> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://herwaka.shesharp.org.nz/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Set up your tools

> Install Node.js, your AI assistant, Remotion, and get your ElevenLabs API key — everything you need before creating AI-powered promo videos.

Before we start creating videos, let's get all your tools installed and connected. There are a few more tools than usual — but we will guide you through each one.

<Warning>
  **You will need:** a laptop with internet access. No coding or video editing experience is required — we will guide you through every step.
</Warning>

<Steps>
  <Step title="Install Wispr Flow (optional)">
    <Info>
      **This step is optional.** Wispr Flow lets you speak instead of type — handy if you prefer talking over typing. Skip this step if you'd rather type your prompts.
    </Info>

    <Tip>
      **Sign up using this invite link to get a free month of Pro:**
      [https://wisprflow.ai/r?CHAN115](https://wisprflow.ai/r?CHAN115)

      Both you and the tutorial author benefit — you get a free month of Pro, and they get a free month when you dictate 2,000 words!
    </Tip>

    1. **Sign up** at [wisprflow.ai/r?CHAN115](https://wisprflow.ai/r?CHAN115)
    2. **Download and install** the app for your operating system
    3. **Configure settings** — enable these options for the best experience:
       * Experimental > **Command Mode** — Enable advanced voice commands
       * **Press Enter Command** — Automatically press enter when you say "press enter"
       * **Bulk Import** — Import snippets and dictionary items

    <Accordion title="What is Wispr Flow?">
      Wispr Flow is a voice-to-text tool that lets you dictate instead of type. It works in any application, including your terminal. Instead of typing a long prompt to Gemini CLI, you can just say it out loud. This is especially useful if you find typing slow or tiring.
    </Accordion>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open your terminal">
    The terminal is a program where you type commands. It looks like a dark window with text — this is completely normal. Don't be intimidated!

    <Tabs>
      <Tab title="Windows">
        1. Press the **Windows key** on your keyboard
        2. Type **PowerShell**
        3. Click **Windows PowerShell** in the search results

        You'll see a dark blue window with a blinking cursor. That's your terminal!
      </Tab>

      <Tab title="macOS">
        1. Press **Cmd + Space** to open Spotlight
        2. Type **Terminal**
        3. Press **Enter**

        You'll see a window with a blinking cursor. That's your terminal!
      </Tab>
    </Tabs>

    <Tip>
      The terminal is where you'll type commands to install tools and talk to AI. You'll be using it a lot in this tutorial — keep it open!
    </Tip>

    <Accordion title="How to open a terminal in a specific folder">
      Later in this tutorial, you'll need to open a terminal inside your project folder. Here's how:

      **Windows:** Open the folder in File Explorer. Click the address bar at the top, type `powershell`, and press Enter. A terminal opens right in that folder.

      **macOS:** Open Finder and navigate to the folder. Right-click the folder and select **"Open Terminal at Folder"**. If you don't see this option, you can open Terminal normally and type `cd ` (with a space), then drag the folder into the Terminal window and press Enter.
    </Accordion>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Install Node.js">
    <Info>
      **Already have Node.js?** If you installed it for a previous tutorial, skip this step. Run `node --version` in your terminal to check — you should see a version number like `v22.x.x`.
    </Info>

    Node.js is a free tool that lets you run Gemini CLI on your computer.

    <Tabs>
      <Tab title="Windows">
        1. Go to [nodejs.org](https://nodejs.org)
        2. Click the big green **LTS** button to download the installer
        3. Open the downloaded `.msi` file
        4. Click **Next** through all the screens — the default settings are fine
        5. Click **Install**, then **Finish**
      </Tab>

      <Tab title="macOS">
        1. Go to [nodejs.org](https://nodejs.org)
        2. Click the big green **LTS** button to download the installer
        3. Open the downloaded `.pkg` file
        4. Click **Continue** through all the screens — the default settings are fine
        5. Click **Install**, then **Close**
      </Tab>
    </Tabs>

    <Accordion title="How do I know it worked?">
      Open your terminal and type:

      ```bash theme={null}
      node --version
      ```

      You should see a version number like `v22.x.x`. If you see an error, try closing and reopening your terminal, then run the command again.
    </Accordion>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Install your AI assistant">
    You have two options. Gemini CLI is free and works well. Claude Code is a paid alternative that Remotion officially recommends — it is more capable but requires a subscription.

