Command Reference

Arena provides 11 commands for flexible video clip generation workflows.process, transcribe, and extract-audio accept supported URLs. process and transcribe also accept audio files. Commands that generate or inspect video artifacts use local files.

Command	Purpose
`arena init`	Interactive setup wizard
`arena process`	All-in-one clip generation
`arena transcribe`	Transcription only
`arena analyze`	Find moments without generating clips
`arena generate`	Generate clips from analysis
`arena format`	Format clips for social platforms
`arena detect-scenes`	Detect visual scene changes
`arena config`	Manage configuration
`arena extract-audio`	Extract audio from video
`arena setup`	Create, check, or repair the managed runtime
`arena diagnose`	System diagnostics

arena init

Run the interactive setup wizard to configure Arena for the first time or update your preferences.

Terminal

arena init

arena process

The all-in-one command. Transcribes, analyzes, and generates clips in a single pipeline.

Terminal

arena process <video-or-url> [options]

Options

Option	Description	Default
`-o, --output <dir>`	Output directory	`output`
`-n, --num-clips <number>`	Target number of clips	`8`
`--min <seconds>`	Minimum clip duration	`30`
`--max <seconds>`	Maximum clip duration	`90`
`--fast`	Stream copy mode (10x faster, no re-encoding)	`false`
`--captions`	Burn subtitles into clips	`false`
`-p, --platform <platform>`	Format generated clips for a supported platform	Not set
`--editorial-model <model>`	`gpt-4o` or `gpt-4o-mini`	`gpt-4o`
`--no-cache`	Ignore cached transcript	`false`
`--padding <seconds>`	Padding before/after clips	`0.1`
`--export-layers`	Export intermediate layer results	`false`
`--scene-detection`	Use scene changes to improve clip boundaries	`false`
`--crop <strategy>`	`center`, `smart`, `top`, or `bottom`	`center`
`--pad <strategy>`	`blur`, `black`, `white`, or `color`	`blur`
`--pad-color <color>`	Hex padding color used with `--pad color`	`#000000`
`--cookies-from-browser <browser>`	Use Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge cookies for URL downloads	Not set
`--caption-font-size <size>`	Caption font size	Engine default
`--caption-color <color>`	Caption color	Engine default
`--caption-position <position>`	`bottom`, `top`, or `middle`	Engine default
`--debug`	Show diagnostic details on failure	`false`

Examples

Terminal

# Local video file
arena process video.mp4

# YouTube URL
arena process "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID" -n 5

# With captions for TikTok
arena process video.mp4 --captions -p tiktok

# Cost-optimized
arena process video.mp4 --editorial-model gpt-4o-mini -n 5

# Fast mode (stream copy)
arena process video.mp4 --fast

# Audio file
arena process podcast.mp3 -n 5

# YouTube with browser cookies
arena process "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID" --cookies-from-browser chrome

arena transcribe

Transcribe video or audio without analysis or clip generation. Supports local files and URLs.

Terminal

arena transcribe <video-or-url> [options]

Options

Option	Description	Default
`-o, --output <file>`	Output transcript path	`<input>_transcript.json`
`--no-cache`	Force re-transcription	`false`
`--cookies-from-browser <browser>`	Use browser cookies for URL downloads	Not set
`--debug`	Show diagnostic details on failure	`false`

Examples

Terminal

# Transcribe local video
arena transcribe video.mp4

# Transcribe YouTube URL
arena transcribe "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID" -o transcript.json

# Transcribe audio file
arena transcribe podcast.mp3 -o transcript.json

# Force re-transcription
arena transcribe video.mp4 --no-cache

arena analyze

Analyze video and identify clips without generating video files. Useful for reviewing moments before committing to generation.

Terminal

arena analyze <video> [options]

Options

Option	Description	Default
`-o, --output <file>`	Output analysis path	`<video>_analysis.json`
`-n, --num-clips`	Number of clips to analyze	Engine default
`--min / --max`	Duration constraints	`30 / 90`
`--editorial-model`	Model for analysis	`gpt-4o`
`--transcript <file>`	Use existing transcript	-
`--scene-detection`	Use scene changes to improve boundaries	`false`
`--debug`	Show diagnostic details on failure	`false`

Examples

Terminal

# Analyze and find 10 potential clips
arena analyze video.mp4 -n 10 -o moments.json

# Use existing transcript
arena analyze video.mp4 --transcript transcript.json

# Cost-optimized analysis
arena analyze video.mp4 --editorial-model gpt-4o-mini

arena generate

Generate video clips from an existing analysis JSON file.

