Make Instagram reels on autopilot with Claude and HeyGen
Type one line, like “Make a reel on 3 ways AI saves dentists time”. Claude writes the script, HeyGen records it with your AI avatar, Claude edits it, Cloudinary gives it a public link, and Claude writes the caption and schedules it on Instagram through Buffer.
You need four accounts, all with free plans to start on except Claude. Everything else is in the free skill files on this page.
Claude
You connect Claude to HeyGen and Buffer as custom connectors, and the free plan allows only one. A Pro plan is the easy choice.
Required
HeyGen
An account with an avatar: your own digital twin, or one of HeyGen’s stock avatars. Videos use your HeyGen plan’s credits. HeyGen recommends its Creator plan or higher for this.
Required
Buffer
A Buffer account with your Instagram connected (a Business or Creator account). The free plan is fine to start, but it limits how many posts you can have scheduled.
Required
Cloudinary
A free Cloudinary account. It hosts the edited video, so Buffer gets a permanent public link to post from.
Required
Set up your Claude project
Do this once. After that, every new chat in the project can make a reel.
A
Create a project
In Claude, open Projects → New project. Call it something like “Reel Autopilot”.
B
Turn on file creation and network access
Go to Settings → Capabilities and turn on Code execution and file creation (it may be called Create and edit files) and Allow network egress. Claude needs these to download the HeyGen video, edit it and upload the result to Cloudinary.
C
Connect HeyGen and Buffer, set up Cloudinary
Add HeyGen and Buffer as custom connectors and make a Cloudinary upload preset. The exact steps are in step 2, step 4 and step 6 below.
D
Upload the 7 skill files
Download them below (or all at once as a .zip and unzip it). In your project, click + next to the project files and upload all seven .md files.
E
Add the project instructions
Open the project’s Instructions and paste this:
You make Instagram reels for me using the skill files in this project.
When I give you a topic, follow reel-autopilot.md from start to finish.
For a single job (only a script, only a caption, only scheduling), use just that skill file.
Never post anything on Instagram without my “yes”, unless I write “auto-post”.
F
Make the skills yours
Open the files marked ✏️ and fill in your brand details, colours and handle. Your HeyGen avatar, Cloudinary details and Buffer channel are sorted out on the first run: Claude asks which ones to use and tells you what to paste in.
01
Script
Write the script from a topic
Claude turns a topic into a spoken script with a hook that stops the scroll in the first two seconds, a clear idea, one example and one call to action. It writes three options with different hook styles and, on autopilot, picks the strongest one. It also writes the short on-screen hook text the editor uses.
Script writing skillscript-writing.md · 7 KB
Hooks, structure, length guide and language rules for spoken scripts.
Make it yours: fill in “About the brand” at the top: your brand, audience, tone, language (English, Hinglish…) and default call to action.
02
HeyGen
Make the HeyGen avatar video
Claude sends the script to HeyGen, word for word, and HeyGen records it with your avatar as a vertical 1080p video. For this, Claude needs to be connected to your HeyGen account.
Connect HeyGen to Claude
In Claude, open Customize → Connectors and click Add custom connector.
Name it HeyGen and paste this server URL:
https://mcp.heygen.com/mcp/v1/
Click Add, then Connect. Log in to HeyGen and approve access.
In a chat, click + → Connectors and make sure HeyGen is turned on.
No API key needed. Videos use the credits on your HeyGen plan.
HeyGen video skillheygen-video.md · 3 KB
Cleans the script and creates a 9:16 avatar video with your chosen avatar.
Make it yours: on the first run Claude lists your avatars, asks which one to use and gives you its look ID to paste into the file, so it never asks again.
03
Editing
Edit the video
Claude downloads the HeyGen video from its link and edits it with code: the hook text in the first seconds, word-by-word captions, a few keyword highlights, subtle punch-in zooms and an end card. Text stays in the middle of the frame, so the top is free for your logo.
Uses the script as the transcript, so captions match exactly what is said
Checks frames before sending, so text never overlaps or gets cut off
Keeps the file under Claude’s 30 MB limit
Video editing skillvideo-editing.md · 5 KB
Captions, hook, keyword pills, zooms and an end card, rendered with FFmpeg.
Make it yours: change the colours, fonts and end-card text in “Brand style”. Upload your font files and logo to the project if you want them used.
04
Cloudinary
Get a public link with Cloudinary
The edited video only exists inside your Claude chat, and Buffer can only post a video from a public web link. So Claude uploads the finished video to Cloudinary and gets a permanent public .mp4 link, which it hands to Buffer in step 6. Unlike HeyGen’s link, it doesn’t expire, so posts scheduled days ahead are safe.
