Choose a topic you actually cover.
Use Topic and Hook together. For example, narrow an account to business posts with a story hook. The wall, graph and examples update together.
← All resourcesTurn a creator's Reels
Creator Lab / Jev content research
Turn a creator's Reels
into your research library.
Pick a topic. Find the hooks they use. Read the exact opening, compare engagement, and open the original Reel. This is the system I built with Jev, with the code and setup so you can use it on a public creator or your own account.
By Artem Novitckii · September 24, 2026 · Full setup guide
Get the code + setupFree, open-source software · Bring your own paid API keys
What's inside
- The full Creator Lab project on GitHub
- Mac and Windows installation steps
- Apify + Jev + Fireworks or Groq setup
- A workflow for turning findings into your next post
01 / What you are building
A library you can actually learn from.
Instead of opening Reels one by one and taking notes, collect a batch and let the system label the spoken scripts. Then explore the patterns alongside their public engagement figures.
Apify collects
Reel metadata, source links, thumbnails and available metrics from a public account.
Fireworks or Groq transcribes
FFmpeg extracts the audio on your computer. Your chosen provider turns the speech into text.
Jev classifies
Topic, hook, structure, evidence, emotion, specificity, opening move and CTA, plus the role of script passages.
The dashboard joins those labels to the engagement data. Jev gets the transcript before seeing any of the performance figures.
02 / Install once
Get the app running on your computer.
- Install Node.js. Get Node 24 from nodejs.org. The minimum supported version is 22.9.
- Install FFmpeg. Use the command for your computer below. Both
ffmpegandffprobeneed to be available in your terminal. - Download and extract the project. Use the ZIP above, or clone it with Git. Open a terminal inside the extracted folder, where
package.jsonlives.
Mac with Homebrew
Install FFmpeg on Mac
brew install ffmpegIf you do not have Homebrew, use the macOS links on FFmpeg's download page or install Homebrew from its official site first.
Windows with WinGet
Install FFmpeg on Windows
winget install --id Gyan.FFmpeg --exactRun this in PowerShell, then close and reopen it. Without WinGet, use the Windows builds linked by FFmpeg and add the build's bin folder to PATH.
Ubuntu / Debian
Install FFmpeg on Linux
sudo apt update
sudo apt install ffmpegPrefer Git to a ZIP?
Clone Creator Lab
git clone https://github.com/artemnovitckii/creator-lab.git
cd creator-labInside the project folder, create your local configuration:
Create configuration
npm run setupThis creates .env without overwriting an existing one. Open it in your text editor. No dependency installation or build step is needed.
03 / Connect the three stages
Three keys. One choice of speech provider.
- Apify
- Get your token from Apify Console, under account settings / API integrations. The app uses Instagram Reel Scraper.
- TypeSafe Jev
- Create a key in your TypeSafe account. Put it in
TYPESAFE_API_KEY. API documentation. - Fireworks or Groq
- Use a Fireworks key or a Groq key. You only need one. Confirm the selected account has speech API access and sufficient quota.
For Fireworks, fill these entries in .env:
Fireworks configuration
APIFY_TOKEN=your_apify_token
TYPESAFE_API_KEY=your_typesafe_key
TRANSCRIPTION_PROVIDER=fireworks
FIREWORKS_API_KEY=your_fireworks_key
PORT=5190Use Groq instead
Groq configuration
APIFY_TOKEN=your_apify_token
TYPESAFE_API_KEY=your_typesafe_key
TRANSCRIPTION_PROVIDER=groq
GROQ_API_KEY=your_groq_key
PORT=5190Replace the example values with your own keys. Keep one value per setting and leave the unused speech key empty. Save the file, then run:
Check and start
npm run doctor
npm startOpen http://127.0.0.1:5190 in your browser. Keep the terminal open. Doctor checks tools and key presence without printing secrets or making paid calls. In the app, open Connections and verify access. The unused speech provider can remain unconfigured.
