What is ArcReel used for?

ArcReel is a self-hosted, agent-driven AI video workspace that turns novels and scripts into assets, storyboards and videos, exporting CapCut drafts. It is a good fit for short drama production from novels and product video generation workflows.

Is ArcReel open source?

Yes. ArcReel is open source under the AGPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at ArcReel/ArcReel and is written mainly in Python.

Yes. ArcReel is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host ArcReel?

Yes. ArcReel can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.

What is ArcReel an alternative to?

ArcReel is an open-source alternative to InVideo, Runway, Arcads and Sora. Other open-source alternatives to InVideo include DramaClaw and Short Video Factory.

Is ArcReel actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to ArcReel was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v0.32.0, published on 2 October 2026. The project has 5.3k stars on GitHub.

ArcReel: open-source alternative to InVideo, Runway, Arcads

About ArcReel

ArcReel is an open-source video production workspace that you host yourself. Its AI agents convert novels, finished scripts or product material into characters, scenes and props, then storyboards and video, aiming for shots where characters stay consistent and the process remains controllable and editable.

The workflow outputs finished clips and can produce draft projects for the CapCut editing app, called JianYing in China, for further editing. The README highlights consistency across shots, support for multiple model providers, and cost tracking so you can see what each generation costs. Repository topics mention the Claude Agent SDK, FFmpeg, image-to-video and text-to-video generation, short drama and storyboarding. It is built in Python and deployed with Docker.

ArcReel is licensed under AGPL-3.0, with documentation mainly in Chinese. It suits short-drama creators, small studios and marketers who want an AI video pipeline on their own server using their own model API accounts.

Key features

Novel and script to storyboard conversion
Character, scene and prop asset generation
Cross-shot consistency controls
Multi-provider AI model support
Cost tracking for generations
CapCut draft export

Good fit for

→Short drama production from novels
→Product video generation workflows

Built with: Python; Docker
Tags: ai-video; storyboard; self-hosted; docker; video-generation; text-to-video; ai-agents; capcut

ArcReel: questions and answers

What is ArcReel used for?: ArcReel is a self-hosted, agent-driven AI video workspace that turns novels and scripts into assets, storyboards and videos, exporting CapCut drafts. It is a good fit for short drama production from novels and product video generation workflows.
Is ArcReel open source?: Yes. ArcReel is open source under the AGPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at ArcReel/ArcReel and is written mainly in Python.
Is ArcReel free?: Yes. ArcReel is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host ArcReel?: Yes. ArcReel can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.
What is ArcReel an alternative to?: ArcReel is an open-source alternative to InVideo, Runway, Arcads and Sora. Other open-source alternatives to InVideo include DramaClaw and Short Video Factory.
Is ArcReel actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to ArcReel was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v0.32.0, published on 2 October 2026. The project has 5.3k stars on GitHub.