Which file formats have been tested?
The file-format compatibility guide lists confirmed container/codec combinations, identifies real-footage and generated-test evidence, and separates accepted-but-unverified formats from files v0 does not scan. A file extension alone does not guarantee decoding.
The checks cover representative samples on Apple Silicon with macOS 26.3. They do not establish support for every camera, codec profile or ProRes variant.
Which Macs and macOS versions are supported?
B-Roll Archives requires an Apple Silicon Mac, M1 or later. Intel Macs are not supported. The app has been tested on macOS 26.3; earlier macOS runtime compatibility remains unverified. macOS 13 is the development deployment target, not a claim of completed runtime testing.
Check the download page for the current release’s requirements and installation guide for the DMG steps.
Does preparing a library change my originals?
No. Preparing a library reads the footage folders you connect and creates a local catalog, sampled previews and visual index. It does not move, rename, compress or modify your source videos. Your originals stay in place.
Generated previews are not backups of the original footage. Keep your own independent backups. See connect a folder or drive.
Can preparation pause and resume?
Yes. Choose Pause, then Resume when you are ready. The catalog saves progress and reuses valid completed work after a pause or interrupted session. Source changes are checked when work resumes so new or changed footage can be queued.
You can browse clips as their previews become ready. See prepare your library for the controls and shortcuts.
What happens when files are added, changed or removed?
Use Prepare / Rescan to refresh a connected source. New files are discovered, changed files are reprocessed as needed, and valid completed work is reused. After a complete, readable scan confirms a source file was removed, that clip loses access in the library and through MCP, including its cached images and old links.
A disconnected drive or an incomplete scan is not evidence that files were deleted. Previously prepared previews remain available for an offline source; original playback needs the source reconnected. The free preview retains its fixed clip selection rather than unlocking a replacement whenever a selected clip is removed.
Continuous live folder watching is not included. See preparation and rescanning and disconnected drives.
How do I remove a source from my library?
In B-Roll Archives 0.3.1 or later, right-click the source in the sidebar, choose Remove source…, and confirm its name. This removes its connection and access through the library, search and agents. It does not delete original footage, prepared previews, the visual index or saved organization, and it does not free disk space.
Choose Add Folder and select the same folder to restore access. Saved shotlist entries retain their notes and explain when their source is unavailable. Removing a source does not reset your licence, fixed preview clips or seven-day clock. See remove a source connection.
Can I use an external drive or a NAS?
You can connect a footage folder on your Mac or an available external drive. For a NAS, mount the share in Finder and use Connect NAS… to select the mounted footage folder. Generated previews and the catalog stay in app-owned storage on your Mac.
Real Finder-mounted SMB/NAS acceptance remains unverified. The connection and recovery paths exist, but real-share remount, disconnect and sleep/wake behavior still need validation. See the current release notes for limits.
When a source is disconnected, you can browse permitted cached previews and search a prepared local index. Reconnect the source for original playback or new frame extraction. See browse a disconnected drive.
Does visual search upload my footage, and why can it miss a shot?
Contact-sheet preparation and visual search run on your Mac. Those operations do not upload footage or visual-search descriptions to a model API. BYOK/cloud AI tagging is excluded from v0.
B-Roll Archives 0.3.0 retains twelve overview frames per clip and adds approximately five-second sampling for visual search, with saved progress and memory-pressure pauses. Release testing passed indexing, native pause/relaunch/resume and late-moment retrieval/playback on a supplied 2 h 6 min 1080p H.264 clip; the case study records its measured memory and limits. A brief event can fall between samples, and similarity rank is not a confidence percentage. Inspect a returned frame and play nearby original footage before deciding it matches. See local visual search.
An external agent connected through MCP may send retrieved text or images to its own provider according to its settings. Local search in the app does not guarantee that an external agent also processes everything locally. See privacy information.
How do agents connect through MCP?
Keep B-Roll Archives open, go to Agent connections, enable the MCP server and confirm Running. Use the copied endpoint or client configuration. The app’s local server does not require an access token.
Agents can search permitted footage, inspect sampled frames and return timestamp links. Compatible versions can also inspect ranges and save native shotlists; these actions do not change source videos. Remote clients require your own protected tunnel.
Start with the MCP overview and the guides for Codex, Claude or Hermes.
What does the free preview include, and how does licensing work?
The free preview starts with onboarding without a licence and unlocks three fixed clips from your own library. The same selection applies across folders, searches and relaunches. Remaining clips appear as locked placeholders. The seven-day timer starts when the first usable preview clip finishes preparing. Contact sheets are watermarked in the app, saved images and MCP responses. Expiry preserves originals, organization and cached work; licence entry remains available. The website asks for an email and footage purpose before downloading, with optional confirmed updates. No website account or password is required, and saving work in the app needs no registration.
The one-time packs cover 1, 2 or 5 active Macs, with one key per pack, all future updates included and a 14-day refund window. Activations can transfer by deactivating the old Mac and activating the replacement; activation and transfers require internet. An activated Mac keeps working offline indefinitely; quiet validation runs when online.
See pricing and licence questions for pack prices and current purchase availability. For another question, contact support without sharing your licence key.