    <Tabs>
      <Tab title="Gemini CLI (Free)">
        <Info>
          **Already have Gemini CLI?** If you installed it for a previous tutorial, skip this step. Just run `gemini` in your terminal to check it still works.
        </Info>

        Gemini CLI is Google's free AI assistant. It runs in your terminal and helps you with tasks based on your descriptions.

        Open your terminal and type:

        ```bash theme={null}
        npm install -g @google/gemini-cli
        ```

        Wait for the installation to finish. Then start it by typing:

        ```bash theme={null}
        gemini
        ```

        The first time you run it, Gemini CLI will ask you to sign in:

        * Choose **"Sign in with Google"**
        * A browser window will open — sign in with your Google account
        * Come back to the terminal when it says you're connected

        <Info>
          **Free tier:** 60 requests per minute, 1,000 requests per day — more than enough for this tutorial and everyday use.
        </Info>

        <Accordion title="'npm' is not recognised">
          This means Node.js isn't installed correctly. Go back and reinstall Node.js. After reinstalling, **close your terminal completely and open a new one** before trying again.
        </Accordion>

        <Accordion title="Permission denied error">
          **Windows:** Close PowerShell and reopen it by right-clicking and choosing **"Run as Administrator"**. Then try the install command again.

          **macOS:** Add `sudo` before the command:

          ```bash theme={null}
          sudo npm install -g @google/gemini-cli
          ```

          Enter your computer password when prompted (you won't see characters as you type — that's normal).
        </Accordion>

        Type `/quit` to exit Gemini CLI for now. We will start it again after setting up the video project.
      </Tab>

      <Tab title="Claude Code (Paid)">
        Claude Code is Anthropic's AI coding assistant. It requires a **Max or Pro subscription** from [claude.ai](https://claude.ai). Remotion's official documentation recommends Claude Code for AI video creation.

        Install it by running:

        ```bash title="Copy this command" theme={null}
        npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
        ```

        Then start it:

        ```bash title="Copy this command" theme={null}
        claude
        ```

        The first time you run it, Claude Code will ask you to sign in via your browser. Follow the instructions on screen.

        Type `/exit` to exit Claude Code for now.

        <Accordion title="'npm' is not recognised">
          This means Node.js is not installed correctly. Go back and reinstall Node.js. After reinstalling, **close your terminal completely and open a new one** before trying again.
        </Accordion>

        <Accordion title="Permission denied error">
          **Windows:** Close PowerShell and reopen it by right-clicking and choosing **"Run as Administrator"**. Then try the install command again.

          **macOS:** Add `sudo` before the command: `sudo npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code` and enter your password when prompted.
        </Accordion>
      </Tab>
    </Tabs>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Get your ElevenLabs API key">
    You need an ElevenLabs API key to generate voiceover audio and sound effects. This is free — you just need to create an account.

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Create a free ElevenLabs account">
        Go to [elevenlabs.io](https://elevenlabs.io) and click **Sign Up**. You can sign up with your Google account or email.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Find your API key">
        Once signed in:

        1. Click your **profile icon** in the bottom-left corner
        2. Click **Profile + API key**
        3. Click **Show** next to your API key
        4. Click the **copy icon** to copy it to your clipboard
      </Step>

      <Step title="Save your API key somewhere safe">
        Paste your API key into a text file, a note, or anywhere you can find it again. You will need it during the tutorial.

        <Warning>
          **Treat your API key like a password.** Do not share it publicly, post it on social media, or include it in files you upload to GitHub. Anyone with your key can use your ElevenLabs account.
        </Warning>
      </Step>
    </Steps>

    <Accordion title="What is an API key?">
      An API key is like a password that lets one program talk to another. When your AI assistant generates voiceover audio, it sends your text to ElevenLabs' servers along with your API key. ElevenLabs checks the key to confirm it is you, then sends back the audio.

      You will see API keys used in many professional tools — learning to use one here is a transferable skill.
    </Accordion>

    <Accordion title="What does the free tier include?">
      The ElevenLabs free tier gives you **10,000 characters per month** — that is roughly 5 to 8 minutes of speech. For a 30-second promo video, you need about 75 to 100 words of voiceover. That means you can create **dozens of videos per month** on the free tier.

      The free tier also includes sound effects generation and access to a set of built-in voices.
    </Accordion>

    <Accordion title="Can I use any voice?">
      The free API tier includes several built-in voices (like Rachel, Bella, Antoni, and others). The full voice library with 3,000+ community voices is available on the ElevenLabs website for browsing, but accessing them via the API requires a paid plan.

