Stock video · Tool guide

The best stock video sources your AI agent can actually use

You are a marketer working inside Claude or Cowork, not a developer with an API key. Good news: for stock video you do not need one. Free clips already live on public sites like Pexels and Pixabay, and Claude can use the web, so it can find a clip and hand you the link, open the library in Claude in Chrome, or you can download the MP4 yourself in a click or two. The API and the premium libraries are only for automated, high-volume, or licensed footage, and those sit in a clearly labelled Advanced tier.

Updated: July 2026 Free sources: 3 Bar: no keys, no code For: non-developer marketers

The correction, and how stock video actually works

Let us correct something. An earlier version of this guide parked the free footage libraries, Pexels and Pixabay, in an Advanced tier as if you needed an API key to touch them. That was wrong. Stock clips already live on free public websites, and Claude can use the web, so a marketer needs no API key and no MCP server to use them. You recommend the library, Claude finds the clip by browsing, and the file lands on a card you approve.

Stock is the free, real-footage lane. It is b-roll and social clips that already exist, shot by a camera, at no per-clip cost. Generation is the other lane, and it makes net-new shots that no library holds, at cents per clip; our AI video creation guide covers that side. Use stock for b-roll and generation for the hero idea. Either way the licensing discipline is the same: free footage carries no model or property releases, so avoid identifiable people, brands and logos, and pick commercial-use clips for anything you pay to run.

The API route has not vanished. Grabbing one specific clip fully automatically is finickier than for a photo, so if you want a fully hands-off, high-volume pipeline, that is the API route, and it sits in a clearly labelled Advanced tier near the end for a technical teammate. Other free stock-video sites like Mixkit and Coverr work the same browse-and-grab way, no key needed. Until you need automation, the free libraries below are what actually works from a chat window.

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How Claude reaches these. No connector required. Free clips live on public sites, and Claude can use the web. In Claude.ai, web search finds a clip and hands you the link; Claude in Chrome can open the library and pull it; or you download it yourself, which is a click or two. Either way it lands on a Plainpaper card you approve. Grabbing one specific clip fully automatically is finickier than a photo, so a hands-off, high-volume pipeline is the API route in the Advanced tier, and that needs a developer.

The free libraries to pull from

  1. Top pick

    Pexels

    No key needed Commercial OK, no credit

    Best for: the cleanest free footage.

    A large free video library, commercial use is fine, no attribution required, all as downloadable MP4. Claude can surface the clip's link by web search, open it in Claude in Chrome, or you download it in a click. Watch: there are no releases, so avoid identifiable people and logos in paid ads.

    In Plainpaper The agent finds the clip and hands the link to the board, or you drop the MP4 on the card, and you approve before anything ships.

  2. Pixabay

    No key needed Watch trademarks

    Best for: a solid free second source for b-roll.

    Free downloadable clips with a friendly licence. Gotcha: recognizable trademarks or logos can block commercial use, so screen the shot before it runs.

    In Plainpaper Same browse-and-approve flow. The agent finds the clip and hands over the link, or you drop the file on the card, and you sign off.

  3. Canva

    Claude connector Free plan

    Best for: when you want the footage inside a design tool to cut and assemble on-brand.

    Canva has an official Claude connector you add in Settings, no keys, and a bundled video library on the free plan. Honest caveat: Claude may include a Pro-only clip that stays locked until you upgrade, so treat a Pro clip as a nudge to swap for a free one.

    In Plainpaper The agent assembles the social cut in Canva and exports it onto the card for you to approve before anything ships.
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Licensing is the filter that decides what can run. Tell the agent to pick commercial-use clips, and remember that free footage has no releases, so identifiable people, brands and logos are a real risk in a paid ad.

The short version

If you want a rule of thumb instead of a table:

  • For free footage, let Claude find a clip on Pexels or Pixabay, no key and no MCP, or grab it yourself in a click or two.
  • Other free sites like Mixkit and Coverr work the same browse-and-grab way, no key needed.
  • Use Canva when you want to cut and assemble the footage on-brand.
  • Reach for the API route or a premium library only for automated, high-volume, or licensed footage.
  • Stock is the free, real-footage lane; generation makes net-new shots. See the AI video creation guide for that side.

