Palmier Pro: The Open-Source AI Video Editor for macOS

Palmier Pro is an open-source video editor for macOS built with Swift to support AI-integrated workflows. It features a built-in MCP server that enables AI agents like Claude and Cursor to collaborate with users directly on the timeline. While the editor is free and open-source, advanced generative AI features require a subscription and Apple Silicon hardware.

Key Points

• Palmier Pro is a Swift-native video editor built from the ground up to integrate AI agents directly into the editing timeline.
• It includes a built-in MCP server that allows external AI tools like Claude and Cursor to interact with and edit the project timeline.
• The core video editor is free and open-source under the GPLv3 license, while generative AI features require a paid subscription.
• The software supports state-of-the-art generative models like Seedance, Kling, and Nano Banana Pro for in-app asset creation.
• It is specifically designed for Apple Silicon hardware and requires macOS 26 (Tahoe) or later.

Sentiment

The overall sentiment is positive and constructively critical. Hacker News largely agrees that Palmier Pro targets a real workflow problem and that agent-accessible editing tools are promising, especially for repetitive or structured video tasks. The community does not fully accept the framing that video editing is mostly mechanical, and it pushes back on pricing, platform scope, and interface clarity, but the criticism is mostly practical rather than dismissive.

In Agreement

• Video editing is painful enough that an agent-assisted editor could be genuinely useful for rough cuts, repetitive timeline work, media organization, multicam editing, and turning long-form footage into shorter clips.
• Keeping AI generation and editing inside one project addresses a real workflow problem: users currently bounce between browser-based generators, downloads, imports, screenshots, and traditional editors.
• A native Swift macOS app is appealing because it avoids Electron-style overhead and can use local Apple platform APIs and models for transcription, embeddings, beat detection, and other media tasks.
• Exposing real application capabilities through MCP or an in-app chat is seen as a strong pattern for future software, especially when agents can operate on the same project state as the user.
• The project appears useful for concrete creator workflows such as YouTube editing, action-camera library processing, speaker-based cuts, beat-based edits, and finishing work in Final Cut via export.

Opposed

• Several commenters prefer prepaid AI credits over subscriptions because video creation is episodic and they do not want recurring bills for months when they do not need generation.
• An experienced editor disputes the premise that most editing work is mechanical, arguing that many small editing decisions are creative and that automation can hide or erase that judgment.
• The macOS-only focus is a limitation for cross-platform users, even if it is understandable as a consequence of Swift and native platform choices.
• Some product feedback suggests Palmier's interface can feel dense or cluttered compared with competing open-source AI video editors.
• Users raise practical gaps and workflow questions around broader format support, 360 video, browser-based generation services without APIs, and whether code-based rendering tools might suit LLM-driven editing better.