Video Hook Check, a connector for Claude
Check your video's hook before you post it
Upload a draft TikTok, Reel, Short or ad, and Claude tells you what its first seconds actually do, with times: when the first word is spoken, the first cut, the text on the first frame, when you appear. It checks 8 things a strong opening does, whether the video delivers what the opening promises, and writes three better openings that fit your video.
3 checks a month free. Nothing to install, no API key.
The 8 checks
Each comes back as a pass or fail with what was seen or heard, and when.
- 1Speech or a strong sound starts within 1 second.
- 2The first frame has readable text that says what the video is about.
- 3The picture changes (a cut, a zoom or big movement) within 2 seconds.
- 4The main subject or a face is on screen within the first second.
- 5The opening makes a specific promise, claim or question, not a greeting or an introduction.
- 6The video delivers what the opening promises.
- 7No logo, intro card or title sequence in the first 2 seconds.
- 8Opening text is big enough to read on a phone and clear of the bottom and right edges, where the app's buttons sit.
What a check looks like
One of our own test drafts, a 12-second vertical video. Shortened.
- First word:
- at 2.1 s: “hi everyone! welcome back to my channel”
- Text on the first frame:
- “BAKE WITH SAM”
- First change of picture:
- at 2.0 s
- Sound in the first second:
- silence
- ❌ Speech starts at 2.1 s; the first second is silent.
- ❌ The first frame shows the channel name, not what this video is about.
- ❌ The opening is a greeting, not a promise, claim or question.
A stronger opening: Say “Here are three sourdough mistakes that ruined my bread for months” · on screen “3 SOURDOUGH MISTAKES” · first cut at 0.8 s.
Set it up in a minute
- Step 1
Add the connector
Use the button, or go to Customize → Connectors → Add custom connector in Claude and paste https://watchanyvideo.com/api/hook/mcp.
- Step 2
Sign in once
With your email or Google account. It's the same account as Watch Any Video, so Pro covers both.
- Step 3
Ask Claude to check your hook
Say “check the hook of my draft”: Claude gives you a private upload link for the file. Or paste a public YouTube Shorts link. A check takes about 10 seconds.
What to ask
- “Check the hook of my TikTok draft before I post it.”
- “I cut two versions of this Reel. Which opening is stronger?”
- “Check the hook of this Short and rewrite the first line for beginner runners.”
- “Is the first frame of my ad readable on a phone?”
Which videos it can check
- Your own files: drafts, phone videos and exports from editing apps, through a private upload link.
- Public YouTube videos and Shorts, direct links to video files, and public Google Drive and Dropbox links.
- Not TikTok or Instagram links, because those sites don't allow their videos to be downloaded. If the video is yours, upload the file.
- Any length. The opening is read closely, and the payoff is looked for in the first 3 minutes.
- Compare 2–4 versions of the same video to see which opening is stronger; each version counts as one check.
Good to know
- It's a checklist reading of your video, not a prediction of views. Nobody can promise how a video will do.
- Uploaded files go straight to Google's Gemini API, which deletes them after 48 hours. We keep the check for 7 days so Claude can show it again.
- It never identifies people from their faces.
- It uses the same account as Watch Any Video, which watches and answers questions about whole videos. Video Hook Check is not made by Anthropic.
3 free checks every month
Watch Any Video Pro includes 200 hook checks a month and 20 hours of video: 7 days free, then $60 a year, or $8 a month.