An AI-native Mac video editor everyone's posting about. The timeline is genuinely impressive — but the "no subscriptions, no logins" pitch is contradicted by the product's own README. Here's the honest, plain-English breakdown before you download.
Looks like Premiere with a chat panel. The shift: image & video generation happen on the timeline itself — not in a separate browser tab. Multi-track, trim/split/speed, exports to MP4, ProRes, and Premiere/DaVinci XML.
Palmier runs a local server your AI agent can talk to. Wire up Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Codex and it can read your project, generate clips, trim them, and move them around — no second window.
Editor: free. MCP bridge: free. Every AI-generated clip: paid Palmier credits. Plus the Claude or Cursor subscription you connect. To get the workflow the reel shows, you're paying for two of three.
Requires macOS Tahoe 26 or later, realistically an M-series chip. No Windows. No Linux. No Intel Macs. If you're not on a recent Mac, this is theoretical for now.
The README, word for word: "Generative AI features require login and subscription." Credits sell in packs — roughly 5,000 credits ≈ 333 images or 3–7 minutes of generated video. Priced in USD, so add ~18% GST + forex on an Indian card.
macOS Tahoe 26+. No Windows, no Linux, no Intel. Want an M-series chip.
Direct DMG, no login at this step. Drag to Applications, open once, allow the unsigned-app warning.
Lane one: free editor, no AI. Lane two: agent-driven via MCP — free bridge, but you pay for generation and your agent.
Help menu → MCP Instructions → "Install in Claude Desktop" / "Install in Cursor", or paste the config into ~/.cursor/mcp.json pointing at http://127.0.0.1:19789/mcp.
The palmier-pro server should appear. Ask "what is on my timeline" to confirm the connection.
Settings → Sign in → add the smallest credit pack first. Track what each kind of shot costs before scaling up.
The complete guide — pricing math, model quirks, privacy footnotes, the weekend test plan, and full sources. Read it inline or download.