I was tired of manually editing dev reels, so I built an open‑source CLI to automate 9:16 videos from code

Description and use

Reelcraft automatically generates 9:16 vertical videos from code repositories, eliminating manual editing and boosting audience retention.

Problem

Developers spend hours creating short‑form videos manually, resulting in low engagement and wasted effort.

Outcome

Reelcraft reduces video production time from hours to minutes, producing high‑retention 9:16 videos that align with platform safe zones and kinetic storytelling, leading to better audience engagement.

Workflow

• 1. Run npx reelcraft doctor to verify environment.
• 2. Execute npx reelcraft <options> pointing at a repository to generate a video.
• 3. Review the output files: video.mp4, poster.jpg, captions.txt.
• 4. Optionally use built‑in hooks or agent skills to customize the hook.
• 5. Share the generated video on social platforms.

Evidence

Reelcraft uses this structure as its default storyboard engine so the generated video stays engaging without needing manual timeline trimming.

Source

The fix was adding a strict whitelist in package.json: ... This immediately dropped the unpacked tarball down to 22 MB.

Source

Reelcraft calculates strict CSS safe‑zone bounding boxes. All code blocks, terminal outputs, and text animations are confined to the central safe area so they remain 100% visible on every phone screen.

Source