diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 27cb2f2..14944d6 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -15,10 +15,21 @@ This repo houses the code-like files for NCMR music videos. Binary assets live e
 This branch holds the common scaffolding:
 
 - **Remotion project** — entry point, root component, and a placeholder composition
-- **`ffmpeg.sh`** — helper for baking ASS subtitles or bypassing with static image + audio
-- **`src/lrc2srt.ts`** — legacy LRC → SRT subtitle converter
+- **`scripts/`** — Python toolchain (stdlib only) for subtitles, ffmpeg and asset manifests
 - **Build config** — TypeScript, ESLint, Prettier, Remotion studio
 
+### `src/` vs `scripts/`
+
+Two directories, two jobs:
+
+- **`src/`** — Remotion input only. Everything here is compiled by `tsc`/Remotion
+  and linted by `npm run lint`.
+- **`scripts/`** — operator tooling. Python, standard library only, run directly
+  (`python3 scripts/tools.py --help`). Nothing here is part of the Remotion build.
+
+Keep the boundary sharp: anything the video build compiles belongs in `src/`, and
+anything you run by hand belongs in `scripts/`.
+
 ### Song branches
 
 For each song, create a branch `<song-name>/master` (and optionally feature branches
diff --git a/REMOTION-QUICKSTART.md b/REMOTION-QUICKSTART.md
index ddfa4b1..d4ef7d9 100644
--- a/REMOTION-QUICKSTART.md
+++ b/REMOTION-QUICKSTART.md
@@ -42,17 +42,25 @@ The Studio auto-reloads on file changes. No manual refresh needed.
 
 ```
 .
-├── src/
+├── src/                  # Remotion input — compiled by tsc/Remotion
 │   ├── index.ts          # Entry point — calls registerRoot()
 │   ├── Root.tsx          # React root component
-│   ├── Composition.tsx   # Composition definitions (placeholder)
-│   └── lrc2srt.ts        # LRC → SRT subtitle converter
+│   └── Composition.tsx   # Composition definitions (placeholder)
+├── scripts/              # Operator tooling — Python, stdlib only
+│   ├── tools.py          # Dispatcher: python3 scripts/tools.py --help
+│   ├── ffmpeg_tools.py   # mux / bake / still / strip / probe
+│   ├── lrc2srt.py        # LRC → SRT
+│   ├── srt2ass.py        # SRT → ASS (the step before baking)
+│   ├── bom_gen.py        # Bill of materials for untracked assets
+│   └── hwprobe.py        # What this machine can actually encode
 ├── package.json          # Remotion + React + Tailwind deps
 ├── remotion.config.ts    # CLI config (rspack, jpeg output format)
-├── tsconfig.json         # TypeScript (strict, ES2018)
-└── ffmpeg.sh             # Helper for ASS subtitle baking
+└── tsconfig.json         # TypeScript (strict, ES2018)
 ```
 
+`src/` and `scripts/` do not mix: the former is what the video build compiles, the
+latter is what you run by hand.
+
 ## Compositions
 
 Compositions are defined in `src/Composition.tsx`. Each has:
diff --git a/ffmpeg.sh b/ffmpeg.sh
deleted file mode 100644
index 9bbd8d9..0000000
--- a/ffmpeg.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,60 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env bash
-# ffmpeg helper — bake ASS subtitles into video, or bypass with static image + audio
-#
-# Usage:
-#   ffmpeg.sh bake   <video> <audio> <subtitles.ass> <output>
-#   ffmpeg.sh bypass <image> <audio> <output>
-#
-# Prerequisites: ffmpeg must be on $PATH.
-
-set -euo pipefail
-
-usage() {
-  echo "Usage:"
-  echo "  $0 bake   <video> <audio> <subtitles.ass> <output>"
-  echo "  $0 bypass <image> <audio> <output>"
-  exit 1
-}
-
-[ $# -eq 4 ] || usage
-
-MODE="$1"
-shift
-
-case "$MODE" in
-  bake)
-    VIDEO="$1"
-    AUDIO="$1"
-    ASS="$1"
-    OUTPUT="$1"
-
-    ffmpeg -y \
-      -i "$VIDEO" \
-      -i "$AUDIO" \
-      -vf "ass=$ASS" \
-      -c:v libx264 \
-      -c:a aac \
-      -shortest \
-      "$OUTPUT"
-    ;;
-
-  bypass)
-    IMAGE="$1"
-    AUDIO="$1"
-    OUTPUT="$1"
-
-    ffmpeg -y \
-      -loop 1 \
-      -i "$IMAGE" \
-      -i "$AUDIO" \
-      -c:v libx264 \
-      -tune stillimage \
-      -c:a aac \
-      -shortest \
-      "$OUTPUT"
-    ;;
-
-  *)
-    usage
-    ;;
-esac
diff --git a/scripts/README.md b/scripts/README.md
index d6d25a6..1a95253 100644
--- a/scripts/README.md
+++ b/scripts/README.md
@@ -60,8 +60,8 @@ imported as a module. The dispatcher is a convenience, not a requirement.
 ## Hardware encoding
 
