Reading the repo
Reading the repo
How to install on Linux
HeyGen AI agent skills — avatar creation and video production via the v3 Video Agent pipeline
Saved setup from 8 h ago
The maintainers included setup. Open it to see how it's meant to be run: setup on GitHub.
Will it work on my device?
INSTALL.mdGrab an API key and set it in your shell. If you're already on a HeyGen plan with MCP connected to your agent, you can skip the key — MCP will be used automatically.
The repo ships three skills you can install:
heygen-avatar — build a persistent digital identity from a photo or descriptionheygen-video — generate identity-first presenter videosheygen-translate — translate / dub existing videos into 175+ languages with voice cloning and lip-syncMost users want avatar + video together. They chain: heygen-avatar returns an avatar id that heygen-video consumes. heygen-translate is independent — install it whenever you need to localize finished videos.
gh skill install (works across 12+ agents)If you have GitHub CLI v2.90+ available, this is the most portable install. gh skill writes to the right directory for your agent automatically (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot, Junie, Goose, OpenHands, Amp, Cline, OpenCode, Warp, and more):
gh skill install heygen-com/skills heygen-avatar
gh skill install heygen-com/skills heygen-video
gh skill install heygen-com/skills heygen-translate
Project scope (current repo only) is the default. For user scope (every project on this machine):
gh skill install heygen-com/skills heygen-avatar --scope user
gh skill install heygen-com/skills heygen-video --scope user
gh skill install heygen-com/skills heygen-translate --scope user
Pin to a release tag for reproducibility:
gh skill install heygen-com/skills heygen-avatar@v3.1.0 --pin
gh skill install heygen-com/skills heygen-video@v3.1.0 --pin
gh skill install heygen-com/skills heygen-translate@v3.1.0 --pin
clawhub install heygen-skills
ClawHub installs all three skills to your agent's default skills directory automatically.
For OpenClaw users who want bundled MCP support too:
openclaw plugins install clawhub:@heygen/openclaw-plugin-heygen
Clone into your agent's skills directory:
OpenClaw (default: ~/.openclaw/skills/heygen-skills, custom installs may differ — check your config):
git clone https://github.com/heygen-com/skills.git ~/.openclaw/skills/heygen-skills
Claude Code (default: ~/.claude/skills/heygen-skills):
git clone https://github.com/heygen-com/skills.git ~/.claude/skills/heygen-skills
Not sure where your skills directory is? Ask your agent: "Where is your skills directory?"
Two auth modes with explicit priority:
| Priority | Mode | Trigger | Billing |
|----------|------|---------|---------|
| 1 | CLI (API key) | HEYGEN_API_KEY is set | Direct API usage (separately billed) |
| 2 | MCP (OAuth) | MCP tools visible AND no API key | HeyGen plan credits (existing subscription) |
| 3 | CLI (fallback) | heygen auth login session | Direct API usage |
CLI with API key (recommended for agents):
curl -fsSL https://static.heygen.ai/cli/install.sh | bash
export HEYGEN_API_KEY=<your-key>
heygen --version # verify binary is on PATH
heygen auth status # verify auth
If
HEYGEN_API_KEYis set, the skills use the CLI. This is the most predictable setup for agent workflows.
MCP (zero-setup if on a HeyGen plan): connect HeyGen's remote MCP server to your agent — OAuth handles auth, calls use your existing plan credits. See README for agent-specific setup.
Paste this prompt to your agent — it will find the right paths automatically:
Install the HeyGen Skills from https://github.com/heygen-com/skills.git — clone it into your skills directory (find it with your config or ask if unsure). Install the HeyGen CLI via
curl -fsSL https://static.heygen.ai/cli/install.sh | bashand export HEYGEN_API_KEY=<your-key> (get one at https://app.heygen.com/api). Or, if you're on a HeyGen plan and already have MCP connected to your agent, skip the key step — MCP will be used automatically. Then use the heygen-avatar skill to create an avatar for me, and heygen-video to make a 30-60 second intro video, casual tone.
Paste this into your agent. It does the rest — clones the repo to the right path, asks for your HeyGen API key, picks the best transport, runs a verify test, and ends with a working video.
Read https://raw.githubusercontent.com/heygen-com/skills/master/INSTALL_FOR_AGENTS.md and follow it.
