Content Machine

CLI-first automated short-form video generator for TikTok, Reels, and Shorts.

Status: Early development. Not production-ready yet.

Install

# Node.js >= 20 required
npm install -g @45ck/content-machine

# Verify
cm --help

# Or run without installing
npx -y @45ck/content-machine --help

Quickstart

Verify install (no API keys required):

cm demo -o output/demo.mp4

Review your most recent render:

npm run review:latest

Generate a real video (requires API keys):

export OPENAI_API_KEY="..."
export PEXELS_API_KEY="..."

cm generate "Redis vs PostgreSQL for caching" \
  --archetype versus \
  --pipeline standard \
  --output output/video.mp4 \
  --keep-artifacts

More: https://github.com/45ck/content-machine/blob/master/docs/user/QUICKSTART.md

Docs

Start here:

• User docs: https://github.com/45ck/content-machine/blob/master/docs/user/README.md
• Docs portal: https://github.com/45ck/content-machine/blob/master/docs/README.md
• Google Gemini provider: https://github.com/45ck/content-machine/blob/master/docs/user/providers/gemini.md

Canonical references (generated; do not edit):

• Repo facts: https://github.com/45ck/content-machine/blob/master/docs/reference/REPO-FACTS.md
• Environment variables: https://github.com/45ck/content-machine/blob/master/docs/reference/ENVIRONMENT-VARIABLES.md
• Glossary (ubiquitous language): https://github.com/45ck/content-machine/blob/master/docs/reference/GLOSSARY.md

Examples and demo gallery:

• Examples: https://github.com/45ck/content-machine/blob/master/docs/user/EXAMPLES.md
• Repo examples (runnable from source): examples/
• Demo media: https://github.com/45ck/content-machine/tree/master/docs/demo

How It Works

Content Machine is a 4-stage pipeline:

topic -> script.json -> audio.wav + timestamps.json -> visuals.json -> video.mp4

Run end-to-end:

cm generate "Redis vs PostgreSQL" --archetype versus --output output/video.mp4

Stage-by-stage usage and full command references live in:

• https://github.com/45ck/content-machine/blob/master/docs/user/CLI.md
• https://github.com/45ck/content-machine/tree/master/docs/reference

Terminology (Ubiquitous Language)

These words mean specific things in this repo:

• Script archetype: script format used by cm script / cm generate
• Render template: render preset used by cm render / cm generate
• Pipeline workflow: orchestration preset used by cm generate

Canonical glossary (generated): https://github.com/45ck/content-machine/blob/master/docs/reference/GLOSSARY.md

Development (From Source)

Cloning the repo is only needed for development:

git clone https://github.com/45ck/content-machine.git
cd content-machine

nvm install
nvm use

npm install
cp .env.example .env

npm run cm -- --help

License

MIT.