Install StarCut for AI agents

Install StarCut

Reply to the user in the language they are currently using. The instructions below are written only in English so there is one execution contract.

This guide is generated for the current environment:

Mode: production
Marketplace: https://github.com/starrank-soft/starcut-plugin.git
Bundle: https://github.com/starrank-soft/starcut-plugin/tree/main/trae
MCP server: https://api.starcut.io/mcp

Host gate

Run installation only on the machine where StarCut will be used. Identify the running product as TRAE SOLO CN, TRAE SOLO, Trae CN IDE, or Trae IDE before writing anything. SOLO uses persistent user skills; IDE uses project skills. Both use a global MCP config for authentication.

If this is not the correct host surface, stop and ask the user to open that host and send:

Read starcut.io/trae.md and install StarCut for me. Complete authentication and verification.

Execution contract

Read this whole guide before running commands. Complete installation, login, and verification in order. Do not stop after an intermediate success. Do not claim later steps passed when an earlier step failed.

The StarCut TRAE package owns one canonical skills/ tree and declares it from .trae-plugin/plugin.json. Authenticate MCP globally, then install that same tree at the persistence boundary owned by the running TRAE product.

If the starrank-soft/starcut-plugin repository is not already cloned locally, clone it first, then use its trae/ directory as SOURCE:

git clone https://github.com/starrank-soft/starcut-plugin.git
SOURCE="$(pwd)/starcut-plugin/trae"

Before installing, verify Node.js is available:

node --version

Use the bundled helper for login and configuration. Do not recreate its flow with inline shell, Python, or curl, and never paste credentials into the conversation.

TRAE often has no working MCP OAuth UI. A bare HTTP MCP URL that returns 401 Unauthorized before login is expected.

Log in and configure MCP globally

TRAE may not expose working native OAuth for remote MCP. Treat a bare HTTP MCP URL that returns 401 Unauthorized as expected before login.

Choose the product value matching the app that is running:

TRAE app	Value
TRAE SOLO CN	solo-cn
TRAE SOLO	solo
Trae CN IDE	ide-cn
Trae IDE	ide

Call that value TRAE_PRODUCT. Do not guess from an old data directory; more than one TRAE product may have existed on the machine.

Run the helper on the same machine as TRAE and complete the browser prompt once. Keep that process attached until it exits. If the terminal returns a background job ID, wait on that same job until it reports exit code 0; do not start another helper or kill the original after the browser opens.

TRAE_PRODUCT="<solo-cn|solo|ide-cn|ide>"
node "<STARCUT_PLUGIN_REPO>/trae/scripts/mcp-manual-oauth.mjs" --host trae --mcp-url "https://api.starcut.io/mcp" --write-config --trae-product "$TRAE_PRODUCT"

Windows PowerShell:

$TraeProduct = "<solo-cn|solo|ide-cn|ide>"
node "<STARCUT_PLUGIN_REPO>\trae\scripts\mcp-manual-oauth.mjs" --host trae --mcp-url "https://api.starcut.io/mcp" --write-config --trae-product $TraeProduct

Treat the browser success page and helper exit code 0 as success. If the helper fails, report its exact error. Never paste credentials into the conversation.

Configure MCP

The helper installs starcut into the selected TRAE product's global MCP config so every project and conversation can use the same authenticated server.

TRAE app	macOS path	Windows path
TRAE SOLO CN	~/Library/Application Support/TRAE SOLO CN/User/mcp.json	%APPDATA%\TRAE SOLO CN\User\mcp.json
TRAE SOLO	~/Library/Application Support/TRAE SOLO/User/mcp.json	%APPDATA%\TRAE SOLO\User\mcp.json
Trae CN IDE	~/Library/Application Support/Trae CN/User/mcp.json	%APPDATA%\Trae CN\User\mcp.json
Trae IDE	~/Library/Application Support/Trae/User/mcp.json	%APPDATA%\Trae\User\mcp.json

Existing MCP servers are preserved, and the StarCut entry points to https://api.starcut.io/mcp. Do not read or print the stored credential. Reload TRAE or start a new conversation after skills are installed.

