Setup Guide

Generate AI videos
with Claude Code

By Dan Donovan, @askdandonovan

Connect one video tool, describe what you want in plain English, and get studio-quality video back. No editing software needed.

3 Steps
~2 min Setup time
1 Tool
Free tools Credits to start

What is this?

Claude Code doesn't generate video on its own. But you can wire it up to Kling, an AI video generator, in about two minutes. After that, you describe what you want in one sentence and it comes back done.

What you'll have after this
Text-to-video
AI video generation from a plain text description
One-sentence prompts
Describe what you want, get a finished video back
Flexible formats
9:16 vertical or 16:9 horizontal output
Professional mode
Higher quality output when you need it
Before you start: You'll need Claude Code installed and a Kling account (free to sign up at app.klingai.com). You'll also need Node.js installed. Download it free at nodejs.org (click the LTS button, run the installer). Claude Code requires an Anthropic subscription. Kling has free credits to start.
1

Create a Kling API key

Go to the Kling developer console and create a new API key. You'll need two pieces: an Access Key and a Secret Key.

Here's the direct link:

https://app.klingai.com/global/dev/api-key

  • Click Create new API key
  • Save your Access Key somewhere safe
  • Save your Secret Key somewhere safe
Keep both keys. You'll paste them into the next step. Don't share them with anyone, because they're tied to your account and credits.
2

Add Kling to Claude Code

Open your terminal and paste this command. Replace PASTE_YOUR_ACCESS_KEY_HERE and PASTE_YOUR_SECRET_KEY_HERE with the keys you just saved.

Where's Terminal? On Mac, press Cmd + Space, type Terminal, and hit Enter. On Windows, press the Start button, type cmd, and hit Enter.
Run this in your regular terminal. If Claude Code is already open, close it first (type exit), run the command, then type claude to reopen.
Terminal 
claude mcp add kling -e KLING_ACCESS_KEY=PASTE_YOUR_ACCESS_KEY_HERE -e KLING_SECRET_KEY=PASTE_YOUR_SECRET_KEY_HERE -- npx -y mcp-kling@latest

Important: You must replace the placeholder text with your actual keys from Step 1. The command won't work with the placeholder text.

That's one command. It tells Claude Code how to talk to Kling using your credentials. You only need to run this once.

3

Restart Claude Code

Close Claude Code and reopen it. This lets it pick up the new Kling connection you just added.

That's it. You're ready to generate video.

?

What to try first

Open Claude Code and type any of these. One sentence is all it takes.

Once Claude Code is open, you'll see a cursor. Type or paste one of these prompts and press Enter:

1
"Generate a sleek black perfume bottle rotating slowly on marble with dramatic lighting"
2
"Generate an aerial drone shot over turquoise ocean at golden hour"
3
"Generate a coffee cup with steam rising in slow motion, morning sunlight"
Heads up: Video generation takes 1-3 minutes. Claude Code will show progress. Don't close the window while it's working.
Where does my video go? Your video will be saved in the folder where you opened Claude Code. Claude Code will tell you the filename when it's done.
About credits: Kling uses credits. You get some free credits when you sign up. After that, check klingai.com for current pricing.

"These prompts generated the exact videos shown in the reel. One sentence each."

Something go wrong? Copy the error message and paste it back into Claude Code. It can usually fix the problem itself.