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Getting started
What Swiftbird is, what you need before you open it, and what happens the first time you do.
What Swiftbird is
Swiftbird is a desk for making YouTube documentaries. It brings the whole production onto one screen: research, script, shots, scenes, thumbnails, the release calendar and the upload.
It doesn't replace the way films are made. Each film lives in its own folder on your computer. AI agents do the work inside that folder, and tools like Blender, Remotion and Premiere make the picture. Swiftbird is the interface in front of all that. It shows you the real files, carries your corrections to the right agent, and keeps every approval in your hands.
What you need
- Windows. Swiftbird is a Windows desktop app.
- Claude Code or Codex, installed and signed in with your own account. Swiftbird drives the command-line tool you already have; it doesn't include an AI of its own. See Connect Claude Code or Codex.
- A Swiftbird account. Every plan needs one, including Free. You can sign in with Google or with an email link.
- Optional tools. Blender for 3D shots, Remotion for 2D graphics, and Adobe Premiere Pro for the final edit. Swiftbird reads their files and can open them, but it doesn't render the film itself.
The first launch
- The introduction. A short, scrollable tour opens with What can you do with Swiftbird? and walks through the main pages with examples. Nothing in it changes your files or sends anything to an agent.
- Connect your agent. The Codex and Claude Code cards show whether each tool is Connected, needs Sign-in, is Not found, or hasn't been checked yet. You need at least one connected to continue.
- Sign in to Swiftbird. Use Google or an email link.
- Choose a layout. Command puts Chat beside your work, Focus shows one page at a time, and Film gives a larger film workspace with Chat alongside. You can change it later with Layout in the header.
- Tell it your style (optional study). Swiftbird can prepare a request asking your agent to study one to five creators you admire, from their YouTube, Instagram or TikTok profile links. You see the exact request, choose the model, and nothing is sent until you press Send.
Finding your way around
The sidebar has two groups:
- Workspace: Chat, Projects, Research, Calendar, Assets and References. These belong to your whole channel.
- Selected video: Production, Thumbnails, Files and Publishing. These show the film you've picked.
The Scene editor opens from a shot in Production. Press Ctrl + K (Go to anything) to jump straight to any page, film or conversation. Guide in the header replays the introduction and a hands-on tour of the real controls.
Two looks are available: Charcoal, the dark default, and Black ink, black on white. The choice is remembered.
Your first conversation
Open Chat, pick Claude or Codex beside the composer, and choose a model and reasoning level from the same menu. Pick what the conversation is about, the whole workspace or one film, and write what you need. A new conversation first shows Warming up agent while your agent reads Swiftbird's guide, then it's ready.
When the agent finishes something, it can return buttons such as Open in Production that take you straight to the work. Press Ctrl + Enter to send.
Next
Last reviewed 28 September 2026 against the Swiftbird prototype of 27 September 2026. Still stuck? Contact support.