Claudest extract-audio

install

source · Clone the upstream repo

git clone https://github.com/gupsammy/Claudest

Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/

T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/gupsammy/Claudest "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/plugins/claude-content/skills/extract-audio" ~/.claude/skills/gupsammy-claudest-extract-audio && rm -rf "$T"

manifest: plugins/claude-content/skills/extract-audio/SKILL.md

source content

Format Decision Tree

User wants	Format	Flags	Why
Music, archive quality	FLAC	`-c:a flac`	Lossless, no quality loss
Music, small + transparent	MP3 VBR	`-c:a libmp3lame -q:a 0`	~200kbps avg, perceptually lossless
Podcast / voice	MP3 128k CBR	`-c:a libmp3lame -b:a 128k`	Sufficient for speech, universally compatible
Mobile / streaming	AAC 192k	`-c:a aac -b:a 192k`	Better than MP3 at equivalent bitrate
DAW / editing	WAV	`-c:a pcm_s16le -ar 44100`	No encoding loss, widest DAW support
Source already target format	Copy	`-c:a copy`	No re-encode, instant, lossless

Process

1. Probe audio streams

ffprobe -v quiet -print_format json -show_streams "$INPUT" | \
  python3 -c "
import json, sys
streams = [s for s in json.load(sys.stdin)['streams'] if s['codec_type']=='audio']
for i, s in enumerate(streams):
    print(f'Stream {i}: {s[\"codec_name\"]} {s.get(\"bit_rate\",\"?\")} bps {s.get(\"channel_layout\",\"?\")}')
"

2. Determine format

Apply the decision tree above if the user didn't specify. If the source audio codec already matches the target, use

-c:a copy

to avoid transcoding.

If multiple audio streams exist, ask the user which to extract — or use

-map 0:a

to extract all. Once the user responds, apply

-map 0:a:N

(where N is the zero-based stream index they chose) or

-map 0:a

for all streams in the Phase 3 command.

3. Construct command

# General pattern (-vn drops the video stream entirely):
ffmpeg -i "$INPUT" -vn [FORMAT_FLAGS] "$OUTPUT"

# Examples:
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -vn -c:a libmp3lame -q:a 0 audio.mp3        # MP3 VBR best quality
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -vn -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 128k podcast.mp3   # MP3 128k CBR
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -vn -c:a flac archive.flac                   # FLAC lossless
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -vn -c:a aac -b:a 192k mobile.aac           # AAC
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -vn -c:a pcm_s16le -ar 44100 edit.wav       # WAV for DAW
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -vn -c:a copy original.m4a                  # Copy audio stream

4. Confirm and run

Show: detected source codec and bitrate, chosen output format, output path. Wait for approval, then run.

Report output file size and duration:

ffprobe -v quiet -show_format "$OUTPUT" | grep -E "duration|size"

Key Decisions

Preserve generation quality: avoid transcoding chains that degrade source fidelity. Each decision below is an application of this principle.

Lossy-to-lossy warning: if the source is already lossy (MP3, AAC, OGG) and the user wants a different lossy format, warn them that re-encoding degrades quality. Recommend keeping the source format or using
```
-c:a copy
```
where container compatibility allows.
For files >1 hour, ask whether the user wants the full file or a specific range — trimming can be added with
```
-ss
```
and
```
-to
```
before
```
-vn
```
.
M4A vs AAC: AAC is the codec, M4A is the container. Use
```
.m4a
```
extension for Apple device compatibility; use
```
.aac
```
for a raw stream.