mediaconv

README

MediaConv

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A safe, script-friendly command-line media converter powered by FFmpeg.

The first supported profile converts WebM video to broadly compatible MP4 using H.264 video and AAC audio. MediaConv validates the input, converts into a private staging directory, verifies the result, and only then publishes the output.

[!NOTE] MediaConv is in early development. Until v1.0, commands and flags may change between minor releases.

Features

• Local WebM to MP4 conversion with a compatibility-focused profile.
• Interactive progress when stderr is a terminal; clean output in scripts.
• No overwrite unless --overwrite is explicitly provided.
• Temporary output cleanup after failure or interruption.
• Paths containing spaces and Unicode are passed directly to FFmpeg without a shell.
• Human-readable and JSON output.
• Dependency and codec diagnostics through mediaconv doctor.
• Native release binaries for Linux, macOS, and Windows on AMD64 and ARM64.

Quick start

# Verify FFmpeg and the required codecs.
mediaconv doctor

# Inspect an input file.
mediaconv inspect "recording.webm"

# Create recording.mp4 beside the input.
mediaconv convert "recording.webm"

# Select an output and explicitly allow replacement.
mediaconv convert "recording.webm" \
  --output "exports/recording.mp4" \
  --overwrite

Requirements

MediaConv does not bundle or download FFmpeg. Install ffmpeg and ffprobe before using it. The initial web profile also requires the libx264 video encoder, the AAC audio encoder, and the MP4 muxer.

Common installation commands:

# Debian / Ubuntu
sudo apt update && sudo apt install ffmpeg

# macOS with Homebrew
brew install ffmpeg

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S ffmpeg

On Windows, one option referenced by the official FFmpeg download page is:

winget install --id Gyan.FFmpeg --exact --source winget

FFmpeg builds differ. Run mediaconv doctor rather than assuming a particular package includes every codec.

Install MediaConv

Release archive

Download the archive for your operating system from GitHub Releases, verify it against the published checksum, extract it, and place mediaconv in a directory included in PATH.

Go toolchain

go install github.com/Amad3eu/mediaconv/cmd/mediaconv@latest

Installing MediaConv with Go does not install FFmpeg.

Build from source

git clone https://github.com/Amad3eu/mediaconv.git
cd mediaconv
go build -trimpath -o ./bin/mediaconv ./cmd/mediaconv

Development requires Go 1.26 or newer.

Commands

mediaconv convert INPUT [--to mp4] [-o OUTPUT] [--preset web] [--overwrite]
mediaconv inspect INPUT
mediaconv doctor
mediaconv formats
mediaconv version
mediaconv completion bash|zsh|fish|powershell

Use mediaconv COMMAND --help for the complete flags and examples. Global flags include --json, --verbose, --ffmpeg-path, and --ffprobe-path.

JSON and exit codes

Use --json for automation. Successful results are written to stdout; progress and diagnostics use stderr. Interactive progress is automatically disabled when stderr is not a terminal.

Code	Meaning
0	Success
1	Unexpected internal error
2	Invalid command, flag, or option
3	Missing FFmpeg dependency or capability
4	Invalid, corrupt, or unsupported input
5	Output conflict or publication failure
6	Conversion or output verification failure
130	Interrupted by the user

Supported conversions

Input	Output	Profile	Video	Audio	Status
WebM	MP4	web	H.264 (libx264, CRF 23)	AAC 192 kbit/s	Initial

The web profile converts the first video stream and the first optional audio stream. It produces yuv420p, preserves compatible metadata, drops chapters and subtitles, pads odd dimensions to even values, and enables MP4 fast start. The CLI warns when extra streams, transparency, chapters, subtitles, or HDR may be lost.

Safety and privacy

• Only regular local files are accepted. URLs, devices, and pipes are not supported.
• FFmpeg is started with an argument array, never through sh, cmd.exe, or another shell.
• Conversion happens in a private staging directory on the output filesystem.
• Existing outputs and symlink outputs are rejected unless a regular file is explicitly replaced.
• The verified output is published atomically on supported filesystems.
• Media files are processed locally and are never uploaded by MediaConv.
• There is no telemetry.

Without --overwrite, publication uses a hard link so another process cannot race MediaConv into replacing an existing destination. The output filesystem must support hard links. This is standard on common local NTFS, APFS, ext4, and similar filesystems, but may not be available on some removable or network filesystems.

Roadmap

• Additional profiles such as MP4 to WebM and MOV/MKV to MP4.
• Audio extraction to MP3, AAC, and WAV.
• Batch conversion with conservative concurrency controls.
• Package-manager distribution after the release interface stabilizes.
• Optional hardware acceleration after capability-specific tests are available.

Dynamic plugins and bundled FFmpeg binaries are intentionally outside the initial scope. See the architecture for the design boundaries.

Contributing and security

See CONTRIBUTING.md before opening a pull request. Report security issues privately according to SECURITY.md. Repository maintainers should also apply the settings in docs/REPOSITORY_SETUP.md.

License and FFmpeg

MediaConv is available under the MIT License. FFmpeg is a separate project with licensing determined by its build configuration. MediaConv invokes the user's FFmpeg executables and does not redistribute them. See THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md for details.