Download and summarize videos locally with OpenBrief
Built OpenBrief, a local-first video downloader and summarizer.
Source
tantara on Hacker News · 2026-05-25 · Project link
Written in our own words. Credit to the original author. Link checked 2026-10-15.
What they did
Built OpenBrief, a local-first video downloader and summarizer.
Result (as claimed)
Open-sourced local video tool.
Tools they used
Cost: Pricing depends on the tools you pick; check each official pricing page.
Set it up
Collect your inputs
List what goes in (raw footage, script, topic list or audio) and the exact output you want, for example 5 vertical clips under 45 seconds. Put inputs in one folder.
Set up the tools
Open whisper, FFmpeg, Ollama. Connect accounts only where needed and note any per-minute or per-credit limits on the free plan before you start.
Run one piece end to end
Make a single output first. Check pacing, captions, voice and framing by watching it on a phone.
Turn it into a repeatable recipe
Save the prompts and settings that worked as a template so the next run takes minutes, then batch.
Review before you post
Watch every output before publishing. Check rights for music, likeness and footage, and label AI content where the platform requires it.
Copy the full setup prompt
Paste into your agent and it will walk you through the setup, asking before anything that sends, posts or spends.
You are helping me set up this AI use case end to end in Claude Code. Goal: Download and summarize videos locally with OpenBrief What the original author did: Built OpenBrief, a local-first video downloader and summarizer. Reported result (as claimed by the author): Open-sourced local video tool. Source: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48272393 Tools they used: whisper, FFmpeg, Ollama Category: Creators & video Please: 1. Ask me 3 short questions about my situation (accounts I have, budget, what I want the output to look like). 2. Propose a step-by-step plan using these tools or cheaper alternatives, with the time and cost of each step. Use official pricing pages; say "check pricing" if unsure. 3. Then do the setup with me one step at a time, waiting for my OK before anything that sends messages, posts publicly, spends money or deletes data. 4. Finish with a checklist to run it again next time.
You are helping me set up this AI use case end to end in Codex. Goal: Download and summarize videos locally with OpenBrief What the original author did: Built OpenBrief, a local-first video downloader and summarizer. Reported result (as claimed by the author): Open-sourced local video tool. Source: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48272393 Tools they used: whisper, FFmpeg, Ollama Category: Creators & video Please: 1. Ask me 3 short questions about my situation (accounts I have, budget, what I want the output to look like). 2. Propose a step-by-step plan using these tools or cheaper alternatives, with the time and cost of each step. Use official pricing pages; say "check pricing" if unsure. 3. Then do the setup with me one step at a time, waiting for my OK before anything that sends messages, posts publicly, spends money or deletes data. 4. Finish with a checklist to run it again next time.
You are helping me set up this AI use case end to end in Grok Bot. Goal: Download and summarize videos locally with OpenBrief What the original author did: Built OpenBrief, a local-first video downloader and summarizer. Reported result (as claimed by the author): Open-sourced local video tool. Source: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48272393 Tools they used: whisper, FFmpeg, Ollama Category: Creators & video Please: 1. Ask me 3 short questions about my situation (accounts I have, budget, what I want the output to look like). 2. Propose a step-by-step plan using these tools or cheaper alternatives, with the time and cost of each step. Use official pricing pages; say "check pricing" if unsure. 3. Then do the setup with me one step at a time, waiting for my OK before anything that sends messages, posts publicly, spends money or deletes data. 4. Finish with a checklist to run it again next time.
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