Review & publish

Diagram source (live Mermaid)

This is the finish line. Before videoclaw will call a video provider or hand a project off as "done," a human (or an agent acting like one) checks the storyboard stills and says "yes, this looks right." That safety check is the whole point of this page: it stops you from spending credits on the wrong character, the wrong shot, or a placeholder image.

The golden rule, up front, so you never forget it:

THE GOLDEN RULE

A project is only READY when its review-report.json says both of these:

• verdict: "pass"
• metrics.publishReady: true

If either is missing, there is still review work to do. No exceptions, no shortcuts.

Throughout this page, commands use the source-checkout form node dist/cli/vclaw.js video .... If you installed videoclaw as a package, just replace that whole prefix with vclaw — for example vclaw video review-ui --project myvideo.

You should have a project with a storyboard and stills already. If not, start with first video and come back here.

The three ways to review

There is one decision to make, then one command to run:

1. Review in a browser — you look at the pictures and click. Best for most people.
2. Let the agent review — the tool picks the best stills for you. Best when stills already exist and you trust it.
3. Stamp a pass — for projects already reviewed somewhere else. Use rarely.

1. Review in a browser (the Review UI)

This opens a local web page where you see every storyboard still, pick the best one per scene, lock it in, and approve the final assembly. "Locking" just means: this is the chosen image for this scene.

node dist/cli/vclaw.js video review-ui --project myvideo --root .

What it does: starts a small web server on your own computer (nothing is uploaded). What to expect: a line telling you it's running. Then open this address in your browser:

http://127.0.0.1:4317/review-ui?project=myvideo

In the page you go scene by scene: look at the candidate images, reject any with the wrong character or a placeholder, lock the best one, and attach its high-resolution (4K) version. At the end you approve the assembly (pacing, voiceover fit, the final reveal). A finished review shows a status line like:

pass · locked 4/4 · character mismatches 0 · 4k assets 4/4 · publish ready

When you save in the browser, videoclaw writes real production files to disk so the next step has something concrete to use — not just a sticky note. Saved files include review-report.json (the verdict), scene-selection.json (your locked stills), asset-manifest.json, director-seedance-plan.json, and post-plan.json, all under projects/myvideo/artifacts/.

TIP

The Review UI is for the still-image phase only — characters, references, locked stills, and the motion plan. It does not generate the final videos. That happens later, after review passes.

2. Let the agent review (review-autopilot)

If your project already has finished storyboard still candidates and you just want it done, the autopilot does the same handoff without you clicking anything.

node dist/cli/vclaw.js video review-autopilot --project myvideo --root .

What it does: picks the best completed still for each scene, locks them, builds the 4K handoff versions from your local images where it can, fills in the approval checks, and writes the same review-report.json truth as the browser. What to expect: JSON output ending in a pass when everything lines up. It does not submit any video jobs.

Use the browser afterward only if you want to inspect or override what the agent chose.

3. Stamp a pass (video review --verdict pass)

This is the simple, manual approval. Use it only when the project was genuinely reviewed somewhere else and you already have the evidence — not as a way to skip looking at the images.

node dist/cli/vclaw.js video review --project myvideo --verdict pass --root .

What it does: writes review-report.json with verdict: "pass" and metrics.publishReady: true. What to expect: a confirmation JSON. You can attach notes for the record:

node dist/cli/vclaw.js video review --project myvideo --verdict pass --finding "Character matches across all 4 scenes" --root .

Other verdicts are retry (needs another pass) and fail (rejected).

WARNING

review --verdict pass trusts you completely — it does not check your stills. For real picture-based projects, prefer review-ui or review-autopilot, which earn publishReady from locked stills, 4K assets, and character-match checks instead of taking your word for it.

Check that the project is actually READY

Whichever path you took, confirm the golden rule was met before moving on.

node dist/cli/vclaw.js video status --project myvideo --root .

What it does: prints the project's current stage and review state. What to expect: a clear "ready" signal. The completion checklist videoclaw is enforcing behind the scenes:

Full completion checklist

• review-report.json has verdict: pass
• review-report.json has metrics.publishReady: true
• Every scene has a locked still
• Every locked still has an artifact-backed 4K still
• characterMismatchCount is 0
• rejectedCandidateCount is 0 in the current handoff
• The browser UI shows 0 open gates and Ready for publish handoff.

If status and the report disagree, trust the report — that is the one source of truth.

Publish (record the handoff)

Once the project is READY, publish marks the outcome on the record. Publishing stays blocked unless the saved review-report.json has verdict: "pass" and metrics.publishReady: true, so this command quietly enforces the golden rule for you.

node dist/cli/vclaw.js video publish --project myvideo --status ready --root .

What it does: writes publish-report.json and records the handoff. What to expect: a confirmation JSON, or a clear refusal if the project is not READY yet. The --status values are ready, published, and blocked. You can point at the finished file and add notes:

node dist/cli/vclaw.js video publish --project myvideo --status published --final-output ./final.mp4 --note "Delivered to client" --root .

WARNING

If publish refuses, that is the safety net working — not a bug. Go back, finish review until the report says pass + publishReady: true, then run it again.

A quick recap

• Pick one review path: browser (review-ui), agent (review-autopilot), or manual stamp (review --verdict pass).
• All three write the same truth file: review-report.json.
• READY means verdict: "pass" and metrics.publishReady: true. Nothing else counts.
• publish records the handoff and refuses anything not READY.

Want a clean MP4 with titles, audio, and stitched scenes? Head to Assemble & polish. You can also revisit modes (director mode adds an approval gate), characters, providers, or grab the cheat sheet. Stuck? See troubleshooting.