Technical overview

The technical side of TakePilot, for whoever sets up the agent or handles development on your team. If you only want to know how to use it, read What is TakePilot.

No API keys

The API keys for the AI that makes video, images and voice all live on TakePilot's servers. You sign no contracts with AI companies.
You pay for what you make with TakePilot credits. Every AI call goes through TakePilot's servers, which meter and charge each one (Credits and plans).
Your agent plans the script and cuts. That runs on your agent's own subscription; you pay TakePilot nothing for it.

How it connects

TakePilot serves its tools as a remote MCP server.

Item	Value
MCP server URL	`https://api.takepilot.ai/v1/mcp`
Authentication	OAuth 2.1 with dynamic client registration. The first tool call opens a browser where you sign in to TakePilot and allow access
Plugin	Skills (the steps for making ad videos) plus the MCP tools. Distributed from the public repository `TakePilot/takepilot-plugin`

Agent	What you install
Claude Code, Codex CLI, Grok Build	The plugin (skills, commands and tools)
Claude Desktop	The plugin zip (chat mode)
ChatGPT desktop app	A custom MCP server (tools and the `get_playbook` guide only; Chat mode)
Other MCP clients	The remote MCP server and the skill zip (steps). If the client can't take skills, the guide comes from `get_playbook`

Setup steps are in Make videos with the plugin.

Scopes

The consent screen grants three scopes.

Scope	Allows
`read`	Read offerings, avatars, templates, My files and ad results
`write`	Register offerings, upload files, send ad results (free)
`spend`	Call tools that use credits (make voice, images and clips; render)

Tools

The tools are building blocks for a video. Your agent plans the video; the tools only make and save things.

Kind	Cost	Main tools
Read	Free	`list_products`, `list_avatars`, `list_templates`, `list_files`, `get_ad_results`, `get_playbook`
Estimate	Free	`estimate`
Make	Provider cost + 20%	`generate_speech`, `generate_image`, `generate_clip`, `build_video`, `render_video`
Wait	Free	`wait_jobs` (returns within 50 seconds)
Register and send	Free	`create_product`, `request_file_upload`, `sync_ad_results`, `set_spend_caps`

Long jobs (clips, building, rendering) return a job_id at once; wait for them with wait_jobs.

Spending safeguards

Paid tools require max_usd (what this call may spend) and idempotency_key (8–128 characters). If the estimate is over max_usd, nothing is made.
Calling again with the same key and arguments returns the first result and makes nothing new. The same key with different arguments returns idempotency_mismatch.
The server counts caps per call ($10 by default), per agent per day ($20) and per person per day ($50). Lowering a cap works at once from a tool or the web. Raising one needs you to confirm on a confirmation page; your agent cannot raise caps itself (Plugin costs and limits).

Building and rendering

Building always runs on TakePilot's servers, in a throwaway box with no network for each build. Nothing is built on your computer.
Rendering runs on your computer when it has at least 16 GB of memory and 10 GB free, with the HyperFrames CLI build TakePilot ships, at no cost. Otherwise your agent asks before rendering on TakePilot's servers (paid). Map videos, videos from another author's template that have a voice, and versions that use a hidden or removed file always render on the servers.

What only people do on the web

Your agent cannot do these; a person does them on the web. The tools only return the page's URL.

Publish to Community
Raise a cap

Let AI read these docs

https://docs.takepilot.ai/llms.txt: a list of every page
Add .md to any page URL to read it as markdown (for example https://docs.takepilot.ai/en/developers.md)