 This machine is an **AMD Strix Halo** (Radeon 8060S). There is no NVIDIA card,
-so the `nvenc` recipes in `ffmpegusage.txt` are reference only — they will not
-run here. What does work is **VA-API** via the Mesa `radeonsi` driver:
+so `nvenc` is unavailable here. What does work is **VA-API** via the Mesa
+`radeonsi` driver:
 
 | Codec | Encoder | Status |
 | --- | --- | --- |
@@ -173,8 +173,9 @@ Notes on the choices baked in:
   before it has fully downloaded.
 
 For anything these do not cover, use `--dry-run` to print the generated command,
-copy it, and edit it — the wrapper is a convenience, not a cage. The legacy
-recipes this grew out of are preserved in `ffmpegusage.txt`.
+copy it, and edit it — the wrapper is a convenience, not a cage. `hwprobe.py`
+reports what this host can actually encode, so you can tell at a glance whether a
+recipe will need a hardware-specific encoder.
 
 ---
 
diff --git a/scripts/bom-gen.ts b/scripts/bom-gen.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 5b954fe..0000000
--- a/scripts/bom-gen.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,102 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env node
-// BOM generator — walks asset directories, lists files, prompts for descriptions, outputs BOM.yaml
-//
-// Usage:
-//   npx tsx scripts/bom-gen.ts [asset-root]
-//
-// Expected directory structure:
-//   audio/          — audio files
-//   images/         — image files
-//   fonts/          — font files
-//   videos/         — material video clips
-//
-// Output: BOM.yaml (YAML frontmatter-style)
-
-import { readdirSync, statSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
-import { resolve, relative, join } from "node:path";
-import { createInterface } from "node:readline";
-
-type Asset = { path: string; size: number; description: string };
-
-const ASSET_DIRS = ["audio", "images", "fonts", "videos"];
-
-function walk(dir: string): Asset[] {
-  const assets: Asset[] = [];
-  for (const entry of readdirSync(dir, { withFileTypes: true })) {
-    const full = resolve(dir, entry.name);
-    if (entry.isDirectory()) {
-      assets.push(...walk(full));
-    } else {
-      assets.push({
-        path: relative(".", full),
-        size: statSync(full).size,
-        description: "",
-      });
-    }
-  }
-  return assets;
-}
-
-function humanSize(bytes: number): string {
-  const units = ["B", "KB", "MB", "GB"];
-  let i = 0;
-  while (bytes >= 1024 && i < units.length - 1) {
-    bytes /= 1024;
-    i++;
-  }
-  return `${bytes.toFixed(1)} ${units[i]}`;
-}
-
-async function main() {
-  const root = process.argv[2] || ".";
-  const rl = createInterface({ input: process.stdin, output: process.stdout });
-
-  console.log("BOM Generator");
-  console.log("=============\n");
-
-  let all: Asset[] = [];
-
-  for (const dir of ASSET_DIRS) {
-    const full = resolve(root, dir);
-    try {
-      const assets = walk(full);
-      all.push(...assets);
-      console.log(`  ${dir}/ — ${assets.length} file(s)`);
-    } catch {
-      console.log(`  ${dir}/ — not found (skipped)`);
-    }
-  }
-
-  if (all.length === 0) {
-    console.log("\nNo assets found. Nothing to do.\n");
-    rl.close();
-    return;
-  }
-
-  const totalSize = all.reduce((s, a) => s + a.size, 0);
-  console.log(`\nTotal: ${all.length} file(s), ${humanSize(totalSize)}\n`);
-
-  for (let i = 0; i < all.length; i++) {
