Create editable animation with Scribe Animator Director

Scribe Animator Director is a versioned skills package that helps an external AI assistant create and revise native editable Scribe scenes, projects, and blocks. The 2.0.0 package supplies authoring instructions, contract references, examples, and an offline JSON validator. Live editing uses the tools supplied by the open Scribe editor in a compatible WebMCP client.

The same production method is useful without the package: plan the story, build a readable settled frame, add relationships and motion, inspect event frames, revise, and verify the saved result. Use the prompt below with your compatible agent, or follow the AI JSON import workflow.

Experimentalcreatordesktop-webstructured-json25–40 minutes

Verified against Director 2.0.0 · AI JSON schema 1

Package access, live Site tools, visual review, native save/reopen, and export are separate checks. Verify each in the session you use.

Choose the handoff you can verify

Advanced live motion and procedural authoring in these reviewed contracts require Desktop and discovered Site tools. Validated AI JSON can also enter Mobile Lite through Project menu → Project Files → Import AI JSON. The worked import, manual edit, save/restore, and native export below were checked in Desktop; a mobile import entry does not certify those steps on a phone. See Which Scribe experience should I use?.

Access and prerequisites

This guide documents the 2.0.0 package contract reviewed on 7 October 2026. It does not establish a public Plugins Directory listing or provide a verified public download. The package workflow assumes you already have a trusted copy and a client that can load its skill and resources. Check the installed name and version before relying on its validator. Fresh installation and genuine live WebMCP acceptance of the distributed package remain separate from automated package checks.

For live editing, you also need:

1. The intended project open in Scribe's Desktop web editor.
2. A client that actually discovers the page's WebMCP/Site tools.
3. The current capability schemas and available actions in that session.
4. A local checkpoint or portable backup for meaningful existing work.
5. The source artwork, fonts, and media required by the brief.

Installing the skills package does not supply a remote MCP server, browser tools, or an account entitlement. If live tools are unavailable, draft validated AI JSON and apply it through File → Import AI JSON in Desktop. If you do not have the package, start with the Site tools quickstart or the manual AI JSON guide.

Current package and historical material

Director 2.0.0 is the current versioned authoring package documented here. Historical Motion Director V1 / Revision 2 materials are a frozen 1.0 evaluation bundle. Their protocols, scores, and tool-call counts do not certify the new package, your installed client, or the animation you create. This guide makes no general quality, token-saving, or call-saving promise.

Worked example: import and revise a three-step process

This exercise uses existing JSON to demonstrate validation, native import, text editing, placement, and persistence. It does not require a newly installed Director client or a live agent request.

Download the three-step process JSON. The unchanged file passes the installed Director 2.0.0 canonical offline validator with runtimeOk, schemaOk, authoringOk, and canonicalOk all true, and no warnings or errors. That result is one check; the real import and editing steps below establish the observed Desktop outcome.

Validate and create the scene

1. Save your current project. Choose File → Import AI JSON in Desktop.
2. Use Project mode and Choose JSON file to open the download.
3. Inspect the validated preview: scene, 1 scene, 13 objects, 8s.
4. Choose Create New Project from Scene. Seek to 8.000 seconds and inspect the completed three-card process. Its 1920 × 1280 canvas is deliberately 3:2.

12

The real importer validates the supplied JSON as one eight-second scene with 13 objects before applying it.

Screenshot callouts

1. 1
   Validated preview

   Confirm Type scene, Scenes 1, Objects 13, and Duration 8s.
2. 2
   Create a new project

   Use Create New Project from Scene to keep this exercise separate from existing work.

12

The unchanged JSON at 8.000 seconds. The 1920 × 1280 canvas retains its 3:2 aspect ratio; the five vectors and eight native Text objects remain separate.

Screenshot callouts

1. 1
   Finished process

   Three cards contain native placeholder titles and descriptions that can be edited independently.
2. 2
   End frame

   Inspect the completed scene at 0:08.000 before changing copy.

Edit a native title

Search for Step 1 Title in Search tracks, select the row, and open Properties → Text. Change Content from Title Here to Plan, then move focus to commit. Only that title changes; the other card titles stay editable.

12

The first native title now reads Plan. The other two titles and the vector artwork remain independent.

Screenshot callouts

1. 1
   Edited title

   Only Step 1 Title is selected and its canvas text reads Plan.
2. 2
   Native Content field

   Properties → Text retains editable text instead of converting it to outlines.

Move the artwork independently

Search for Blue Card Vector, unlock that row, and select it. In Properties → Basics, change X from 43 to 93 and commit. Its native title keeps X 128. This small exercise exposes independent artwork and text; arrange both deliberately when adapting the full card.

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The blue vector card before its placement edit, at X 43. Unlock this specific artwork before moving it.

Screenshot callouts

1. 1
   Original position

   The Basics fields show X 43 and Y 370.
2. 2
   Artwork lock

   Use the lock control on the Blue Card Vector row to make the placement editable.

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After changing the unlocked card to X 93. Step 1 Title keeps its own X 128; moving the artwork does not automatically move its text.

