Make Video Ads With Claude

Arcads is a platform that lets you generate AI video ads with realistic AI avatars. Instead of hiring actors, renting studios, and paying editors, you type a prompt and Arcads builds the video for you. The avatars look like real people. The videos look like real UGC content.

Now someone built a skill that connects Arcads directly to Claude. You can use the Code tab inside the Claude desktop app, or Claude Code in your terminal, or wherever else you are running it (Claude Code needs a paid Claude plan). New to it? Start with my Claude Code setup guide. Just type a single sentence like "Generate a high-converting UGC ad for my product," and Claude will create the AI avatar, write the script, pick the right model, and output a finished video. No switching between apps. No manual prompting on the Arcads dashboard. Just talk to Claude and get ads.

What You Get

• AI-generated UGC video ads that look like real creator content
• Full control over avatars, scripts, and visual style
• Access to multiple AI video models (Seedance, Veo 3.1, Kling, Grok Video, and more)
• Image generation for stills, product shots, and character sheets
• Batch generation: create 10+ variations with different avatars in one command
• Automatic script writing, credit tracking, and quality checks

Why This Matters

A single UGC ad from a creator costs $200 to $500 and up. An agency charges $2,000 to $10,000 per month. With this setup, you can generate unlimited variations for the cost of Arcads credits, and Claude shows you the estimated cost before every generation. You can test 10 different hooks, 10 different avatars, and 10 different scripts in the time it takes to brief one freelancer.

Full Setup Guide

This takes about 5 minutes. Four steps and you are generating ads.

Step 1: Install the Skill

First, come over to this GitHub link: github.com/krusemediallc/arcads-claude-code

Copy the URL. Then open Claude and go to the Code tab inside the Claude desktop app. If you are using Claude Code in your terminal or anywhere else, that works too.

Paste the GitHub link into Claude and say:

Claude will clone the repo and set everything up for you. Once it finishes, the Arcads skill is loaded and ready to go.

Behind the scenes, Claude downloads the skill files, creates the folder structure, and prepares everything you need. It also generates a MASTER_CONTEXT.md file, which is Claude's memory. It stores your default product, brand voice, credit costs, and lessons learned from previous sessions. Every time you start a new session, Claude reads it first so it knows your preferences without you repeating yourself.

Step 2: Get Your Arcads API Key

Now you need your Arcads API key so Claude can actually talk to Arcads and generate your ads.

• Sign up or log in to your Arcads account at app.arcads.ai
• In the dashboard, open Settings > API
• Copy the entire key

Important: keep your API key secret. It is like a password. Never share it publicly, never paste it into a public chat, and never post it anywhere. The skill stores it in a local .env file that is automatically excluded from version control, so it stays safe on your machine.

Step 3: Add Your API Key

There are two ways to do this.

Option A (easiest): just tell Claude:

Claude will automatically create the .env file and save your key in the right place. It will also test the connection to make sure everything works.

Option B: open your terminal, navigate to the project folder, and run ./scripts/setup.sh. The script will ask you to paste your API key, save it to a .env file, and verify that the connection works.

Step 4: Generate Your Ads

You are fully set up. Drop your product image into the conversation and say something like:

Claude handles everything from here.

If something goes wrong, run ./scripts/check-arcads-env.sh in your terminal to test your API connection. You can also just tell Claude "my API key is not working" and it will help you troubleshoot.

Your First UGC Ad

Upload your product image and tell Claude what you want. Claude will:

• Read your product details and reference images
• Generate an AI avatar that looks like a real person
• Write a script with a hook, demo, and call to action
• Ask you to approve the avatar image and the script
• Pick the best AI model for the job
• Show you the estimated credit cost before generating
• Output the finished video

Want variations? Just say:

Claude will fire off 10 separate generations, each with a unique AI avatar. You get 10 different ad variations to test, all from one command.

Pro tip: approval gates. Claude will not burn your credits without asking first. Before every generation, it shows you the estimated cost and waits for your "yes." For videos with dialogue, it also shows you the exact script and waits for approval. Nothing gets generated until you confirm.

Every Workflow You Can Run

The Arcads skill supports 15+ different workflows. Here are the most useful ones with example prompts you can copy and paste.

1. UGC Video Ad (the main one)

2. Image-Only Generation

3. Still-to-Video Animation

Take any still image and bring it to life. Claude uses the image as a starting frame and generates a video where the person talks, moves, and interacts with the product.

4. Direct Video (no starting image)

5. Scene with Dialogue

6. Premium Product Reveal

Dark, cinematic product reveal. No person needed. Think Apple-style launches with dramatic lighting and slow reveals.

7. Clone an Existing Ad

The AI Models (and When to Use Each)

Arcads gives you access to multiple AI models, each with different strengths. Claude picks the right one automatically, but it helps to understand what each does. Veo 3.1 is great for animating existing images. Nano Banana and GPT Image handle stills. Seedance (Arcads now offers Seedance 2.5), Kling and Grok Video round out the lineup for different styles and durations. The lineup changes as new models come out. Older versions of this guide used Sora 2 for videos made from scratch, but OpenAI shut Sora down, so Claude will pick another available model.

Pro tip: let Claude pick the model. You do not need to memorize any of this. Just describe what you want and Claude will automatically select the best available model and show you the estimated cost. The defaults are solid. Always confirm exact pricing in your Arcads dashboard if you are on a tight budget.

Pro Tips for Better Results

1. Always approve the still before the video. Claude generates a still image first and shows it to you before making the video. A still costs a small fraction of a video. Reject and regenerate stills until you are happy, then approve the video.
2. Batch test everything. The biggest advantage of AI ads is speed of testing. Instead of making one perfect ad, make 10 variations and let the data decide. Different hooks, different avatars, different tones. When you're ready to run them, my Meta Ads and Claude guide covers the launch side.
3. Set up your brand voice. Open MASTER_CONTEXT.md and fill in the Brand section with your tone, audience, and words to use or avoid. Claude reads this before every generation. Once you set it, every ad will automatically match your brand without you having to repeat yourself.
4. Auto image handling. Claude automatically checks image dimensions before sending them to the API. If an image is too small (under 1024px on the longest side), it upscales to 1080px. It also converts images to RGB JPEG to avoid transparency issues.

Heads up: ad platforms have rules about AI-generated people and realistic synthetic media. Check the policies for wherever you run the ad and label it as AI-generated where required.

Quick Copy-Paste Prompts

• Batch variations: "Generate 10 different UGC ad variations with 10 different avatars."
• Create an influencer: "Create a new AI influencer. 24-year-old fitness enthusiast, tan skin, natural hair."
• Product selfie: "Generate a UGC selfie of my influencer holding the product in a bedroom. iPhone quality."
• Animate a still: "Turn that image into an 8-second video. Have them talk about why they love the product."
• Text-only video: "Generate a 12-second UGC video of someone unboxing my product. Genuine excitement."
• B-roll: "Generate 5-second b-roll of my product on a marble countertop with soft morning light."
• Clone an ad: "Analyze this reference video and recreate it for my product. Match the style and pacing."
• Brand setup: "Read my MASTER_CONTEXT.md and update it with my brand voice and default product."

Get the Skill

Everything you need is in one GitHub repo. Paste this link into Claude and say "Install this skill": github.com/krusemediallc/arcads-claude-code

A single sentence to Claude. A finished AI video ad in minutes. No actors, no editors, no agency.

Published April 22, 2026 · Checked October 2026