Tell cut_video what to keep; it will not merge two sources
Trim or cut a video is one agent job on a single file. cut_video keeps time ranges. Stitching two clips, or generating a longer take, is a different job.
Tell it what to keep. Trim or cut a video is one named agent job: cut_video on a single source. Segments are kept ranges, in seconds, not delete ranges. One range trims. Two skip an unwanted middle. N stitch kept pieces of that file in order. Using it to merge two different clips, or regenerating a video because the hook was two seconds late, pays either the wrong process or a full video-model bill for an edit.
The tool requires video_url and segments. Output is a new file of the kept windows. It is a flat per-video processing fee, shown before render — not a generative model. The task pages trim a video and cut a section out are the same keep-range idea on the editing surface.
One file is the boundary
Clip A, seconds 5–15. That is this job. Clip A without the 10–25 slog, keeping head and tail. That is this job. Three keep ranges from clip A, concatenated. Still this job.
Clip A then clip B from another URL is stitch multiple clips into one video. cut_video will not accept a second source. Forcing a generate so "the model starts on the good part" is the expensive substitute for a trim. Extend a video is the other neighbour: new footage continuing past the end, priced per model. A trim is not an extend.
If you are assembling music, captions, and several clips into one finished piece, a single timeline render can beat a chain of cut-then-attach-then-caption. This page is still the right first cut when the product you want is a kept-range master you will reuse: a Shorts cutdown, a feed crop later, a captioned variant. Baking the trim only inside a one-off EDL means you re-trim every time.
Keep ranges, not vibes
"Cut the boring part" only works if you name seconds. The agent cannot infer your boredom. Give start and end. Regenerating because you did not want to look at a timeline is how a processing job becomes a generation job.
FAQ
Can I pass two video URLs into cut_video?
No. One source. Multiple sources is stitch/compose. Passing one URL and hoping the other clip appears is not a parameter you are missing; it is a different tool.
Is a trim cheaper than regenerating the clip?
Yes. cut_video is processing. A new generate is a video model. If the keeper already exists and the problem is in/out, trim.
What does two segments mean?
Keep [0, badStart] and [badEnd, end] — the middle is gone. That is "cut out," not two sources.
Should I trim inside generate_videos by prompting "start later"?
No. Generate the plate, then keep the range. Prompting a model to skip its own first two seconds is a lottery you will pay to reroll.