Screenshot callouts

1. 1
   Revised position

   Commit X 93 while retaining Y 370.
2. 2
   Independent artwork

   The selected vector moves right; the separate native title remains where it was authored.

Save, restore, and compare the native export

Choose File → Save Locally, reload, and choose Restore. Confirm Plan and the moved, unlocked vector. Export a .scribe copy, or import the actual revised project (.scribe) to compare with the unchanged JSON. The native revision passes the current package importer with zero warnings.

12

After Save Locally, reload, and Restore, the first title still reads Plan. The native exported revision also retains the moved, unlocked card.

Screenshot callouts

1. 1
   Restored title

   The first native title retains the saved edit.
2. 2
   Editable after restore

   The Text Content field remains available with Plan.

The actual Desktop captures were made on 8 October 2026; the deployment's repository commit was not verified. Offline validation and existing-JSON import/edit/save/restore passed. A fresh Director client installation or creation/acceptance request was not run, and this example does not certify one. Download checksums identify both files.

1. Establish the deliverable and story

Specify whether you need one scene, a multi-scene project, or a reusable block. Give the assistant the message, audience, aspect ratio, duration, style, required copy, narration, and supplied assets. A supplied reference calls for the reference reconstruction workflow as well as the production steps here.

Plan a few communication beats before drawing. Each scene should have a clear job, main visual, readable takeaway, and final hold. Separate the entrance of an object, its journey, and an attention cue; they solve different storytelling needs.

2. Discover the open project and checkpoint it

Ask the agent to inspect editor context, project.get, project.get_status, and scene.list. Retain the actual project/scene IDs and revision. For existing work, use project.save_local and retain its exact checkpoint key. A local checkpoint belongs to this browser profile; export a .scribe package when you need a portable recovery copy.

Use scribe_search_capabilities, then scribe_get_capability, then scribe_execute_capability with the returned contract. Live schemas win over older examples. After a reload, reacquire tools and verify project identity. Resolve a continuity conflict before further mutation; clearing storage or replaying stale IDs can lose the work you meant to preserve.

3. Build the settled composition

Start with native editable titles, labels, cards, illustrations, and connectors. Keep parts separate when they need independent editing or motion. Use supplied artwork first when the brief requires it; otherwise use verified catalog assets and native primitives where they express the idea clearly. Name placements by their role, such as text/title, art/device, or flow/request.

Use layout.flow for an ordered process or layout.grid for repeated cards when the objects are eligible. Both place base geometry once. They do not maintain live layout constraints. Inspect the actual frame before adding decoration or complex motion. Vector Import yields drawable geometry; recreate SVG labels as native text if their wording must remain editable.

4. Add relationships, motion, and timing

Need	Capability family to discover	What to check
Attached lines/arrows	connector.*	Targets, route, anchors, and evaluated endpoints at the intended scene/time.
Caption that follows a visual	object.anchor_binding.*	Anchor offsets and final placement; the binding owns dependent X/Y.
Travel along a route	path_follow.*	Separate route/follower objects and editable pathFollower.t progress keys.
Temporary emphasis	indication.*	Before/during/after frames, preserved base appearance, and cleanup at the end.
Sequence, parallel, or stagger timing	timeline.compose	Exact returned Draw Step/key IDs, preserved durations, ownership, and scene bounds.
Recurring identity across live scenes	object.scene_membership.* and object.scene_pose.*	Shared ID and correct scene-local pose; these live contracts are absent from AI JSON.
Camera focus	camera.*	World-center framing, readable margins, travel, holds, and final overview.

Use the highest supported semantic action that expresses the intended outcome, then the owning lower-level capability for a precise repair. A layout, Path Follow, Anchor Binding, Timeline, or camera ownership rejection is a reason to inspect the conflict. Resolve it through its owner before retrying.

Author timing units before composing them. The current composition contract moves eligible Draw Steps and contiguous property-key ranges without stretching them; an unambiguous Circumscribe/Trace Highlight annotation can move with its sole Draw Step and temporary visible range. Read back times and inspect cleanup. For narration, align to measured speech timing and leave readable holds after a draw completes.

5. Validate AI JSON when that is the authoring route

AI JSON uses TemplateEnvelopeV1, schema version 1, scene-local-v1 timing, portable props, and IDs whose references stay inside the envelope. It is a reusable template format. Use .scribe for native project persistence, including shared identity and managed Scene Pose. Template JSON does not separately carry a fixed camera pose.

If the 2.0.0 package is installed and file execution is available, use its shipped scripts from the installed skill directory with Node 22.13+ or Node 24:

node scripts/self-test.mjs
node scripts/validate.mjs animation.json
node scripts/validate.mjs --import-compatible legacy-input.json

The scripts need package files and the input JSON, without a repository checkout, dependency installation, network, or Scribe account. Default CLI validation is canonical. Exit 0 means the requested mode passes, 1 means validation fails, and 2 means usage or file access failed. Read runtimeOk, schemaOk, authoringOk, canonicalOk, all error collections, and warnings.

