Make videos with Codex, Cursor or Gemini CLI

Q: Where do skills go in Codex, Cursor and Gemini CLI?

Codex: ~/.agents/skills/ /. Cursor: .cursor/skills/ / inside the project, or ~/.cursor/skills/ for your user. Gemini CLI: ~/.gemini/skills/ /. All three also read ~/.agents/skills/. Restart Codex or Cursor if a new skill doesn't appear; in Gemini CLI, run /skills reload.

Yes. With an agent skill, Codex, Cursor and Gemini CLI can write a film as code and render an MP4 on your computer, the same way Claude Code does. Skills are folders with a SKILL.md file, and all three agents read them; only the install folder differs. This is also the route if you're on Claude's free plan, which doesn't include Claude Code.

Folder locations are from each agent's own documentation, checked on October 29, 2026.

Which agents work

Motion Skills are written in the open Agent Skills format: a folder with a SKILL.md (the instructions) plus references and scripts. These agents load them:

Agent	Where our installer puts a skill	Also read, per the agent's docs
Claude Code	`~/.claude/skills/<slug>/` (or `.claude/skills/` in a project)
Codex	`~/.agents/skills/<slug>/`	`.agents/skills/` in the repo
Cursor	`.cursor/skills/<slug>/` in the project	`~/.cursor/skills/`, `~/.agents/skills/`, `.agents/skills/`
Gemini CLI	`~/.gemini/skills/<slug>/`	`~/.agents/skills/`, `.gemini/skills/` in the workspace

Notice the shared folder: Codex, Cursor and Gemini CLI all read ~/.agents/skills/, so a skill placed there is found by each of them. What every skill needs on your machine is the same in every agent: Node.js 22 or newer, FFmpeg and Google Chrome (see what you need).

The install, in any agent

The quickest way is the same everywhere. Paste this into your agent:

Read https://claude-motion.com/skills/motion-director/install.md and follow it to install the "motion-director" skill, then make a first video with it.

The agent reads the guide and runs one command; the first time, a page opens in your browser to sign in with Google and approve the code your terminal shows. If you'd rather run the command yourself, each skill page has it for every agent under Copy install prompt → Install from the terminal. For Motion Director, the free one, it looks like this:

npx --yes motion-skills@^0.1.2 install motion-director --agent codex

Swap codex for cursor or gemini. Manual installs, from a downloaded ZIP, are in How to install agent skills.

Codex

Codex loads skills from ~/.agents/skills/ for your user and from .agents/skills/ in the current folder and its parents up to the repo root. Our installer uses the user folder, so the skill is there in every project.

Codex notices new skills on its own; if one doesn't show up, restart Codex. Then ask for the film in plain words, in the folder that holds your material:

Make a 15-second launch teaser for this repo from README.md and the 2.0 notes in CHANGELOG.md, 16:9.

The skill reads the files, shows you three directions, each as a still, writes the one you pick, composes its music, checks every frame and renders the MP4 in your project. If your Codex sandbox blocks the browser or the local server the skill uses for its checks, approve them when asked rather than skipping the checks.

Cursor

Cursor reads skills from .agents/skills/ and .cursor/skills/ in the project, and from ~/.agents/skills/ and ~/.cursor/skills/ for your user. It also reads Claude Code's and Codex's folders "for compatibility". Our installer puts the skill in the project's .cursor/skills/, so run it from the project folder, or point it at another folder with --dir.

Cursor discovers skills when it starts, so reopen the project after installing. Then ask in the agent chat the same way: say what the film is for and which files to use.

Gemini CLI

Gemini CLI loads skills from ~/.gemini/skills/ for your user (or the ~/.agents/skills/ alias) and from .gemini/skills/ in the workspace, which you can share with your team through version control. After installing, run /skills reload so the session sees the new skill, then ask for the film.

One note from Google's own docs: Gemini CLI "was replaced by Antigravity CLI on June 18th, 2026" for unpaid-tier and Google One users. If that's you, check Antigravity's documentation for its skills folder; the skill itself is the same folder, and you can install it anywhere with --dir.

On Claude Free?

Claude Code isn't included on Claude's free plan, and neither is Claude Motion. Codex, Cursor or Gemini CLI with Motion Director, the free skill, is the way to make this kind of video without a paid Claude plan. Which Claude plans include what, and every other route, is in Claude Motion not on your plan?.

Example films

Our example films were made in Claude Code. The skills are the same files in every agent, so the same skill runs the same steps in Codex, Cursor or Gemini CLI; how well a film turns out also depends on the model your agent uses.

The shortest way to Tokyo

Why the shortest route from New York to Tokyo bends up past the Arctic Circle: the flat map folds into a globe. Airports from OurAirports, map from Natural Earth.

Example of Vertical Short9:16 · 18 s

When Vite passed webpack

npm downloads per month since 2021: the crossing in September 2025, with a one-month spike named where it is.

Example of Data Video16:9 · 22 s

From the npm registry downloads API, pulled Oct 24, 2026.

The first is a vertical short made with the Vertical Short skill, the second a data video made with the Data Video skill. Every film in the gallery names the skill that made it. For a step-by-step run with a real film, from its brief to its last revision, see How to make a video with Claude Code; every step after the install is the same in these agents.

Questions

Can Codex or Cursor make videos?

Yes. With an agent skill, Codex, Cursor and Gemini CLI can write a film as code and render an MP4 on your computer. Skills in the open Agent Skills format work across these agents; only the install folder differs.

Where do skills go in Codex, Cursor and Gemini CLI?

Codex: ~/.agents/skills//. Cursor: .cursor/skills// inside the project, or ~/.cursor/skills/ for your user. Gemini CLI: ~/.gemini/skills//. All three also read ~/.agents/skills/. Restart Codex or Cursor if a new skill doesn't appear; in Gemini CLI, run /skills reload.

Does Gemini CLI support skills?

Yes. Gemini CLI loads skills from ~/.gemini/skills/ and from .gemini/skills/ in the workspace, and /skills reload picks up new ones. Google says Gemini CLI was replaced by Antigravity CLI on June 18, 2026 for unpaid-tier and Google One users.

Is this Claude Motion?

No. Claude Motion is Anthropic's feature in Claude, on Team and Enterprise plans. This is an independent skill that makes the same kind of video in your own agent.

Sources

OpenAI, Codex skills
Cursor, Agent skills
Google, Gemini CLI skills
Anthropic, Claude pricing (Claude Code isn't on the free plan)

This guide is independent and not affiliated with OpenAI, Cursor, Google or Anthropic. Product names are trademarks of their owners. Checked on October 29, 2026.