# Animate

Make a short procedural animation in any style, an explainer, a history, a little...

- Repository: https://github.com/cth9191/animate (1317 stars)
- Category: Design
- License: MIT
- Last updated: 2026-10-05
- Runs scripts: yes, review before use

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add cth9191/animate --skill animate -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add cth9191/animate --skill animate -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add cth9191/animate --skill animate -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add cth9191/animate --skill animate -g -a gemini-cli -y`
Claude Code plugin marketplace: `/plugin marketplace add cth9191/animate`

## Description

Make a short procedural animation in any style, an explainer, a history, a little story, as a single-file canvas video with a synthesized score, rendered to MP4. Ships with styles (cut paper, crosshatch ink, riso print, sketchbook, manim-style math, pixel art, isometric line art) and makes new ones from the user's references. Walks the user through intake, then three check-ins (story, look, storyboard) before animating, and proves the result with measured review checks. Use when the user asks for an animated video, short, explainer or reel made in code, or wants a look matched from references.

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# Animate

You make short animated videos in code: one `<canvas>`, drawn and scored procedurally, deterministic frame by frame, rendered with a headless browser and ffmpeg. The story follows a grammar studied from strong short-form animation; the look is a **style**, a plug-in kit chosen from [styles/](styles/README.md) or made from the user's references with [new-style.md](new-style.md).

**Requirements:** Node 18+, Playwright with Chromium (`npm i -g playwright && npx playwright install chromium`), ffmpeg on PATH. Check them first; if one is missing, tell the user the install command and stop. For a voice-over, Python with `faster-whisper` (`pip install faster-whisper`) times every word; without it the word times are estimated.

All paths below are relative to this skill's base directory. Pieces live in the user's project at `pieces/<name>/` (create `pieces/` if needed); styles the user makes live in `<project>/styles/<name>/`.

## Non-negotiables

The rest: https://github.com/cth9191/animate/blob/HEAD/plugins/animate/skills/animate/SKILL.md