Veo - AI Video Generation Skills for Claude Code

Generate cinematic video content using Google Veo 3.1 via Vertex AI. Optimized for website hero backgrounds, marketing materials, and ambient looping visuals.

Example Output

Single-Shot: Hero Background Loop

A seamless looping abstract background for website hero sections.

Click to download video

Multi-Shot: Marketing Launch Video

A 4-shot promotional video assembled from individually generated clips using /veo-multi-shot.

Click to download video

View individual shots

Shot 1: Teaser	Shot 2: Reveal

Shot 3: Detail	Shot 4: Context

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Installation

Option 1: Plugin Marketplace (Recommended)

/plugin marketplace add kdowswell/veo-tools
/plugin install veo-tools

Option 2: Manual Copy

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/kdowswell/veo-tools.git

# Copy skills to Claude Code (global)
cp -r veo-tools/skills/* ~/.claude/skills/

# Or project-specific
cp -r veo-tools/skills/* /path/to/your/project/.claude/skills/

Skills Included

Skill	Command	Description
veo	/veo	Generate AI videos with cinematic prompt engineering
veo-setup	/veo-setup	Configure Google Cloud project and authentication
video-loop	/video-loop	Create seamless infinite loops from any video

How the Veo Skill Works

The /veo skill follows a 6-phase workflow designed to prevent bad prompts from reaching expensive API calls:

User Request → UNDERSTAND → CRAFT → VALIDATE → PRESENT → GENERATE → ITERATE

Phase 1: UNDERSTAND

Claude gathers context before crafting any prompt:

• Use case (hero background, marketing, social, product)
• Mood and visual direction
• Technical requirements
• What must NOT appear

If your request is vague, Claude will ask clarifying questions first.

Phase 2: CRAFT

Claude builds the prompt using the 5-Element Formula:

[Cinematography] + [Subject] + [Action] + [Context] + [Style & Ambiance]

Phase 3: VALIDATE

Every prompt is checked against quality criteria:

• Single camera movement (no stacking)
• No text/UI requests (Veo can't render text)
• No conflicting descriptors
• Loop flags present (for hero backgrounds)
• Material specificity included

Phase 4: PRESENT & AWAIT APPROVAL

Claude presents the prompt with validation status and waits for your approval before generating:

READY FOR REVIEW:

Prompt: [crafted prompt]
Settings: 16:9, 4s, 720p
Validation: PASSED

Shall I generate this video? (Cost: ~$0.50, Time: 2-4 minutes)

Phase 5: GENERATE

Only after approval, generation begins.

Phase 6: ITERATE

If results don't match expectations, Claude guides targeted improvements rather than starting over.

Quick Start

Prerequisites

1. Google Cloud account with billing enabled
2. gcloud CLI installed
3. Claude Code installed

Automated Setup (Recommended)

Use the veo-setup skill to configure everything:

Set up Google Cloud for Veo video generation

Claude will walk you through:

• Creating or selecting a GCP project
• Enabling Vertex AI API
• Creating service account with correct permissions
• Generating credentials file
• Configuring environment variables
• Verifying the complete setup

Generate Videos

Once configured, use the veo skill:

Generate a hero background video for a tech startup landing page

Create a looping ambient video of abstract particles for my SaaS website

Make a 4-second seamless loop of morning mist over a lake

Create Seamless Loops

Use the video-loop skill to convert any video into a seamless infinite loop:

Create a seamless loop from hero-background.mp4

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Manual Setup

If you prefer to configure manually, follow these steps:

Step 1: Create or Select a Google Cloud Project

New project:

gcloud projects create YOUR_PROJECT_ID --name="Veo Video Generation"
gcloud config set project YOUR_PROJECT_ID