Import-compatible validation can accept normalized or legacy input while canonicalOk is false. For new authoring, correct canonical errors instead of using the more permissive verdict to claim full validity. Live template.validate_json version 2 accepts json and mode; request mode: "canonical" explicitly because the live capability's omitted mode defaults to import-compatible. Retrieve its schema before sending that field.

Editable procedural objects use the current validated asset, recipe digest, seed, parameters, material, and optional playback/Drawing Score contracts. Export an existing valid object or use the package's validated examples; do not invent digests, executable recipe code, compiled paths, or caches. See procedural AI JSON.

Offline validation does not fetch media, render frames, or prove every runtime relationship. The editor revalidates input and checks the destination workspace before apply. Repair material warnings, then inspect the applied project.

6. Review frames, critique, and revise

Discover ui.project_frame_preview and request a meaningful sceneId and scene-local timeMs with action: "show". The preview uses project pixel dimensions; choose displayMode: "fit" or "actual". Inspect the overlay through your client's visual tools. Use Close, Escape, or action: "hide" to dismiss it. Metadata-only success is not a visual judgment.

Check the settled frame and before/during/after each entrance, travel, drawing, indication, camera move, and hide boundary. Fix one concrete issue through its owning capability, then recheck every affected timestamp. Play the complete animation to judge pacing and legibility. A preview failure or stale revision leaves that frame unverified.

layout.composition_inspect can supply geometric review signals, bounded to 100 active bounded objects and eight unique role references total. These bounds and occupancy proxies are not painted pixels or an aesthetic score. If it is unavailable or rejected, record DIAGNOSTIC_NOT_RUN or DIAGNOSTIC_REJECTED and perform manual exact-frame review. Record the manual judgment separately. Keep the authored content intact; hiding, deleting, or flattening it to force a diagnostic pass invalidates the review.

7. Save, reopen, and report observed outcomes

Save the project through its supported path. For editable handoff, export a .scribe package, verify the downloaded file, reopen it in a fresh editor, and inspect objects, typography, relationships, procedural data, timing, and playback. When video delivery is requested, inspect the actual exported file separately. SVG export is unavailable in the current public editor and WebMCP API; SVG import and drawing remain supported.

Report each check as PASS, FAIL, or NOT_RUN: offline validation, composition diagnostic, manual frame review, playback, native save/reopen, and video export. Include project/build/package identity, frames checked, remaining differences, dependencies, and warnings. If rendering is unavailable, deliver a validated draft and mark visual/runtime QA NOT_RUN.

For downloads, distinguish the capability result, the actual delivered file, and the agent's download detector. A detector timeout alone does not prove the file was absent; a command response alone does not prove a usable file was delivered. For an active automated video export, discover export.get_status and export.cancel with its operation ID. Repeated cancellation of terminal work preserves the recorded status and completion time.

Platform and access differences

Route	Prerequisite	Acceptance still needed
Live Desktop WebMCP	Open top-level editor, compatible client, discovered tools, current permissions	Reversible edit, rendered frames, playback, save/reopen, and requested export.
Package-assisted AI JSON	Trusted 2.0.0 package loaded by an assistant; supported Node/file execution for validation	Real Desktop import, warnings, visual/runtime review, native persistence.
AI JSON without the package	Assistant uses the documented envelope; user opens the real importer	Current editor validation and all result checks.
Mobile Lite/native mobile, ordinary browser, CLI, or cloud agent	Inspect the surface's actual manual/tool support	This guide does not establish Desktop WebMCP or fresh package acceptance there.

Prompt to start an original explainer

Create an editable Scribe Animator explainer about [topic] for [audience]. Use the intended open project, inspect current Site tools, and checkpoint existing work. Plan the communication beats, build readable settled scenes with native text and separate visuals, add supported relationships and purposeful motion, then inspect event frames and camera holds. Revise concrete issues and recheck affected timestamps. Use validated AI JSON if live tools are unavailable. Report validation, visual review, playback, native save/reopen, and any requested export separately, with remaining gaps.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Recovery
Package is absent or the version is uncertain	Use the public Site tools/AI JSON guides; obtain and verify a trusted package before relying on its bundled validator.
Site tools are missing	Confirm compatible client, top-level editor, tool settings, policy, and project readiness; use AI JSON if discovery remains unavailable.
Canonical validation fails but compatibility passes	Repair the named schema/authoring findings and material warnings, then validate and import again.
Preview is blank, fails, or becomes stale	Preserve work, recheck identity and media readiness, and request the frame again; mark the failed check unverified.
Composition diagnostic rejects the scene	Record the reason and perform manual exact-frame review without changing content solely to satisfy the limit.
Save or download is uncertain	Inspect the returned status and actual file, keep a local checkpoint, and verify reopen before claiming persistence.

Related guides and verification

• Site tools quickstart and AI agents and WebMCP
• Reference reconstruction
• AI JSON and template authoring
• Save, import, and recover projects

Reviewed on 7 October 2026 against the versioned package contract and current Scribe implementation/tests. The worked example adds canonical offline validation and actual Desktop JSON import, native edits, save/restore, and export captured on 8 October 2026. The broader static reference describes agent instructions and data contracts. These checks do not certify public distribution, fresh installation, a client/model rollout, or fresh Director-client acceptance.