The short answer: connect Relo to your AI assistant over MCP (Model Context Protocol), then ask for a video in plain words. The assistant creates it, shows you a preview in the conversation, applies your changes, and renders the final MP4. Setup takes about two minutes, once.
- Works in: Claude (claude.ai, the desktop app and Claude Code), ChatGPT, Grok, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, Cline, Codex and Gemini CLI.
- Costs: 35 credits for a video, 5 per edit, 10 per final render. New accounts get 100 free credits.
- You need: a Relo account and an API key from the API keys page.
What does "making a video over MCP" mean?
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that lets an AI assistant use outside tools. When you connect Relo as an MCP server, your assistant gets a set of video tools: it can check your credits, create a video, show the preview, edit it and render it.
You never leave the chat. You describe the video the way you would to an editor, and the assistant does the steps for you. This suits people who already spend their day in Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor, especially founders who build their product by chatting with AI and want their launch video made the same way.
How do I connect Relo to ChatGPT or Claude?
Chat apps connect to Relo with one URL, https://relo.video/api/mcp, and nothing to install.
- Create an API key. On your API keys page, create a key and copy it. It starts with
relo_sk_and is shown only once. - Add Relo as a connector:
- Claude (claude.ai and the desktop app): Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector. Name it Relo, paste the URL, keep the detected options, then click Add and Connect.
- ChatGPT: Settings → Apps & Connectors → Advanced → turn on Developer mode. Then in Apps & Connectors, click Create, name it Relo, paste the URL and choose OAuth.
- Grok: go to grok.com/connectors → New Connector → Custom, and paste the URL. Grok shows a link to the video rather than an in-chat player.
- Ask for a video. For example: "Make a 15-second vertical promo for my app launch, with captions."
In Claude and ChatGPT the video plays right in the conversation, with an edit box and a render button under it.
How do I connect Relo to Claude Code, Cursor or VS Code?
Coding tools run Relo's MCP server locally through npx. In Claude Code it is one command:
claude mcp add relo \
--env RELO_API_KEY=relo_sk_YOUR_KEY \
-- npx -y @relo-video/mcp
Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, Claude Desktop and Gemini CLI read the same configuration object, in different files:
{
"mcpServers": {
"relo": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@relo-video/mcp"],
"env": { "RELO_API_KEY": "relo_sk_YOUR_KEY" }
}
}
}
| App | Where the configuration goes |
|---|---|
| Claude Desktop | Settings → Developer → Edit Config |
| Cursor | ~/.cursor/mcp.json |
| Windsurf | ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json |
| Cline | MCP Servers → Configure |
| Gemini CLI | ~/.gemini/settings.json |
The full setup guide covers VS Code and Codex, which want the configuration in a slightly different shape.
What does a session look like?
Here is an example of a full session, from request to saved file:
You: Make me a 15-second vertical promo for GhostReply, captions and some music.
Assistant: That's 35 credits; captions, music and your brand kit are free. Go ahead?
You: Yes.
Assistant: Started. It takes a few minutes. [Four frames of the finished video appear.] It opens on "Left on read again?", the reply lands in green at 5s, the pricing beat at 9s, the download card at 13s.
You: The price should be bigger, and change the button to TRY IT FREE.
Assistant: That's an edit, 5 credits. Done: both changes are on the last card.
You: Perfect, render it and save it to my desktop.
Assistant: 10 credits. Saved to ~/Desktop/ghostreply.mp4.
The assistant states the cost before every paid step, so nothing is charged without you agreeing to it.
What can the assistant do with Relo?
| Tool | What it does | Credits |
|---|---|---|
relo_get_capabilities | What your account can do and what everything costs | Free |
relo_get_balance | Credits left and recent charges | Free |
relo_list_videos | Your videos, newest first | Free |
relo_get_status | Where a video has got to, and its preview | Free |
relo_create_video | Make a video from a brief, or from clips you point it at | 35+ |
relo_edit_video | Change it in plain language | 5 |
relo_render_video | Produce the final MP4 | 10 per aspect ratio |
relo_download_video | Save it to your machine | Free |
What kinds of video can I make this way?
The same ones as on the website:
- Motion graphics (the default): Relo writes the script, designs the scenes and animates them. Your clips, screenshots and audio are optional.
- 3D motion graphics: the same, staged in 3D space with a moving camera.
- AI avatar (beta): one of ten presenters speaks your script on camera, with motion graphics around them.
- Screen-recording walkthrough: your screen capture, framed, zoomed into each action and broken into steps.
- Illustrated story (2D or 3D): hand-drawn characters act out your product's story.
How much does it cost?
Relo uses credits, with no subscription.
| Action | Credits |
|---|---|
| A video | 35 |
| A 2D or 3D story (voiceover included) | 50 |
| An edit, any plain-language change | 5 |
| A final render, per aspect ratio | 10 |
| AI voiceover | +10 |
| AI avatar (beta) | +35 |
| Captions, music, stock footage, brand kit | Free |
A typical launch video with one round of changes and one vertical render costs 35 + 5 + 10 = 50 credits, which the 100 free credits on a new account cover. See pricing for credit packs.
FAQ
Do I need to know how to edit video?
No. You describe the video and ask for changes in words, such as "make the price bigger" or "cut the intro to two seconds". There is no timeline.
Is the MCP server the same as using the website?
Yes. It uses the same account, the same credits and the same video engine. A video made in chat also appears in your Relo dashboard.
Which AI assistant should I use?
Use the one you already work in. Claude and ChatGPT show the video playing inside the conversation; coding tools such as Claude Code and Cursor can also save the MP4 straight into your project folder.
Can I use my own footage?
Yes. Point the assistant at your clips when you create the video, and Relo builds the edit around them.