      **Workaround:** Browse voices at [elevenlabs.io/voice-library](https://elevenlabs.io/voice-library) to hear previews. For the API, use the built-in voices — they sound professional and work great for promo videos.
    </Accordion>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create your video project">
    Now let's create a new Remotion project — this is the framework that turns your descriptions into real video files.

    Run this command in your terminal:

    ```bash title="Copy this command" theme={null}
    npx create-video@latest
    ```

    When prompted, choose these settings:

    * **Project name:** `my-promo-video` (or any name you like)
    * **Template:** Select **Blank**
    * **TailwindCSS:** Yes
    * **Install Skills:** Yes

    <Info>
      **What just happened?** You created a new video project on your computer. Remotion is a framework that creates videos from code — but you will never write code yourself. Your AI assistant reads and writes all the code for you. The "Skills" you installed are documentation files that help the AI understand how Remotion works.
    </Info>

    Then go into the project folder and install dependencies:

    ```bash title="Copy this command" theme={null}
    cd my-promo-video
    ```

    ```bash title="Copy this command" theme={null}
    npm install
    ```

    <Accordion title="'npx' is not recognised or the command fails">
      Make sure Node.js is installed correctly — run `node --version` to check. If that works but `npx` fails, try closing and reopening your terminal. On Windows, you may need to run the terminal as Administrator.
    </Accordion>

    <Accordion title="The project name already exists">
      Choose a different name, or delete the existing folder first. You can use any name you like — just remember to use that name instead of `my-promo-video` in the rest of this tutorial.
    </Accordion>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Start the video preview">
    Start the Remotion preview server so you can see your video as you build it:

    ```bash title="Copy this command" theme={null}
    npm run dev
    ```

    This opens a preview window in your browser (usually at `http://localhost:3000`). You should see an empty video canvas.

    <Tip>
      **Keep this terminal window running.** The preview server needs to stay active while you build your video. You will open a **second terminal window** in the next step for your AI assistant.
    </Tip>

    <Accordion title="The browser does not open automatically">
      Open your browser manually and go to `http://localhost:3000`. If you see an error, make sure the terminal shows "Server running" or similar — it may take a moment to start.
    </Accordion>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Start your AI assistant in the project">
    Open a **new terminal window** (keep the preview server running in the first one). Navigate to your project folder and start your AI assistant:

    <Tabs>
      <Tab title="Gemini CLI (Free)">
        ```bash title="Copy this command" theme={null}
        cd my-promo-video
        ```

        ```bash title="Copy this command" theme={null}
        gemini
        ```

        Gemini CLI is now running inside your video project. It can read all the project files and create video compositions when you describe what you want.
      </Tab>

      <Tab title="Claude Code (Paid)">
        ```bash title="Copy this command" theme={null}
        cd my-promo-video
        ```

        ```bash title="Copy this command" theme={null}
        claude
        ```

        Claude Code is now running inside your video project. It can read all the project files — including the Remotion Skills documentation — and create video compositions when you describe what you want.

        <Tip>
          **Claude Code + Remotion Skills:** Because you installed Skills during project creation, Claude Code has built-in knowledge of how Remotion works. This is the workflow recommended in [Remotion's official documentation](https://www.remotion.dev/docs/ai/claude-code).
        </Tip>
      </Tab>
    </Tabs>

    <Info>
      **Two terminals running at once:** This is normal and expected. Terminal 1 runs the preview server (so you can see your video). Terminal 2 runs your AI assistant (so you can describe what you want). They work together — the AI writes code, and the preview shows the result in real time.
    </Info>
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Verify your setup

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Node.js installed">
    Run `node --version` in your terminal. You should see a version number.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="AI assistant installed">
    Run `gemini` or `claude` in your terminal. It starts up and shows a prompt where you can type.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="ElevenLabs API key saved">
    You have your API key copied and saved somewhere safe — a text file, a note, or your password manager.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Remotion project created">
    The folder `my-promo-video` exists on your computer with project files inside.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Preview server running">
    Terminal 1 is running `npm run dev` and you can see the Remotion preview at `http://localhost:3000`.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="AI assistant running in the project">
    Terminal 2 has your AI assistant (Gemini CLI or Claude Code) running inside the `my-promo-video` folder.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<Note>
  All set? Head to [Create your first promo video](/tutorial/promo-video/create-video) to start building.
</Note>