How I Turned 30 Minutes of YouTube Video Prep Into 2 Minutes With AI Agent Skills
The Problem: Repetitive Manual Work Every Week
I create YouTube videos twice a week. Before AI automation, my workflow looked like this:
Every single video:
1. Create project folder structure (5 min)
2. Organize images into the right folders (5 min)
3. Find and copy audio files (3 min)
4. Verify thumbnail exists (2 min)
5. Check audio duration (3 min)
6. Convert images to 1920x1080 (5 min)
7. Run video generation script with correct parameters (5 min)
8. Verify output and move files (2 min)
Total: ~30 minutes of setup per video
The real pain: If I had to pause and come back later, I'd forget where I was in the process and have to re-explain everything to the AI.
The Solution: AI Agent Skills System
I spent one weekend building a custom AI agent skills system using Claude Code. The result? 30 minutes compressed to 2 minutes.
The Core Concept
Instead of manually running each step, I created AI skills that:
- ✅ Know my folder structure
- ✅ Remember my video generation workflow
- ✅ Execute multiple scripts in sequence
- ✅ Validate everything automatically
- ✅ Maintain context across sessions
System Architecture
File System Layout
~/.claude/skills/ # Personal skills (all projects)
└── generate-video/ # Main video generation skill
├── SKILL.md # Orchestration logic
├── README.md # Documentation
└── WORKFLOW.md # Visual diagrams
/Volumes/SSD/vibe67/scripts/ # My video generation scripts
├── scripts_generate_video/
│ ├── get_mp3_duration.py # Audio duration calculator
│ └── auto_video_creator.py # Video generator
│
└── scripts_download_images/
└── resize_to_youtube_image.py # Image converter
The Skill Workflow
Single command: /generate-video <folder-path> <video-name>
What happens automatically:
Step 1: Validation
├─ Check folder exists
├─ Verify images present (jpg, png)
├─ Verify audio files present (mp3, m4a, wav)
└─ Ensure thumbnail* file exists (REQUIRED)
Step 2: Audio Analysis
├─ Run get_mp3_duration.py
├─ Calculate total hours
└─ Display: "Total: X.XX hours"
Step 3: Image Processing
├─ Run resize_to_youtube_image.py
├─ Convert ALL images (except thumbnail) to 1920x1080
└─ Overwrite originals (in place)
Step 4: Video Generation
├─ Run auto_video_creator.py
├─ Pass: folder path, video name, duration
├─ Output: /autocreated/{video-name}.mp4
└─ Confirm: File size, location, ready for upload
Total time: ~2 minutes (mostly video encoding)
Key Design Decisions
1. Personal Skills vs Project Skills
I use personal skills (~/.claude/skills/) because:
- Available in ANY project directory
- Don't need to recreate for each video project
- Consistent workflow across all videos
2. Skills, Not Documentation Lookup
When to create skills:
- ✅ Repetitive workflows (video generation)
- ✅ Multi-step automation
- ✅ Fixed paths and procedures
When to just ask AI:
- ❌ API documentation (Slack SDK, AWS, GCP)
- ❌ One-time lookups
- ❌ Public documentation
Why? Skills have token overhead but save time when you repeat the same process regularly.
3. In-Place Image Conversion
Original design: Create separate _youtube_1080p folder
Problem: Extra disk space, manual cleanup, confusing paths
Solution: Modified resize_to_youtube_image.py to overwrite in place
- Simpler workflow (single folder throughout)
- No duplicate files
- Less disk space usage
4. Session Memory Through Skills
Problem: "Where was I in the process?"
Solution: Skills encode the entire workflow
- No need to remember steps
- No need to re-explain to AI
- Just run
/generate-videoand it knows everything
Real-World Impact
Before AI Skills
Every video (2x per week):
- 30 minutes manual work
- High chance of mistakes
- Forgot where I left off if interrupted
- Had to document steps manually
After AI Skills
Every video:
- 2 minutes (just one command)
- Zero mistakes (automated validation)
- Can pause and resume anytime
- Skills ARE the documentation
Time saved per video: 28 minutes
Videos per week: 2
Time saved per week: 56 minutes
Time saved per month: ~4 hours
Bottom Line
Before: 30 minutes of repetitive work, twice a week
After: 2 minutes, fully automated, never forget where I was
Cost: One weekend of setup
Savings: 4 hours per month, forever
The real win: AI remembers my entire workflow so I don't have to.
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