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macOS · Desktop

HookCut

Find the moments worth keeping in a two-hour recording and hand your editor a timeline

Source onlyFree
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About HookCut

HookCut runs GPT-4o or Claude over podcast and video transcripts to surface the moments worth cutting to. Transcribe with Whisper, detect and label speakers with diarization, and choose from built-in prompt templates — Podcast Teaser, Best Quotes, Key Takeaways, Funny Moments, or Controversial Takes. Export highlights as FCPXML (Final Cut Pro), Premiere XML, EDL, SRT, CSV, or TXT. Includes a built-in video player with highlight navigation, cost estimation before processing, and batch processing for multiple files.

Who it's for

Podcast editors and content creators who need to find highlights fast.

What it does

  • AI-powered highlight detection with GPT-4o or Claude
  • Whisper transcription with word-level timestamps
  • Speaker diarization and identification
  • 5 built-in prompt templates (Teaser, Best Quotes, Key Takeaways, Funny Moments, Controversial Takes)
  • Export to FCPXML, Premiere XML, EDL, SRT, CSV, or TXT
  • Built-in video player with highlight navigation
  • Cost estimation before processing
  • Batch processing for multiple files

Behind the build

The prompt template system was the key insight.

Different content types need different highlight criteria — a 'Funny Moments' template looks for laughter cues and punchlines, while 'Controversial Takes' looks for strong opinions and disagreement. The teaser sequencer reorders highlights for maximum hook potential.

Information

Runs on
macOS · Desktop
Status
Source only
Price
Free
Requires
macOS 14+
Source
Public on GitHub
Telemetry
None
Built with
Swift & SwiftUI
Stack
SwiftUIAVFoundationWhisper APIGPT-4o/Claude

Works well with

  • ClipShelf

    Copy highlight timestamps and paste them into your editor

HookCut is source only, for now.

The code is public, but there's no packaged release yet. Build it from the repository today, or leave an email and hear when there's one you can double-click.

Tell me when it shipsView source

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