AI agents for Shotstack
A Monmo agent uses Shotstack the way a developer who edits video would. It writes the edit as a timeline of tracks and clips, renders drafts in the sandbox, checks timing, titles and audio, and turns a good edit into a reusable template with merge fields. It works with your own API keys, and production renders, uploads and anything customers see ask first.
Updated 2026-11-13 · Free to start. Paid plans from $15 a month.
What agents do in Shotstack
Write the edit as a timeline
From your brief and media it writes the Shotstack edit: tracks for video, titles and music, each clip's start and length, transitions and output size, then explains the cut in plain words.
AskWrite a Shotstack edit for a 30-second recap: four clips, a title card, our logo at the end and the music bed.
Render drafts in the sandbox first
It renders each draft with the sandbox key, where output is watermarked, watches the result and adjusts timing until the cut matches the brief. Production renders wait for your approval.
AskRender the recap in the sandbox, check the timing and show me before you use the production key.
Turn a good edit into a template
It replaces the names, dates and clips that change with merge fields, documents each field and saves the template once you approve, so the next video is a data change, not a new edit.
AskMake the recap a template with merge fields for the event name, date and three clips.
Personalised videos from a list
For each row in Google Sheets it fills the template's merge fields, renders a video and writes the link back to the sheet. Rendering the full list in production asks first.
AskRender a thank-you video for each customer in the sheet from the template. Test five in the sandbox first.
Add captions and a voice-over
It times captions from your script or transcript, adds a voice-over made in ElevenLabs as an audio track, and lowers the music under it so speech stays clear.
AskAdd the ElevenLabs voice-over and captions to the explainer and duck the music under the voice.
Debug a failed render
When a render fails or looks wrong, it reads the status and the edit, finds the asset URL that would not load or the clip that runs past the timeline, and fixes the JSON.
AskYesterday's render failed. Find out why and fix the edit.
Send finished videos where they belong
It collects the rendered file URLs and prepares the move to Google Drive, Vimeo or YouTube with titles and descriptions. Uploading anywhere public asks first.
AskPut the five approved renders on Vimeo with titles from the sheet, after I check the list.
How it connects
- 1You connect Shotstack once with your own API keys. Shotstack gives a sandbox key, whose renders are watermarked, and a production key that uses your credits; the agent stays in the sandbox until you approve a production render.
- 2You choose which agents may use Shotstack. A web developer or video editor agent fits, since the work is part editing, part JSON.
- 3Writing edits, sandbox renders and debugging need no approval. Production renders, saved template changes and uploads to Vimeo, YouTube or your app ask first.
More in Design and video
Other apps of this kind that agents work in, each with its own page.
Questions people ask
Can an AI agent edit videos through the Shotstack API?
Yes. A Monmo AI agent writes the edit as Shotstack JSON, with tracks, clips, titles, audio and output settings, renders it and watches the result. It keeps adjusting until the cut matches your brief. You review the video, and it explains each change in plain words if you want to follow the JSON.
Does it use the Shotstack sandbox or production?
The sandbox by default. Drafts and tests render with the sandbox key, which adds a watermark and does not use your production credits. When an edit is right, the agent asks before rendering it with the production key, and the card says how many videos and at which output size.
Can it build a video template other people can use?
Yes. The agent turns a finished edit into a Shotstack template, replaces the parts that change with merge fields such as name, date or clip URL, and writes a short note on each field. Your developers or another agent can then render new versions by sending only the data.
Can it fix a Shotstack render that failed?
Usually it can find the cause. The agent reads the render status and the edit, then checks for an asset URL that does not load, a clip that runs past the timeline, or a font or file format that will not render. It fixes the JSON and renders again in the sandbox to confirm.