Advanced tier: automating it, and the premium libraries

Everything above works by browsing, which is all a marketer needs. This tier is for two cases: when you want the agent to fetch footage fully hands-off at volume without any browsing, and when you need licensed premium clips. Both mean an API key, a developer install, or a metered account, so this is a job for a technical teammate rather than a chat window.

  1. The library APIs (Pexels, Pixabay video)

    API key, for automation

    Only for fully hands-off, high-volume fetching without browsing; it needs the library's own API key and a community MCP, which is developer work.

  2. Shutterstock (video)

    Premium, no connector

    Paid, and its metered video API needs developer setup before an agent can touch it.

  3. Getty / iStock (video)

    Premium, gated

    Not self-serve; reachable only through a token-based third-party bridge.

  4. Adobe Stock (video)

    Metered / enterprise

    Reachable only inside the Adobe connector, with licensing metered.

  5. Storyblocks

    Subscription, no connector

    A subscription library with no official or credible community connector located, so there is no agent path to it today.

Give the footage somewhere to land

Pulling a clip is the easy part now. The hard part is keeping every fetched clip, its licence, and your approval in one place. Plainpaper is the board your agent re-hosts into, so you sign off before anything runs.

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How this works with Plainpaper

Plainpaper does not host a single frame of stock footage. Claude finds the clip on a free public site, and the file, or its link, lands on the board. The routing pattern is the same whether the agent hands over a link or you drop the MP4 yourself.

1 · SearchClaude queries the web
2 · FindIt surfaces the clip
3 · GrabLink or MP4 in hand
4 · LandOnto a card
5 · ApproveYou sign off
6 · ShipOnly then
The agent can surface a dozen clips in seconds. The board is where one human checks the licence and picks the cut that runs.

Key takeaways

  • You need no API key and no MCP server for stock video: free clips are on public sites and Claude can use the web to find one, or you download it in a click or two.
  • Pexels is the top free pick for the friendliest licence and a downloadable MP4; Pixabay is a solid second, and Canva cuts and assembles on-brand.
  • Stock is the free, real-footage lane; generation makes net-new shots at cents per clip. Use stock for b-roll, generation for the hero idea. See the AI video creation guide.
  • Licensing is the filter: free footage has no releases, so avoid identifiable people, brands and logos, and pick commercial-use clips for paid ads.
  • The API route and premium libraries (Shutterstock, Getty, Adobe Stock, Storyblocks) sit in the Advanced tier for a technical teammate, only for automated, high-volume, or licensed footage.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an API key or MCP to use stock video in Claude?

No. Free clips are on public sites and Claude can use the web: web search finds one and hands you the link, Claude in Chrome opens the library, or you download it yourself in a click or two. The API route is only for automated, high-volume fetching.

What is the best free stock video source?

Pexels, for the friendliest licence and a downloadable MP4. Claude can find the clip and surface it for you, and Pixabay is a solid second source.

Should I use stock or generate the video?

Stock is the free, real-footage lane for b-roll; generation makes net-new shots and is covered in our AI video creation guide. Use stock for b-roll and generation for the hero idea.

Can I use free footage in a paid ad?

Carefully. Free footage has no releases, so avoid identifiable people, brands and logos, and pick commercial-use clips.

When would I need the API or a premium library?

When you want the agent to fetch footage fully hands-off at volume, or you need licensed premium clips. That is the Advanced tier, and it needs a developer.

Next step: a home for the footage

You have the free path: let Claude find a clip on Pexels or Pixabay, grab it yourself when that is quicker, use Canva to cut and assemble, and let every clip land on a board where it is tied to its licence and approvable before it runs. Plainpaper is free to try and connects to your agent in a couple of minutes. Browse the rest of the tools gallery to fill out the stack, and if you need net-new shots, our AI video creation guide covers the generation lane.

Pull the footage, approve the board.

Join the early access list. Let Claude find the clip on the free libraries, or drop it in yourself, and approve every clip from one canvas.

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