FROM ZERO TO YOUR FIRST VIDEO

Your ideas are ready. Let’s get you set up.

Install one tool, introduce it to your agent, and start with something you want to explain.

Install once

Connect your agent

Share an idea

Get your MP4

Before you install

You’ll need an agent that can run commands on your computer and a readable source file or clear idea. Model usage belongs to your agent account.

Verified development setup

Apple Silicon Mac · macOS 15.6.1
Python 3.12.5
An existing, hash-verified voice model

Rendering dependencies

FFmpeg/ffprobe, Cairo/Pango, LaTeX/dvisvgm, and system fonts. Python rendering libraries and the Kokoro English voice model are installed separately; the installer and doctor check what is missing.

This is an early development build. Clean-machine installation and Linux support are still being validated. Don’t assume a stock Mac already has every rendering dependency.

01 Install LemmaReel

LemmaReel uses the animeweave CLI command. Existing commands and the installer filename stay the same.

Open your account

Download the installer, inspect it if you’d like, and run it with Python. It requests your license privately and verifies the package hash before installing. You’ll also need uv and Git; the installer explains missing prerequisites. The default installs the lightweight CLI. Add --with-render to install the larger Python rendering libraries after system prerequisites are ready.

Download the installer

python3 animeweave-install.py --server https://lemmareel.com

Add the installation’s bin directory to PATH using the command printed by the installer. Then check the environment:

animeweave doctor

Follow the missing-dependency instructions. Once the rendering libraries are installed, download and verify the pinned English voice model, then check again:

animeweave doctor --fetch-model
animeweave doctor

First-time setup and model downloads require internet access.

02 Connect your agent

Choose your agent and the project where you’ll create videos. This adds a small, managed instruction block. It preserves your existing project rules and backs up changes.

animeweave init --agent codex --project ./my-video

Open a new agent session in that project. No separate skill or MCP is required.

03 Make your first video

WITH YOUR MATERIAL

“Use LemmaReel’s animeweave CLI to turn my notes at ./materials/lesson.pdf into a clear, one-minute animation for beginners.”

WITH AN IDEA

“Use LemmaReel’s animeweave CLI to explain how a moving average smooths a noisy signal. Use a simple synthetic example and keep it under a minute.”

Your agent reads the built-in guidance, creates the storyboard, and runs preview, automatic checks, and the final render. It delivers output/<project>.mp4. No manual approval is required to export.

Provide a local path your agent can read. If a PDF is scanned, supply OCR text or describe the content; LemmaReel doesn’t invent missing pages.

Compatibility, honestly.

Environment	Current validation
Codex · Apple Silicon Mac	PDF and description to MP4 verified in development
Claude Code / Gemini CLI	Project connectors implemented; full flow validation pending
Linux x86-64	Targeted; clean installation validation pending
Windows	Not supported in this version

Installed rendering does not depend on periodic LemmaReel license checks. Your agent still needs to connect to its model provider.