Use the web app for the simplest start, Desktop for local media and local rendering, and the Agent Plugin when you want Claude Code Desktop or the Codex desktop app to be the main workspace.
Start with the web app when
- you are new to ChatCut and want to create a project immediately;
- your project should live in the browser and use cloud import and export;
- you want ChatCut’s built-in Agent beside the editor; or
- you expect to invite people to a cloud project or share a viewing link.
Open app.chatcut.io, sign in, and select New project if the project dashboard is shown.
Use ChatCut Desktop when
- your video, image, and audio files already live in large local folders;
- you want to select ChatCut, Claude Code, or Codex CLI from Agent Selection inside ChatCut;
- an external desktop agent should control the native project through local MCP; or
- you need supported local video export, including 4K or HDR when available on the computer.
Open the web editor’s avatar menu, hover over Desktop App, and select the correct Download option for macOS or Windows.
Use the Agent Plugin when
- the main conversation should stay in Claude Code Desktop or the Codex desktop app;
- you want that external agent to create or edit a ChatCut project; and
- you are comfortable reviewing the editable ChatCut editor in the host app’s Browser pane.
In ChatCut, open avatar → Agent Plugin, copy the prompt for Claude Code or ChatGPT/Codex, and send it from the matching desktop app. Do not send it from a web chat.
If two options both fit
Choose based on the project you want to control:
- Choose Desktop + Agent Selection when the conversation should appear inside the native ChatCut app.
- Choose Desktop local MCP when the conversation should stay in an external agent app but the target is the native project already open in ChatCut Desktop.
- Choose the Agent Plugin when the external desktop agent should create or open its connected ChatCut project through the hosted plugin workflow.
You can use more than one product form with the same account, but always confirm which project and editor surface the agent is currently controlling before you send a destructive editing request.
See Web, Desktop, and Agent Plugin for setup entry points and Compare the Three ChatCut Products for the full table.