Set up Cloudinary
Make a free account at cloudinary.com and note your cloud name (it’s on the dashboard).
Open Settings → Upload presets → Add upload preset. Set Signing mode to Unsigned, the folder to reel-autopilot, and save. Note the preset’s name.
Check that Allow network egress is on in Claude’s Settings → Capabilities, so Claude can send the file to Cloudinary.
No connector or API key needed: the unsigned preset lets Claude upload without a password, so no secrets go into the skill files.
Cloudinary public link skillcloudinary-public-link.md · 3 KB
Uploads the edited video and returns a permanent public .mp4 link for Buffer.
Make it yours: on the first run Claude asks for your cloud name and preset name and tells you where to paste them in the file.
05
Caption
Write the caption
Claude writes the Instagram caption from the final script: a first line that makes people tap “more”, the key idea in a few short lines, one call to action and 3–6 relevant hashtags.
Caption writing skillcaption-writing.md · 5 KB
Hook styles, structure, length and hashtag rules for captions that get read.
Make it yours: fill in “About the brand” and your own hashtag pool.
06
Buffer
Schedule it on Instagram with Buffer
Claude adds the reel to your Buffer queue (or a time you choose) with the caption, as a Reel shared to your feed. It always shows you the account, caption and time first and waits for your “yes”.
Connect Buffer to Claude
In Buffer, connect your Instagram account (Business or Creator) if you haven’t already.
In Claude, open Customize → Connectors and click Add custom connector.
Name it Buffer and paste this server URL:
https://mcp.buffer.com/mcp
Click Add, then Connect. Sign in to Buffer and approve access.
In a chat, click + → Connectors and make sure Buffer is turned on.
Claude gives Buffer the Cloudinary link of the edited video. If the upload to Cloudinary ever fails, Claude gives you the file and caption, and you upload it to Buffer in a few clicks.
Make it yours: on the first run Claude lists your Buffer channels, asks which Instagram account to use and gives you the IDs to paste into the file.
07
Master skill
Run it all on autopilot
The master skill ties everything together. Give Claude a topic and it runs steps 1 to 6 in order, with a progress list, one-line updates and a short report at the end. It stops and tells you if any step fails, and never retries a paid HeyGen video without asking.
Open a new chat inside your project and send one of these:
Make a reel on: 3 ways AI saves dentists 5 hours a week
Make a reel on why most small businesses quit Instagram after 2 months. Post it tomorrow at 7 pm.
Make a reel on how to reply to every DM in seconds with AI. No edit, add it to the queue.
Avatar“…with my studio avatar”
Account“…post it on @mybrand”
Time“now”, “Friday 6 pm” or nothing for the queue
no editskips editing and Cloudinary, and schedules the HeyGen video
auto-postschedules without asking for your “yes”
Good to know
The questions people ask after their first few reels.
What does each reel cost?
The Claude part runs on your Claude plan. Each HeyGen video uses credits from your HeyGen plan, depending on its length. Buffer is free for a few channels. Cloudinary’s free plan covers a good number of reels a month. Making a script, caption or edit again doesn’t cost HeyGen credits; only a new avatar video does.
Claude says it can’t download the video. What now?
First check that Allow network egress is on in Settings → Capabilities. If it still can’t, open the HeyGen video link, download the video yourself and upload it into the chat. Claude carries on with the edit from there.
Why is Cloudinary needed?
Buffer posts a video from a web address; it can’t take a file from your Claude chat. HeyGen’s link only points to the unedited video, and it expires. So Claude uploads the edited video to Cloudinary for a permanent public .mp4 link. The free Cloudinary plan is enough to start.
Can I make reels in Hindi or Hinglish?
Yes. Change the language in “About the brand” in the script and caption skills. HeyGen speaks it with your avatar’s voice, and the captions follow the script.
How long does one reel take?
Usually 10–20 minutes, most of it waiting for HeyGen to render the avatar video. You can leave the chat open and come back.
Will it post without me checking?
No. It always shows you the account, the caption and the time, and waits for your “yes”. Only if you write “auto-post” does it skip that step.
HeyGen links expire. Does that matter?
Only if you schedule the raw HeyGen video far ahead. Schedule within a few days of making it. The Cloudinary link of the edited video doesn’t expire, so it’s safe for posts scheduled further ahead.
Can I use only some of the steps?
Yes. Each skill works on its own: ask for just a script, just a caption, or “schedule this video”. The master skill is only needed for the full run.
Want this running for your brand?
Book a 1:1 Reel Autopilot Setup meeting. We set up the whole system with you: your avatar, your voice, your tools and your content plan.