Install skills at the correct persistence boundary

Never install into a path containing work-mode-projects. TRAE SOLO creates those directories per conversation, so a new conversation cannot see skills copied there.

TRAE SOLO CN or TRAE SOLO

Install the package's skills/ contents into the persistent user skills directory. Use ~/.trae-cn/skills for solo-cn and ~/.trae/skills for solo.

macOS/Linux:

SOURCE="<STARCUT_PLUGIN_REPO>/trae"
TRAE_PRODUCT="<solo-cn|solo>"
case "$TRAE_PRODUCT" in
  solo-cn) TRAE_SKILLS="$HOME/.trae-cn/skills" ;;
  solo) TRAE_SKILLS="$HOME/.trae/skills" ;;
  *) echo "TRAE_PRODUCT must be solo-cn or solo" >&2; exit 1 ;;
esac
mkdir -p "$TRAE_SKILLS"
rsync -a "$SOURCE/skills"/ "$TRAE_SKILLS"/

Windows PowerShell:

$Source = "<STARCUT_PLUGIN_REPO>\trae"
$TraeProduct = "<solo-cn|solo>"
$TraeSkills = switch ($TraeProduct) {
  "solo-cn" { Join-Path $HOME ".trae-cn\skills" }
  "solo" { Join-Path $HOME ".trae\skills" }
  default { throw "TraeProduct must be solo-cn or solo" }
}
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path $TraeSkills | Out-Null
robocopy (Join-Path $Source "skills") $TraeSkills /E /NFL /NDL /NJH /NJS /nc /ns /np

Trae CN IDE or Trae IDE

Ask for the real project root if the current workspace is ambiguous. Refuse to continue until PROJECT is an absolute existing directory, then project the same package skills into PROJECT/.agents/skills.

macOS/Linux:

SOURCE="<STARCUT_PLUGIN_REPO>/trae"
PROJECT="<ABS_PROJECT_ROOT>"
mkdir -p "$PROJECT/.agents/skills"
rsync -a "$SOURCE/skills"/ "$PROJECT/.agents/skills"/

Windows PowerShell:

$Source = "<STARCUT_PLUGIN_REPO>\trae"
$Project = "<ABS_PROJECT_ROOT>"
$ProjectSkills = Join-Path $Project ".agents\skills"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path $ProjectSkills | Out-Null
robocopy (Join-Path $Source "skills") $ProjectSkills /E /NFL /NDL /NJH /NJS /nc /ns /np

Always copy the package's skills/ tree for both products so the same six StarCut skills are installed.

Verify

The helper exit code 0 confirms StarCut login, configuration, and MCP verification. Do not inspect the stored credential or run a second login.

After installing skills, start a new TRAE conversation and confirm that the StarCut tools are present. If the host later reports Unauthorized, rerun the helper.

Set INSTALLED_SKILLS to the SOLO user skills directory or the IDE project .agents/skills directory used above, then verify all six skills:

for skill in basics graphics media-gen media-import timeline-editing transcription; do
  test -f "$INSTALLED_SKILLS/$skill/SKILL.md" || exit 1
done

Windows PowerShell:

$Skills = "basics", "graphics", "media-gen", "media-import", "timeline-editing", "transcription"
$Skills | ForEach-Object {
  if (-not (Test-Path (Join-Path $InstalledSkills "$_\SKILL.md"))) { throw "Missing skill: $_" }
}

In the new Agent conversation, confirm the StarCut project tools are available and ask TRAE to name the six installed StarCut skills. If either catalog is missing, fix its persistence boundary before starting another conversation.

Start editing

After installation succeeds, tell the user to start a fresh conversation and send the prompt below in their language. Do not add implementation details.

StarCut is ready. Help me start a new video project. Briefly tell me how you can
help bring it to life, then ask what materials I have and what I want the finished
video to be like.

Completion

Report success only after all of these are true:

1. The plugin or project bundle is installed and enabled.
2. starcut is authenticated against https://api.starcut.io/mcp.
3. The user received the short startup prompt for a fresh conversation.

If any step fails, report the exact failed step and error without claiming later steps passed.