Terminal

arena generate <video> <analysis> [options]

Options

Option	Description	Default
`-o, --output <dir>`	Output directory	`./clips`
`-n, --num-clips <number>`	Limit the number of generated clips	All
`--select <1,3,5>`	Generate specific clips by index	all
`--fast`	Stream copy mode	`false`
`--padding <seconds>`	Padding before/after	Engine default
`--debug`	Show diagnostic details on failure	`false`

Examples

Terminal

# Generate all clips from analysis
arena generate video.mp4 analysis.json

# Generate only clips 1, 3, and 5
arena generate video.mp4 analysis.json --select 1,3,5

# Fast generation with stream copy
arena generate video.mp4 analysis.json --fast

arena format

Format video clips for specific social media platforms. See the Platform Formatting page for full details.

Terminal

arena format <input> -p <platform> [options]

Examples

Terminal

# Format for TikTok
arena format clip.mp4 -p tiktok -o tiktok/

# Batch format directory
arena format clips/ -p instagram-reels --crop smart -o reels/

# With blur background
arena format video.mp4 -p youtube --pad blur -o youtube/

Options

Option	Description	Default
`-p, --platform <platform>`	Required target platform	Required
`-o, --output <dir>`	Output directory	`output/formatted`
`--crop <strategy>`	Crop strategy	`center`
`--pad <strategy>`	Padding strategy	`blur`
`--pad-color <color>`	Hex padding color	`#000000`
`--no-quality`	Use faster, lower-quality encoding	`false`
`--captions <srt>`	Burn captions from an SRT file	Not set
`--caption-font-size <size>`	Caption font size	Engine default
`--caption-color <color>`	Caption color	Engine default
`--caption-position <position>`	Caption position	Engine default

arena detect-scenes

Analyze and output visual scene change boundaries.

Terminal

arena detect-scenes <video> [options]

Examples

Terminal

arena detect-scenes video.mp4
arena detect-scenes video.mp4 --threshold 0.35

Options

Option	Description	Default
`-o, --output <file>`	Scenes JSON path	Engine default
`--threshold <value>`	Detection threshold from 0.0 to 1.0	`0.4`
`--min-duration <seconds>`	Minimum scene duration	`2.0`
`--report`	Generate a detailed report	`false`
`--debug`	Show diagnostic details on failure	`false`

arena config

View and manage Arena configuration.

Terminal

arena config                        # View current config
arena config set <key> <value>      # Set a non-sensitive value
arena config get <key>              # Get specific value
arena config reset                  # Reset to defaults

API keys are entered through a private interactive prompt. Do not place a key directly in the command because shell history may retain it.

Terminal

arena config set openai_api_key

Common config keys

Key	Description
`openai_api_key`	OpenAI API key
`whisper_mode`	Transcription mode (currently `api`)
`clip_duration`	Default duration range
`output_format`	Video output format

arena extract-audio

Extract audio from video or URL in various formats.

Terminal

arena extract-audio <video-or-url> [options]

Options

Option	Description	Default
`-o, --output <file>`	Output audio path	auto
`--format`	`mp3`, `wav`, `aac`, `flac`	`mp3`
`--bitrate`	Audio bitrate	`192k`
`--sample-rate`	Sample rate in Hz	auto
`--mono`	Convert to mono	`false`
`--cookies-from-browser <browser>`	Use browser cookies for URL downloads	Not set
`--debug`	Show diagnostic details on failure	`false`

Examples

Terminal

# Extract to MP3
arena extract-audio video.mp4

# High-quality WAV
arena extract-audio video.mp4 --format wav -o audio.wav

# Mono for speech processing
arena extract-audio video.mp4 --mono --bitrate 128k

# Extract audio from an authenticated URL
arena extract-audio "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID" --cookies-from-browser chrome

arena setup

Create, verify, or repair Arena's managed processing runtime.

Terminal

arena setup          # Create or update the managed runtime
arena setup --check  # Check health without changing anything
arena setup --force  # Rebuild the managed runtime
arena setup --yes    # Approve supported dependency installation

arena diagnose

Run system diagnostics to check your environment.

Terminal

arena diagnose