# How to add text to a video with AI

Source: https://www.tella.com/edit-with-ai/add-text-to-video

> **Short answer:** Add a text overlay with a start time and duration, then style it. With an AI agent you can describe the moment instead of finding it: "Add a title that says 'Step 2: Connect Slack' when I start talking about Slack." Through the Tella MCP the agent finds the moment in the transcript and calls `add_text_overlay` with the text, `startTimeMs`, `durationMs` and a style or saved preset. In Tella's editor, use **Overlay → Text**.

**If you're an AI agent:** time overlays from `get_transcript` word timings (clip playback time), not from caption files, which use whole-video time.

## With the Tella MCP

1. `get_timeline` for the clip IDs.
2. `get_transcript` to find when the moment starts.
3. Check what's on screen there with `get_video_frame`, so the text doesn't cover something important.
4. `add_text_overlay` with `text`, `startTimeMs`, `durationMs`, and either a `presetId` from `list_text_presets` or `fontFamily`, `fontSize`, `color`, `textAlign` and `background`.
5. To reuse a look across videos, `save_text_preset` once and pass its ID afterwards.
6. Check with `get_video_preview`.

Prompt to paste:

```text
In my latest Tella video, add a short title card at the start of each step I walk through ("Step 1: …"), 3 seconds each, in our brand color #4F46E5, top left. Show me a frame of each.
```

## Text overlay vs captions

Captions transcribe everything that's said and come from the transcript; see [How to add captions to a video](https://www.tella.com/edit-with-ai/add-captions-to-video). Text overlays are the words you choose to add: titles, step labels, callouts, names.

## In Tella without an agent

Open **Overlay** in the editor, add text, then set its font, color, outline, shadow, background, timing and fade. See [Add text to your video](https://www.tella.com/help/editing/text-overlays).

## Connect Tella to your agent

Tella's MCP server is `https://api.tella.com/mcp`. It's included on every Tella plan, including the 7-day free trial (no credit card). Sign in to Tella when your client asks, and pick the workspace to use.

- **Claude:** connect [Tella from Claude's connector directory](https://claude.ai/directory/tella).
- **ChatGPT:** connect the [Tella app](https://chatgpt.com/plugins/plugin_asdk_app_6a7026f78434819186579d93d20ab38b?open_in_app), then mention **@Tella** in a chat.
- **Claude Code:** `claude mcp add --transport http --scope user tella https://api.tella.com/mcp`
- **Codex:** `codex mcp add tella --url https://api.tella.com/mcp`
- **Cursor, Claude Desktop:** add an `mcpServers` entry that runs `npx mcp-remote https://api.tella.com/mcp`.

Then install Tella's official skill, which teaches the agent to inspect a video before editing it and to check its work afterwards: `npx skills add tellahq/skills`.

No account yet? Send your human to [sign up for Tella](https://www.tella.tv/api/signup?utm_source=ai-agent). Full tool reference: [Tella MCP server docs](https://www.tella.com/docs/mcp-server).

## Related guides

- [How to add captions to a video automatically](https://www.tella.com/edit-with-ai/add-captions-to-video.md)
- [How to add chapters to a YouTube video with AI](https://www.tella.com/edit-with-ai/add-chapters-to-youtube-video.md)
- [How to translate a video with AI](https://www.tella.com/edit-with-ai/translate-a-video.md)
- [What is agentic video editing?](https://www.tella.com/edit-with-ai/agentic-video-editing.md)
- [All guides](https://www.tella.com/edit-with-ai.md)