Ask me for any API keys you need.
That's it. The agent fetches INSTALL_FOR_AGENTS.md and walks the rest of the install. Same prompt forever — the install spec lives in the repo, not in your clipboard.
Want to install manually instead? Follow the steps below.
The repo ships three skills: heygen-avatar, heygen-video, and heygen-translate. Pick the install path that matches your tooling.
Option A: gh skill install (works across Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Gemini CLI, Copilot, Junie, Goose, OpenHands, Amp, Cline, OpenCode, Warp, and more — agentskills.io):
gh skill install heygen-com/skills heygen-avatar
gh skill install heygen-com/skills heygen-video
gh skill install heygen-com/skills heygen-translate
Requires GitHub CLI v2.90+. The CLI writes to the right directory for your agent automatically.
Option B: ClawHub:
clawhub install heygen-skills
Option C: OpenClaw plugin (bundles MCP support):
openclaw plugins install clawhub:@heygen/openclaw-plugin-heygen
Option D: Git clone (legacy path):
| Agent | Install path |
|-------|-------------|
| Claude Code | ~/.claude/skills/heygen-skills |
| OpenClaw | ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/heygen-skills |
| Other | Clone anywhere your agent loads skills from |
git clone --single-branch --depth 1 https://github.com/heygen-com/skills.git <install-path>/heygen-skills
After cloning, the three skills are auto-discovered at heygen-avatar/SKILL.md, heygen-video/SKILL.md, and heygen-translate/SKILL.md.
One-line install (macOS / Linux):
curl -fsSL https://static.heygen.ai/cli/install.sh | bash
Then set your API key:
export HEYGEN_API_KEY=<your-key>
That's ephemeral (current shell only). To persist across sessions, add export HEYGEN_API_KEY=<your-key> to your shell profile (~/.zshrc, ~/.bashrc, or equivalent).
Verify:
heygen --version
heygen auth status
The HeyGen CLI is a single static binary. No runtime deps.
If you prefer OAuth and already have a HeyGen plan with credits, connect the remote MCP server instead of setting an API key. The skills will auto-detect MCP when no HEYGEN_API_KEY is set.
Claude Code:
claude mcp add --transport http heygen https://mcp.heygen.com/mcp/v1/
OpenClaw: add to ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json:
{
"mcp": {
"servers": {
"heygen": { "url": "https://mcp.heygen.com/mcp/v1/" }
}
}
}
The first call triggers an OAuth consent flow in your browser.
Priority: If
HEYGEN_API_KEYis set, the skills use the CLI. Otherwise they look for MCP tools. Set the key only if you want direct API access; otherwise use MCP.
Ask the user for a photo (URL or file), then use the heygen-avatar skill:
Create my HeyGen avatar from this photo: [user's photo]
The skill uploads the photo, creates a persistent digital twin with a voice, and saves an AVATAR-<NAME>.md file for future use.
Use the heygen-video skill to generate an intro video with the avatar you just created:
Make a 30-60 second video of me introducing myself, casual tone.
The skill picks up the avatar automatically, writes a script, generates the video, and returns a share link.
That's it. You're set up. The avatar persists — every future video reuses it automatically.
Then run bash setup.sh. It stops at the first error and is safe to run again. Servers and tests aren't started; it lists them at the end. Read it first.
git clone https://github.com/heygen-com/skills.git cd skills
In the maintainers' order. Do the README instructions above first — they cover steps outside the terminal.
Read https://raw.githubusercontent.com/heygen-com/skills/master/INSTALL_FOR_AGENTS.md and follow it. Ask me for any API keys you need. gh skill install heygen-com/skills heygen-avatar gh skill install heygen-com/skills heygen-video gh skill install heygen-com/skills heygen-translate clawhub install heygen-skills openclaw plugins install clawhub:@heygen/openclaw-plugin-heygen curl -fsSL https://static.heygen.ai/cli/install.sh | bash export HEYGEN_API_KEY=<your-key> heygen --version heygen auth status claude mcp add --transport http heygen https://mcp.heygen.com/mcp/v1/
No reports for Linux yet.
Opens a chat with this manual already filled in, for Linux. It uses your own account; gitmanual sends nothing.