How to Make and Post YouTube Shorts and Videos With Claude and Ootto

Your reels can live on YouTube too, and your longer ideas finally have somewhere to go.

Every brand in Ootto now connects its own YouTube channel, right next to its Instagram. After that, Claude makes two kinds of video for it: a Short, which is the vertical reel Ootto already makes, and a full horizontal video of any length. Ootto posts either one to the channel, or books it for later, and only when you say yes.

That frame is from a 70 second, 1920 by 1080 video we made for one of our own test brands, a small barbell gym. It took about a minute to render and a few seconds to upload.

Shorts or a full video: which one to make

• A Short is a vertical video up to 3 minutes, best under a minute. People find it in the Shorts feed without knowing you yet. It is the same reel Ootto makes for Instagram, so one idea can go to both.
• A full video is horizontal (16:9) and any length. People find it by searching and through suggested videos, and they chose to watch it. Make one when the idea needs room: a how-to with steps, a comparison, a walk through your place or your product, the question your customers keep asking.

One idea can be both: the full video first, then a Short cut from its strongest minute that points people to it.

Connect your YouTube channel

Each brand connects its own channel. On your Accounts page every brand card ends with a small row of logos: Instagram and YouTube. A connected one is in full colour with a soft glow, one that is not connected yet is grey.

Tap the grey YouTube logo. A small window opens for that brand: what connecting does, and that you sign in on Google's own page, so Ootto never sees your password. Press Continue with Google and sign in with the Google account that owns the channel. You come straight back to Ootto and the logo lights up.

Tap the logo again any time to see it is connected, or to disconnect it. If you are setting up a new brand, Ootto offers Add YouTube too right after Instagram, and you can skip it with one tap. And if you press YouTube on a reel before the channel is connected, the same window opens first.

In Claude you can also just say "connect my YouTube" and Claude gives you the same link.

Make a Short or a video in Claude

Connect Ootto to Claude once, the same way as for reels. Any Claude plan works, the free one included.

1Claude

Open Customize

In Claude on the web or the desktop app, open Customize in the left sidebar.

2Claude

Connectors, then Add

Choose Connectors, then the Add button.

3Claude

Add custom connector

Pick Add custom connector from the menu.

4Claude

Name it, paste the address

Name it Ootto, paste https://mcp.ootto.ai/mcp, press Add, then Connect and sign in to Ootto.

Claude reads your channel first: your newest videos and Shorts with their views, likes and length, so it knows what already works for you. It can also bring one of your own videos into your library, to cut a Short from it or make a new edit.

For a full video, Claude writes the script with the result in the first five seconds, then one section per point, each with its own title card, your own photos and footage, and captions low in the frame. It writes the title (the result first, under 100 characters), a description whose first two lines say what you get and where to go next, chapters with times, and a thumbnail when your channel is verified for custom thumbnails.

The prompts

Post it now, or book it

Every made reel in Ootto has a YouTube button next to Post and Schedule. Give it a title, choose who sees it (public, unlisted, or private), and post it now or pick a time.

A booked video is uploaded straight away as private, with its publish time set on YouTube. YouTube makes it public at that time, so nothing depends on Ootto being awake at 9 am on a Saturday.

Nothing goes to YouTube on its own. Ootto posts only what you asked for, the same rule as for Instagram.

Or let Ootto make them for you

If you would rather not open Claude at all, Ootto plans the week, makes each reel and video, and emails it to you for a yes.

Frequently asked questions