Open BeatDesign in the dashboard and add it to a workspace.
- Enable the server for the chats that should use its tools.
Desktop only via STDIO. STDIO servers start a local process, so they need the SourceWeft desktop host.
Other MCP clients
Follow the launch instructions in the repository.
README
[BeatDesign infinite Canvas and local video Editor]
BeatDesign
Your local Higgsfield alternative.
Build image and video workflows on an infinite Canvas, finish them in a browser-native Editor, and let any MCP-capable Agent work in the same Project.
Website · Quick start · MCP · Product status
BeatDesign is an independent, open-source, local-first workspace for AI image and video creation. It is built for people who want the connected creative flow of tools such as Higgsfield, with a workspace they can run, inspect, and extend on their own machine.
Latest release — v0.2.5 · October 2026
Available in GitHub Release v0.2.5 and @beatapi/[email protected]. WorkBuddy marketplace review and availability are tracked separately.
For an existing source checkout, stop BeatDesign, run git pull --ff-only, pnpm install --frozen-lockfile, pnpm db:push, then restart pnpm dev:agent (or your usual UI/MCP commands). Keep your local data directory; no reinstall or project reset is needed.
- Project settings: edit names and descriptions, upload or select a cover, and reset to an automatic image or local video poster. A manual cover stays selected after later imports and generations. Open the settings icon on a project card or workspace header.
- Consistent generation versions: Canvas previews and Take selection agree on the latest successful output; manual selections and concrete timeline Assets are preserved.
- Faster project entry: choosing Canvas or Studio creates one project and opens it directly, with retry protection.
- Reliable audio export: MCP timeline rendering preserves clip gain across sequential shots, with peak protection for overlapping audio.
- 30 MCP tools: Agents can update project settings through the same revision-checked command path as the UI. Canvas undo/redo can save an intentionally empty canvas; Windows test portability and narrow-screen layout are improved.
Already available: tail-frame continuation, Canvas-to-Editor handoff, image overlays, styled SRT captions, browser-native MP4 export, and MCP timeline rendering. Browser export needs no system FFmpeg; MCP frame extraction needs ffmpeg, and MCP timeline rendering also needs ffprobe.
Change details · Project settings · Current scope and roadmap
Current source (unreleased) adds persistent Canvas groups and arrangement, Asset folders, exact-version Elements and reusable local workflow templates, with 38 MCP tools. These changes are not in the v0.2.5 npm package. Organization guide.
Two creative modes, one Project
Infinite Canvas
Drop in prompts, images, video, and audio. Connect nodes, branch ideas, compare generations, reuse outputs, and keep the full visual workflow inside one project.
Video Editor
Turn Canvas results into a local timeline. Trim, split, move, mix audio, place and transform image overlays, style SRT captions, create alternate AI Takes, preview, and export MP4 in the browser.
Studio provides a focused generation surface. Assets keeps every imported and generated file available across Canvas, Editor, and MCP.
Why BeatDesign
- Local by default. Projects, media, Canvas state, timelines, and generation history stay in your local workspace.
- Canvas and Editor stay connected. A generated result becomes a reusable project Asset instead of disappearing inside one tool.
- Bring your own Agent. Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, and other MCP hosts can inspect and update the same Project you see in the browser.
- Bring your own generation access. BeatAPI is the built-in provider. Local importing, arranging, editing, previewing, and exporting do not require an API key.
- Fork-friendly foundations. Provider adapters, project storage, and the command layer are explicit extension points.
From idea to finished video
Quick start
Requirements include Node.js 22+, pnpm 10+, and a current Chrome browser on macOS or Windows.
Open http://127.0.0.1:3020.
Add your own BeatAPI API key only when you want to generate or analyze media, or use AI redo. Selecting a local file does not upload it to a provider.
Choose how to run BeatDesign
Use BeatDesign with an Agent
Current source exposes 38 local MCP tools (v0.2.5 packages expose 30) for Skills, Projects, Assets, Canvas, generation, and Editor operations, including built-in Skill discovery and authoritative MP4 timeline rendering. Agent changes use the same project services and become visible in the browser workspace.
After connecting your MCP host, you can ask:
Open my latest BeatDesign project, add these clips to a timeline, place the logo overlay, adjust the subtitles, and leave the Editor open for review.
Platform compatibility
Open the full Agent integration guide →
What works today
- Image and video generation plus Standard and Deep video analysis.
- Image, video, audio, generation, timeline, and text nodes on the Canvas.
- Project Assets shared across Studio, Canvas, Editor, and MCP.
- Non-destructive timeline editing with image, video, audio, movable image overlays, and styled SRT caption tracks.
- Local preview and browser-side H.264/AAC MP4 export with WebCodecs and Mediabunny.
- English, Chinese, and Japanese interfaces.
- Local stdio and Streamable HTTP MCP transports.
BeatDesign currently focuses on local, short-form creative workflows. Hosted collaboration, multiple named timelines, advanced transitions, speed controls, waveforms, and desktop packaging remain outside the current release.
See the complete shipped and planned scope →
Project guides
License
BeatDesign is licensed under Apache License 2.0. BeatAPI and BeatDesign trademarks, third-party model access, and bundled third-party components remain subject to their respective terms. See third-party notices and trademark policy.
Source: README.md at commit b94e4af
Tools
0Version history
1- v0.2.1LatestSep 16, 2026
Score
50% of the applicable checks met
How complete this listing is, computed from the registry entry, the endpoint and public sources. Not a rating of the server and not a statement that it is safe or working today: reachability is a dated check, and no installs or reviews go into the score.
- Reached in the last 30 days25 pts
Keep the endpoint answering the MCP handshake; SourceWeft probes it every 30 days.
- Auth declared10 pts
Declare the credential headers in the registry entry, or keep the endpoint answering the probe so its auth can be classified.
- Tools listed15 pts
Answer tools/list without a credential, or ship a package that starts in a sandbox without one.
- DescriptionRequired15 pts
- Logo10 pts
- Documentation15 pts
- License10 pts