canonical: https://jentic.com/apis/shotstack.io/shotstack-api

# Shotstack API

Shotstack is a cloud-based video editing API that enables programmatic creation of videos, images, and audio. It provides endpoints for rendering edits, managing templates, serving assets, ingesting source files, and generating AI-powered content. The API exposes 20 endpoints secured with apiKey authentication.

## For AI agents

Programmatically queue and render an edit, get render status. Covers 20 operations with apiKey authentication.

## Scope

Does not handle payments, communications, or crm - use for media and content only.

## Capabilities

- Queue and render an edit
- Get render status
- Create a template
- List templates
- Update a template
- Delete a template

## Use cases

### Media and Content Operations

Use the Shotstack API to perform media operations programmatically. The API provides 20 endpoints covering core functionality including queue and render an edit, get render status, create a template.

Example prompt: Call POST /edit/{version}/render to queue and render an edit

### Automated Create Management

Automate create operations by combining multiple Shotstack API endpoints. Agents can get render status and then create a template in a single workflow.

Example prompt: Call GET /edit/{version}/render/{id} to get render status, then verify the result

### AI Agent Integration via Jentic

AI agents discover and call Shotstack API endpoints through Jentic without managing credentials directly. An agent searches for the required operation by intent, receives the matching endpoint schema, and executes the call with Jentic-managed authentication. This eliminates the need to read API documentation or handle apiKey tokens manually.

Example prompt: Search Jentic for 'queue and render an edit', load the operation schema, and execute with Jentic-managed credentials

## Key endpoints

| Method | Path | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| POST | /edit/{version}/render | Queue and render an edit |
| GET | /edit/{version}/render/{id} | Get render status |
| POST | /edit/{version}/templates | Create a template |
| GET | /edit/{version}/templates | List templates |
| GET | /edit/{version}/templates/{id} | Get a template |
| PUT | /edit/{version}/templates/{id} | Update a template |
| DELETE | /edit/{version}/templates/{id} | Delete a template |
| POST | /edit/{version}/templates/render | Render a template |

## Key resources

- **Create** — Operations related to Create
- **Edit** — Operations related to Edit
- **Ingest** — Operations related to Ingest
- **Serve** — Operations related to Serve
- **Templates** — Operations related to Templates

## Why Jentic

- **Setup:** Wiring the Shotstack API by hand means sending your API key on every request against the versioned api.shotstack.io edit host and polling render status yourself. Through Jentic you install once, import the Shotstack API from the API Directory, store the key once, and your agent calls it.
- **Permission scoping:** Shotstack puts the render and template id in the URL path (/edit/{version}/render/{id}, /edit/{version}/templates/{id}), so a rule can pin your agent to one render or template: it can submit a render and read that template and nothing else. You choose the operations it may call, so destructive ones like template deletion are not included unless you add them.
- **Credential handling:** Your Shotstack key is stored once, encrypted, by your own Jentic One instance and injected at execution time. It never enters the agent's prompt, logs, or context.
- **Discovery method:** Agents search Jentic by intent such as 'queue and render an edit' or 'render from a template', and Jentic returns the matching Shotstack operation with its input schema so the agent calls the right endpoint without browsing the reference docs.

## Related APIs

- **Cloudinary** — Alternative media API
- **Mux** — Alternative media API

## FAQ

### What authentication does the Shotstack API use?

The Shotstack API uses an API key passed in the `x-api-key` header. Through Jentic, these credentials are stored encrypted in your Jentic One instance and injected at execution time, so raw secrets never enter the agent context.

### Can I queue and render an edit with the Shotstack API?

Yes. Use the POST /edit/{version}/render endpoint. The API returns structured JSON responses that agents can parse and act on directly.

### What are the rate limits for the Shotstack API?

Rate limits are not specified in the OpenAPI spec. Check the vendor documentation for current limits. Through Jentic, rate limiting is handled automatically with retry logic built into the execution layer.

### How do I queue and render an edit through Jentic?

Install the Jentic SDK with pip install jentic, authenticate through Jentic One, the self-hosted execution layer, then search for 'queue and render an edit'. Jentic returns the matching Shotstack API operation with its input schema. Load the schema and execute the call - credentials are injected automatically.

### How many endpoints does the Shotstack API have?

The Shotstack API exposes 20 endpoints covering create, edit, ingest operations.

### Can I limit what my agent is allowed to do with the Shotstack API?

Yes. Jentic One is self-hosted by you, so your own rules decide which Shotstack operations and credentials the agent may use. Because Shotstack puts the render and template id in the URL path, such as /edit/{version}/render/{id} and /edit/{version}/templates/{id}, you can pin the agent to a single render or template and allow it to submit a render and read one template while blocking everything else. You choose exactly which operations it may call, so destructive ones like DELETE /edit/{version}/templates/{id} are excluded unless you add them.