shotcut
cross-platform (Qt), open-source (GPLv3) video editor
Runssource: GitHubhomepageC++GPL-3.0commit 3cfd48ba1696
C++, GPL-3.0 licensed. The project labels itself: cross platform, gplv3, mlt, shotcut and video editor.
shotcut runs. An Argusic agent installed it in 61 minutes and hit 11 errors and fixed every one without help on a clean machine with no GPU, and the whole session was recorded.
Shotcut 26.9.6 builds and runs (--version reports correctly, --help works); the 112MB debug binary executes on Xvfb display :99.
What the agent ended up with on a clean machine, in its own words. How this is measured
Measured by Argusic on a fresh machine every time. Every number links to its evidence. Argusic Score 60 of 100 (the mean of this project's run scores).
At a glance
Subject data from GitHub, linked at the top of this page, refreshed . Test data by Argusic (CC BY 4.0); every number links to a run page with the full log, the recording, and their sha256 hashes.
What was measured
From the run that decided this verdict. Every line is a recorded value, not an estimate.
What went wrong, in the agent's own words
The agent's own words, worst first, never rewritten into advice.
- Build produced a 112MB debug binary23 minutes
- MLT (mlt++-7 >= 7.36.0) not found12 minutes
- Qt 6.10.3 not found in ~/Qt5 minutes
- X11, OpenGL, GLU, FFTW, ICU, Vulkan, libxml2 dev headers missing5 minutes
- Fix: Qt6 modules not found by cmake (WrapOpenGL missing)2 minutes
- JavaScript tests (test-node.js) require manual .mlt input files2 minutes
- Install time
- 61 minutes
- Cold machine to finish
- 44 minutes
- Errors hit and fixed
- 11 hit, 11 fixed with no human help
- Model tokens used
- 742,108
- Exact commit tested
- 3cfd48ba1696
- Container image
- sha256:cdd920bce783
What was not measured
The other half, so you can see exactly how far this evidence goes. A gap is printed as a gap and never filled in.
- How the result was proved
- runs before 2026-09-07 did not record the command used to check the result
- Peak GPU memory
- this ran on a CPU machine, so there was no GPU to sample
- Behaviour over a long run
- each attempt uses the smallest documented settings and a fixed time budget, so this measures whether it runs, not how it holds up under load
The end of the recording
The last lines of the terminal session that decided this verdict, exactly as they were recorded.
# Count the elapsed time since start echo "Build finished successfully"' in /work/repo succeeded in 0ms: -rwxrwxr-x 1 runner runner 112475240 Sep 6 01:29 /work/repo/build/cc-debug/src/shotcut === Shotcut 26.9.6 === Build finished successfully Here's the summary of what I did and the final result: tokens used 742,108 Here's the summary of what I did and the final result:
Replay the whole session, every command from a clean machine to this point.
How it was tested
One agent, one container, no human help. It installs the project the way its own documentation says to, runs it, and fixes what breaks. Everything below is recorded as it happened: the terminal session, the log and the exact commit. The full method.
Strengths and limits
Measured facts, not opinions. How this is written.
What went well
- Reached a running state on a clean machine, with the session recorded.
- Installed in 61 minutes.
- Recovered from all 11 errors without a human stepping in, which says the failures are documented well enough to solve.
- Ran without a GPU, so it does not need one to start.
- Licensed GPL-3.0, as reported by its host.
- Measured 3 times, so the result is not a one-off.
What it is a reasonable choice for
- Trying it on a laptop or a small server: it reached a running state without a GPU.
Also tested, in the same area
Every one of these was installed and run by Argusic on a clean machine. Nothing appears here that was not tested.
Run history
| tested by | attempt | outcome | score | cost USD | when |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argusic Runner | 2/3 | Runs | 100.00 | 0.33 | |
| Argusic Runner | 1/3 | Did not run | 20.00 | 0.46 | |
| Argusic Runner | 2/3 | Ran out of time | 0.00 | 0.44 |
Topics (from GitHub)
Embed the badge
Markdown for the project README. It links back here; terms on the terms page.
[](https://argusic.com/subject/shotcut)Questions
- Does shotcut run?
- Yes. shotcut runs. Argusic installed and launched it on a clean machine in 61 minutes, hitting 11 errors on the way, and recorded the session.
- How did Argusic test shotcut?
- On a fresh, disposable machine, with every command recorded and the repository pinned at commit 3cfd48ba1696. 3 attempts are recorded, and the full method is on the methodology page.
- What did it cost to test shotcut?
- The run that produced this verdict cost $0.33: real compute and model cost, not a list price per million tokens. It is recorded on that run's page.
- How long does shotcut take to install?
- 61 minutes in the run that decided this verdict, from a clean machine to a running state. That is one measured attempt, not an average.
- Does shotcut need a GPU?
- Not to start. Argusic reached a running state on a machine with no GPU.
- What goes wrong when installing shotcut?
- 11 things broke in the recorded run, and 11 were fixed without human help. Each one, and the time it cost, is listed on this page.
- Where is the evidence for shotcut?
- All 3 recorded runs are on this page, each linking to its full log and terminal recording, stored with a sha256 fingerprint so it cannot be quietly altered.