Existing project:

gcloud config set project YOUR_PROJECT_ID

Step 2: Enable Vertex AI API

gcloud services enable aiplatform.googleapis.com

Step 3: Create Service Account

# Create service account
gcloud iam service-accounts create veo-generator \
  --display-name="Veo Video Generator"

# Grant Vertex AI User role
gcloud projects add-iam-policy-binding YOUR_PROJECT_ID \
  --member="serviceAccount:veo-generator@YOUR_PROJECT_ID.iam.gserviceaccount.com" \
  --role="roles/aiplatform.user"

# Create and download key file
gcloud iam service-accounts keys create ~/veo-service-account.json \
  --iam-account=veo-generator@YOUR_PROJECT_ID.iam.gserviceaccount.com

Step 4: Set Environment Variables

Add to your shell profile (~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc):

# Required
export GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT="YOUR_PROJECT_ID"
export GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS="$HOME/veo-service-account.json"

# Optional (defaults to us-central1)
export GOOGLE_CLOUD_LOCATION="us-central1"

Reload your shell:

source ~/.zshrc  # or source ~/.bashrc

Step 5: Authenticate gcloud

gcloud auth application-default login

Step 6: Verify Setup

# Check environment variables
echo $GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT
echo $GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS

# Verify credentials file exists
ls -la $GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS

# Test authentication
gcloud auth application-default print-access-token

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Direct Script Usage

For programmatic use without Claude:

cd skills/veo/scripts

npx ts-node veo-generate.ts \
  --prompt "Slow dolly through floating data particles, seamless loop, locked camera, ethereal blue palette" \
  --duration 4 \
  --resolution 720p \
  --output ./hero-background.mp4

Script Options

Option	Values	Default	Description
--prompt, -p	string	required	Cinematic prompt
--output, -o	path	./veo-output.mp4	Output file path
--aspect-ratio	16:9, 9:16	16:9	Video aspect ratio
--duration	4, 6, 8	8	Duration in seconds (API limit)
--resolution	720p, 1080p	720p	Video resolution
--audio	flag	false	Enable audio generation
--model	see below	quality	Model variant
--seed	integer	random	For reproducibility
--samples	1-4	1	Number of variations

Models:

• veo-3.1-generate-001 - Higher quality (default)
• veo-3.1-fast-generate-001 - Faster generation

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Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Default	Description
GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT	Yes	-	Your GCP project ID
GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS	Yes	-	Path to service account JSON
GOOGLE_CLOUD_LOCATION	No	us-central1	GCP region for Vertex AI

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Troubleshooting

"Permission denied" errors

Ensure the service account has the correct role:

gcloud projects add-iam-policy-binding YOUR_PROJECT_ID \
  --member="serviceAccount:veo-generator@YOUR_PROJECT_ID.iam.gserviceaccount.com" \
  --role="roles/aiplatform.user"

"API not enabled" errors

gcloud services enable aiplatform.googleapis.com

"Could not find default credentials" errors

gcloud auth application-default login

Service account file not found

ls -la $GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS

Generation times out

Veo generation typically takes 2-4 minutes. If timing out:

• Check your network connection
• Try the fast model: --model veo-3.1-fast-generate-001
• Reduce duration: --duration 4

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Repository Structure

veo-tools/
├── .claude-plugin/
│   ├── marketplace.json          # Plugin marketplace metadata
│   └── plugin.json               # Plugin configuration
├── skills/
│   ├── veo/                      # Video generation skill
│   │   ├── SKILL.md              # 6-phase workflow + prompt engineering
│   │   ├── scripts/
│   │   │   └── veo-generate.ts   # Generation script
│   │   ├── validation/
│   │   │   └── prompt-checklist.md  # Quality validation rules
│   │   ├── references/
│   │   │   └── cinematography-lexicon.md
│   │   └── examples/
│   │       └── hero-prompts.md   # Annotated example prompts
│   ├── veo-setup/                # Setup skill
│   │   └── SKILL.md              # GCP configuration guide
│   └── video-loop/               # Loop creation skill
│       ├── SKILL.md              # Usage instructions
│       └── scripts/
│           └── create-loop.sh    # FFmpeg loop script
├── README.md
└── LICENSE

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License

MIT