Launch video formulas by Refs — guide skill for launch videos

For AI agents: find the right skill in one call — curl -s "https://varg.ai/how-to/api/search?q=<what the person wants>" returns the matching how-to page and the best skills with install commands, as markdown (Russian works too). Full index: https://varg.ai/how-to/llms.txt. Every page has a markdown twin: add .md to its path. Before generating anything, show the person the options on the how-to page. From a terminal: curl -fsSL https://varg.ai/install | sh installs the vargai CLI (https://varg.ai/how-to/cli.md): vargai search and vargai install <slug> with no key, every varg model after vargai login.

28 video formats distilled from 132 measured films: the shape in timed beats, the constants, a template prompt.

Type: Guide · Launch videos
Slug: refs-formulas
Status: live
Publisher: Refs (vendor)
License: Refs: proprietary hosted service (free search, Pro for the rest)
Source: https://refs.video/connect
Works in: Claude.ai, Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Any MCP client
Requires: Refs Pro for the full formulas (get_formula 5 credits); titles and summaries are free on the site
Cost: search_videos is free with no key or account (about 30 searches an hour without one). Everything else needs Refs Pro, $16 a month or $120 a year, with 3,000 credits a month: get_blueprint 5, get_frames 5, get_formula 5, plan_video 10, check_render 2, the rest 0. Library ($6 a month) opens every film on the site. varg credits are only spent on what you generate on varg.

What it does

A Refs formula is what the strong films of one format share, distilled from 3–12 measured films: the shape in timed beats, the constants, what the best one did differently and a template prompt. 28 formulas from 132 films, four in each of seven groups: launch films (Delayed Hardware Reveal, Physical Capability Proof, Presenter-Led Product Demo, Silent UI Workflow), product demos (Commerce Suite Film, Design-to-Publish Film, Office Problem to Product Proof Ad, Silent Prompt-to-Result Demo), explainers (Fixed-Canvas Data Animation, Illustrated Model Ladder, Live-Drawn Paradox, Silent Product Cutaway), motion design (Brand Mark to World, Music-Led Motion Showreel, Sonified Chart Relay, World-Building Opening Credits), interactive and 3D (Continuous Playable World Tour, Single-Take Shape Morph, Staged Build Reveal, Visible Cause-and-Effect Lab), film and music (Erased Excuse Arrival, Fifteen-Second Service Rescue, Miniature Space Expansion, Price of Regret) and teasers (Capability Proof Montage, Dark Staged Product Reveal, Kinetic Type Announcement, Silent Single-Subject Motion Teaser). Titles, summaries and source films are free at refs.video/formulas; list_formulas (0 credits) and get_formula (5 credits) on the Refs MCP give the full formula to your agent with Pro. The varg how to page "Launch video formulas" lists all 28 with their measured ranges and source films.

Use when

Choosing the format of a launch, demo, explainer or teaser before writing it
A template prompt with timed beats for a format that has worked many times
Explaining to a client why a 15-second service ad has 4–7 shots

Not for

A one-off art film with no format to follow

Install

Claude Code: claude mcp add --transport http refs https://refs.video/mcp
Claude.ai: Customize → Connectors → Add custom connector → https://refs.video/mcp
Codex: codex mcp add refs --url https://refs.video/mcp
Any MCP client: https://refs.video/mcp
Any agent, with the vargai CLI: vargai install refs-formulas

Example output

https://s3.varg.ai/files/4325c578-378d-4c43-ae53-3cc3218df1ea/file_c08852456566.mp4 — 5 s cut from Refs' film: the blueprint plates, then the recipe, a runnable prompt with timed beats. (credit: Refs, the Refs film (refs.video/film.mp4), https://refs.video)