Engines & Models
Run Vibe on Klipeo's cloud, or point it at a coding CLI on your own machine. Here's the difference and how to set it up.
Vibe can run on five different engines. You pick one from the dropdown in the Vibe header. The first is our cloud. The other four run on your own machine through a small bridge app, which means they're free to run and you choose the model.
The five engines
| Engine | Where it runs | Cost to you | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Klipeo | Our cloud | Counts against your plan | Flash or Ultra |
| Claude Code | Your machine | Free (your own CLI) | You pick, or Auto |
| Codex | Your machine | Free (your own CLI) | You pick, or Auto |
| Gemini CLI | Your machine | Free (your own CLI) | You pick, or Auto |
| OpenCode | Your machine | Free (your own CLI) | You pick, or Auto |
Klipeo is the default. It runs entirely on our servers, so you don't install anything, and it's the one that tracks token usage and cost (see Save on AI cost).
You still get a choice of model on the cloud engine. The composer has a picker with two options:
| Model | Good for |
|---|---|
| Flash | Fast, everyday edits — trims, captions, small fixes. |
| Ultra | Deepest reasoning and quality. This is the default. |
Ultra is worth it for a multi-step edit where you want the plan to be right. Flash is quicker when you already know exactly what you want.
The other four are local engines. They drive a coding CLI you already have set up, and Klipeo talks to it through editing tools, so the AI still makes real changes to your timeline. The work happens on your hardware with your own account, so Klipeo isn't billing you for the tokens.
What is the Klipeo bridge?
Klipeo runs in your browser, but the local CLIs (Claude Code, Codex, and so on) run on your computer. Those two can't talk to each other directly. The bridge is the small program that sits between them.
Here's the whole idea in one line:
Klipeo (browser) ⇄ Klipeo bridge (your machine) ⇄ your CLI (Claude Code, etc.)When you ask Vibe to do something on a local engine, Klipeo sends the request to the bridge running on your machine. The bridge hands it to your CLI, the CLI does the work using your own account and model, and the results flow back the same way. So the AI tokens are on you, not on Klipeo, and your footage and edits stay on your machine.
You install the bridge once. It's published on npm as
@bytehumi/klipeo-bridge,
and installing it gives you a klipeo command in your terminal.
Connect the bridge
Before you start
You'll need Node.js 22.12 or newer, and the CLI you want to drive (for example Claude Code or the Gemini CLI) already set up and working on its own. The bridge doesn't install those for you, it just connects them to Klipeo.
Install the bridge
Install it globally so the klipeo command is available anywhere:
npm i -g @bytehumi/klipeo-bridgeSign in
Link the bridge to your Klipeo account. This opens your browser to authorize the machine, then drops you back at the terminal.
klipeo loginStart it
Run the daemon. It stays alive in the foreground, keeps the connection to Klipeo open, and detects which CLIs you have installed.
klipeo startLeave this running while you work. If you close it, local engines go offline until you start it again.
Pick your engine in Klipeo
Back in the editor, open the engine dropdown in the Vibe header and choose Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, or OpenCode. When the bridge is connected, the header shows a live indicator. If it's offline, Vibe says so instead of silently failing, and points you back here.
Choose a model
Once an engine is connected, a model selector appears next to it. Leave it on Auto to use whatever that CLI is already configured for, or pick a specific model. Klipeo reads the list straight from your running bridge, so it only shows models you actually have access to.
The rest of the klipeo commands
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
klipeo login | Browser sign-in. Add --token <token> to skip the browser entirely. |
klipeo start | Runs the daemon on localhost:7777. |
klipeo status | Shows bridge status and which CLIs it found. |
klipeo detect | Lists the supported coding CLIs on this machine. |
klipeo logout | Clears the saved credentials. |
A few details that save you a head-scratch: only one bridge can run at a time, so
klipeo start refuses to launch a second one while the first is alive. The browser
login gives up after five minutes if you never finish it. And a bridge sign-in lasts
90 days, refreshing itself quietly, with a week of grace after expiry before you
have to run klipeo login again.
Bridge offline?
If Vibe says the bridge isn't running, check that klipeo start is still going in
a terminal, that you ran klipeo login first, and that you're on the same machine.
If the model list is empty or stale, update the bridge with
npm i -g @bytehumi/klipeo-bridge@latest and restart it. You can always switch back
to the Klipeo cloud engine, which needs none of this.
Cloud needs no setup
If all of that sounds like a lot, ignore it. The default Klipeo engine works in the browser with nothing installed. Reach for a local engine when you want to run on your own model or keep your AI cost off your Klipeo plan.
Which should you use?
Use Klipeo cloud when
You want it to just work, you're on mobile or a fresh machine, or you'd rather not run anything locally.
Use a local engine when
You already live in Claude Code or Codex, you want a specific model, or you'd rather your own subscription cover the tokens.
One more thing worth knowing: the usage and cost figures in the Vibe header only fill in for the Klipeo cloud engine. Local engines run on your account, so Klipeo doesn't see or count those tokens.