Can I vibecode Frame.io?

What you build

Watch a folder, transcode a proxy with ffmpeg, serve it at an unlisted URL where reviewers leave frame-accurate comments, stack versions, and export the notes as timecode.

what you need

• ffmpeg
• a VPS with real disk and bandwidth
• a domain plus reverse proxy with TLS
• chokidar or another folder watcher
• a storage and egress budget you now pay yourself

The rare case where the visible feature is trivial and the invisible one · getting 4K to a client's phone reliably · is the whole subscription.

The prompt

A weekend with a coding agent. The gaps that stay are right below, under “what you lose”.

Build me a video review and approval app to replace Frame.io for a one-person edit shop. Requirements:

- Node + Express + better-sqlite3 running on my own VPS behind an existing reverse
  proxy. Server-rendered pages, one vanilla JS player, no frontend framework.
- I drop a master into ./incoming/<project>/<asset>.mov; chokidar picks it up and
  ffmpeg writes a 1080p H.264 proxy and a poster frame into
  ./media/<project>/<asset>/v<N>/. Frame rate comes from ffprobe.
- Versions stack: the same asset name dropped again becomes v2, v3, and so on. The
  review page gets a version dropdown that swaps the source at the current playhead.
- Each asset has one unguessable /r/<random-id> link. A reviewer types their name
  once into localStorage, then comments; every comment stores the exact frame and
  renders as HH:MM:SS:FF at the asset's real frame rate.
- Comments list beside the player and tick along the scrubber. Clicking one seeks to
  that frame. Each has a reply thread, a resolved checkbox, and an unresolved filter.
- An export button per version writes notes.csv (timecode, author, comment, resolved)
  and a DaVinci Resolve marker .txt I can import onto the timeline.
- SQLite holds comments and versions, media stays in plain folders, so nothing is
  trapped in the app. No accounts and no telemetry: admin pages sit behind basic auth
  with the password in .env, share links are the only other way in.
- Out of scope: Camera to Cloud, NLE panels, watermarking, and a mobile app. Do not
  build accounts, teams, or roles. The unlisted link is the entire permission model.
- README: installing ffmpeg, raising the proxy upload limit, and an honest warning
  that you now own the storage bill, the egress bill, and the 2am playback outage.

What you lose

• Camera to Cloud ingest straight off set
• Premiere, After Effects, and Resolve review panels that sync comments to timeline markers
• a transcode farm and global CDN, so client playback is only as good as your box
• forensic watermarking, SSO, and the security posture studios require
• the iPad and mobile review apps clients actually use
• storage, transfer tooling, and uptime bundled into the seat price

Why people still pay

They pay so the client link never buffers and the note never gets lost. A director opens a Frame.io link on a phone in a car and it plays; the editor opens the Premiere panel and the same notes land on the timeline as markers. That round trip, plus a transcode and delivery layer nobody has to think about, is the product. The comment box was never the expensive part.

moat: Infrastructure scale Integrations Brand and trust what a moat is

infrastructure/NLE integration/trust

Free alternatives

Not in the mood to build it? These already exist, they are free or open source, and we checked them one by one.

Who has already built it

Starting from here is still vibecoding: the prompt is for when you want it exactly your way.

• Kitsu (opens in a new tab) — Open-source production tracker with a real review loop: versioned previews, annotations, and comments. Heavier than a share link, but the closest self-hosted equivalent. (alive)
• OpenRV (opens in a new tab) — Autodesk's RV, open-sourced under the ASWF. Reference-grade review playback and annotation for desktop; no web sharing layer. (alive)

What it costs in a year

Do you agree?

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