04 / Your first batch
Pick one creator and test 20 Reels.
- Click New analysis. Enter the username without
@or a profile URL. - Choose 20 Reels, concurrency 2, and a small Apify cap such as $1. A low cap can stop collection before the requested count.
- Optionally set a two-letter speech language such as
en. Otherwise leave it blank. - Start the run and follow Run activity. Check a few transcripts against the originals once they are ready.
- If the pilot looks useful, start a larger analysis. Existing matching transcripts and classifications can be reused from cache.
One run takes one handle and requests up to 1,000 Reels. The scraper skips pinned and trial Reels, and Instagram availability affects what comes back. Private, deleted or inaccessible media may fail; music-only clips are excluded from speech analysis.
Pause and resume without starting over
Pause lets in-flight requests finish. Start / resume processes unfinished work. Closing the browser does not stop the server. After a server restart, choose the saved run and resume it. Press Ctrl+C in the terminal to stop the server.
05 / Make the research useful
Leave with something to make.
Compare the response.
Open Compare engagement. Look at median plays or views, likes per 1,000 and comments per 1,000. Check the sample sizes and compare posts of similar age and length. A few outliers can make a pattern look stronger than it is.
Read the examples behind the numbers.
Open Read script, then Original Reel. Study the exact opening, how the idea develops, and where the payoff lands. Check both stronger and weaker examples before deciding what to try.
Use the structure with your own experience.
Write a fresh opening for your topic. Bring your own story, example or demonstration. On your own account, use the same workflow to find ideas worth revisiting and openings worth testing.
Record the thumbnail wall and performance map
Open Recording studio, choose your archive and select Scanner, Wall + map, or Script breakdown. Choose a replay length, press Play, and use Clean view. Space pauses, R restarts and C shows the controls again. These layouts animate saved results and do not trigger new paid analyses.
06 / If something gets stuck
Fix it without losing the work.
The app says a key is missing.
Make sure the file is named .env, not .env.txt, and is in the same folder as server.mjs. Check the key names below, save the file, then restart the server. Only your selected speech provider needs a key.
Groq is out of quota or won't let me upgrade.
Pause the run, stop the server, set TRANSCRIPTION_PROVIDER=fireworks, and add FIREWORKS_API_KEY. Restart and resume. Completed transcripts are reused, so switching does not automatically charge to transcribe them again.
Some Reels are unclassified.
Check their status. No audio and too little speech are excluded from script comparison. Failed downloads, expired media URLs and provider errors are different: inspect the original Reel, check the run log, and resume unfinished work when the problem is resolved. Expired URLs may require fresh collection.
I see HTTP 401, 403 or 429.
401 or 403 usually needs a key, permissions or account-access check. For 429, check the provider quota and wait for its reset. Lower the requests-per-minute setting if needed, restart, then resume. More concurrency does not bypass account limits.
Apify launched, but the app lost the response.
Find the existing Actor run ID in Apify Console. Attach it in Run activity, then resume. The app blocks an uncertain duplicate launch to avoid paying for the same scrape twice.
The graph has fewer points than the archive.
Check your filters. Age, duplicates and speech exclusions can remove posts. Points also need a positive value for the selected plays or views metric and a known like count. Missing data is not treated as zero.
Node, FFmpeg or the port isn't working.
Use Node 22.9 or newer and make sure both ffmpeg and ffprobe are on PATH. Reopen your terminal after installation. If port 5190 is occupied, stop the previous server or set PORT=5191 and open that port instead.
Where does the data go, and what does it cost?
The interface and files live on your computer. Apify receives the handle, your chosen speech provider receives audio, and Jev receives transcripts. Provider billing is authoritative; displayed costs are estimates. The Apify cap does not cover transcription or Jev. Your local data folder and exports contain creator content and source URLs, so review them before sharing.
Your next step: one account, one small batch.
Get the project, add your keys, and find one pattern you can turn into an original post.
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