Make Whiteboard Videos in Claude: Connector Guide
Add KolaVid to Claude as a custom connector and ask for narrated whiteboard videos in any chat. Setup steps, prompts to copy, limits, privacy and fixes.
Yes, Claude can make a whiteboard video for you once KolaVid is added as a custom connector. You paste one server address into Claude's connector settings, sign in to KolaVid, and from then on you can type "make a 2-minute whiteboard video explaining photosynthesis" in any chat. KolaVid makes a narrated video in your account, usually in 2 to 4 minutes, and Claude gives you the link.
Below: the setup steps, six requests worth copying, how credits and links work, and what Claude can and cannot do with your account.
What happens when you ask
Claude does not draw the video itself. When you ask for one, Claude passes your topic, your pasted notes or a link to KolaVid. KolaVid writes the explanation, draws each idea on a whiteboard as the narrator says it, and saves the video in your KolaVid library. Claude replies straight away with a link where you can watch the video being made, then fetches the download link once it is finished.
That split matters in practice. The quality of the explanation comes from what you ask for, so a clear request with an audience and a length gets a better video than "make a video about tax".
Add KolaVid to Claude
These steps work on claude.ai and in the Claude desktop app. The KolaVid in Claude guide has the same steps if you want them open in another tab.
- Open Customize, then Connectors.
- Click Add, then Add custom connector.
- Name it KolaVid and paste this server URL: `https://kolavid.com/mcp`. Continue, leave the sign-in settings as Claude detects them, and click Add.
- Click Connect. KolaVid's sign-in page opens. Sign in, or create a free account, then click Allow.
Back in a chat, ask for a video. Claude asks before it uses KolaVid the first time; you can choose to always allow the read-only steps, such as checking a video's progress.
Don't see Add custom connector? Your Claude plan or your organization's settings may not allow custom connectors yet. If you work in Claude Code, the same server works there with one command:
```bash claude mcp add --transport http kolavid https://kolavid.com/mcp ```
Six requests to copy
1. A lesson for a specific class
Make a 2-minute whiteboard video explaining photosynthesis for 10-year-olds.
Naming the age does more than any other word in the request. It changes the vocabulary, the examples and how much is left out. Teachers will find more classroom ideas on the KolaVid page for teachers.
2. A link turned into a short vertical video
Turn this article into a 1-minute vertical video for TikTok: https://example.com/your-article
KolaVid reads the page itself. Vertical (9:16) is the shape for TikTok, Reels and Shorts; square (1:1) and landscape (16:9) are the other two choices.
3. Notes in another language
Make a whiteboard video from these notes, in Spanish: [paste your notes]
The notes can be in English and the narration in Spanish. Name the language in the request; English is the default.
4. Draft with Claude first, then make the video
This is where a chat beats a form. Work on the explanation with Claude, then hand over the version you agreed:
Help me explain our new expense policy to staff in plain words: what they can claim, the 30-day deadline, and how to attach receipts. Keep it to about 250 words. When I say it's right, make a 2-minute KolaVid video from that exact text.
Claude sends the agreed wording as the source text, so the narration follows it closely. For more on writing requests like this, see our guide to writing a prompt for a whiteboard video.
5. Check on a video
Is my KolaVid video ready? Give me the download link.
Claude looks up the video. While it is being made you see its progress as a percentage; once finished you get a download link and a link to watch, edit or share it in KolaVid.
6. Account and library
How many KolaVid credits do I have left?
Show my five most recent KolaVid videos.
Tips for better videos
- Say who it is for and how long it should be. Claude makes 1-minute videos unless you ask for longer. You can ask for up to 5 minutes; free accounts make videos up to 2.
- One topic per video. "Photosynthesis" works; "photosynthesis, respiration and the carbon cycle" squeezes three lessons into one.
- Give material when you have it. Pasted notes or a link keep the video to your facts instead of a general explanation.
- Ask for the shape up front. Vertical for phones, landscape for a projector or an LMS, square for chat groups.
Credits, links and privacy
- Credits. Videos made from Claude use your KolaVid credits, the same as videos made on kolavid.com: 60 credits per minute of video. A video that fails costs nothing. A free account includes 120 credits, enough for one 2-minute video; plans are on the pricing page.
- Not enough credits. Claude tells you there are not enough credits for that length and that a shorter video may fit. Your balance is on your KolaVid account page.
- Download links last 24 hours. Ask Claude again for a fresh one, or open the video in your KolaVid library, where it stays.
- What Claude can do: start a video, check a video, list your recent videos, and show your credit balance and plan.
- What Claude cannot do: delete, publish or share your videos. It never sees your KolaVid password; you sign in on KolaVid's own page.
- Disconnecting. Remove KolaVid in Claude under Customize, Connectors, or disconnect Claude in KolaVid under Account, API keys, Connected apps. Either one ends Claude's access.
Troubleshooting
Claude says it has no way to make videos. The connector may be switched off in this chat, or not connected yet. Check Customize, Connectors and click Connect if needed.
The sign-in page keeps coming back. Your KolaVid session may have ended or the connection was removed on the KolaVid side. Connect again from Claude's connector settings.
The video failed. Claude passes on the reason KolaVid gives. No credits are used for a failed video. A common cause is a link to a page KolaVid cannot read, such as one behind a login; paste the text instead.
Claude says another video is still being made. Each account makes one video at a time. Wait for the current one to finish, then ask again.
FAQ
Is KolaVid in Claude's connector directory?
No. It is added as a custom connector with the address `https://kolavid.com/mcp`, which takes a minute.
Does it work in ChatGPT too?
Yes. The same server works in ChatGPT and other apps that support MCP. Our overview of all the ways to use KolaVid lists every option, from Slack to the API.
Can Claude edit a video after it is made?
Not from the chat. Change the request or the text and ask for a new video, or open the video in KolaVid from the link Claude gives you.
Do I need a paid Claude plan?
That depends on whether your Claude plan or organization allows custom connectors. If you can see Add custom connector, you can add KolaVid.
Make your first one
Add the connector, then ask for a 1-minute video on something you explain often. Watch it being drawn from the link Claude gives you, and adjust your next request from there.