-    const a = all[i];
-    console.log(`[${i + 1}/${all.length}] ${a.path} (${humanSize(a.size)})`);
-    a.description = (await new Promise<string>((r) =>
-      rl.question("  Description: ", r)
-    )).trim();
-  }
-
-  // Build YAML manually (no dependency)
-  let yaml = "---\nbom:\n";
-  for (const a of all) {
-    const desc = a.description.replace(/"/g, '\\"');
-    yaml += `  ${a.path}:\n    description: "${desc}"\n`;
-  }
-  yaml += `total_files: ${all.length}\ntotal_size: ${totalSize}\n...`;
-
-  const bomPath = resolve(root, "BOM.yaml");
-  writeFileSync(bomPath, yaml);
-  console.log(`\n✓ Written to ${relative(root, bomPath)}\n`);
-
-  rl.close();
-}
-
-main().catch(console.error);
diff --git a/scripts/ffmpegusage.txt b/scripts/ffmpegusage.txt
deleted file mode 100644
index 9dbf748..0000000
--- a/scripts/ffmpegusage.txt
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,28 +0,0 @@
-ffmpeg -hwaccel cuda -i pulse_raw_aac.mp4 -vf "ass=pulse.ass" -acodec copy pulse_sub_aac.mp4
-
-ffmpeg -hwaccel cuda -i pulse_raw_flac.mkv -vf "ass=pulse.ass" -c:v h264_nvenc -acodec copy pulse_sub_flac.mkv
-
-ffmpeg -hwaccel cuda -loop 1 -i pulse.png -i pulse.wav -c:v h264_nvenc -r 60 -c:a flac -compression_level 12 -pix_fmt yuv420p -shortest pulse.mkv
-
-ffmpeg -hwaccel cuda -loop 1 -i pulse.png -i pulse_192.mp3 -c:v h264_nvenc -r 60 -c:a aac -b:a 320k -pix_fmt yuv420p -shortest pulse.mp4
-
-Get-ChildItem -Filter *.mp4 | ForEach-Object {
-    $name = $_.BaseName
-    & 'ffmpeg' -i "$name.mp4" -vn -ar 44100 -ac 2 -b:a 320k "$name.mp3"
-}
-
-ffmpeg -i input_video.mp4 -vn -ar 44100 -ac 2 -q:a 0 -b:a 320k output_audio.mp3
-
-
-# --- Pulse PV: mux real audio into the Remotion render (no video re-encode) ---
-# pulse-pv-project/out/pulseraw.mp4 is video-only; copy its video stream as-is
-# and add pulse.wav. -c:v copy = instant + lossless. Feeds the ass=... step.
-
-# AAC (mp4), 320k:
-ffmpeg -i pulse_raw.mp4 -i pulse.wav -map 0:v:0 -map 1:a:0 -c:v copy -c:a aac -b:a 320k -shortest pulse_raw_aac.mp4
-
-# FLAC (mkv):
-ffmpeg -i pulse_raw.mp4 -i pulse.wav -map 0:v:0 -map 1:a:0 -c:v copy -c:a flac -compression_level 12 -shortest pulse_raw_flac.mkv
-
-
-
diff --git a/scripts/tools.py b/scripts/tools.py
index 6c08cae..dae652b 100644
--- a/scripts/tools.py
+++ b/scripts/tools.py
@@ -35,7 +35,6 @@ ALIASES = {
     "ffmpeg_tools": "ffmpeg",
     "ffmpeg-tools": "ffmpeg",
     "bom_gen": "bom",
-    "bom-gen": "bom",
     "lrc": "lrc2srt",
     "srt": "srt2ass",
 }
diff --git a/src/lrc2srt.ts b/src/lrc2srt.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 8ea96a3..0000000
--- a/src/lrc2srt.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,94 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env node
-// lrc→srt converter — minimal, no external dependencies
-//
-// Usage:
-//   node lrc2srt.ts <input.lrc> [output.srt]
-//
-// If output is omitted, writes to stdout.
-
-import * as fs from "fs";
-import * as path from "path";
-
-function lrcTimeToSeconds(line: string): number | null {
-  const match = line.match(/\[(\d{1,2}):(\d{2})\.(\d{2,3})\]/);
-  if (!match) return null;
-
-  const minutes = parseInt(match[1], 10);
-  const seconds = parseInt(match[2], 10);
-  const centis = match[3].padEnd(3, "0").substring(0, 3);
-  const ms = parseInt(centis, 10);
-
-  return minutes * 60 + seconds + ms / 1000;
-}
-
-function secondsToSrtTime(t: number): string {
-  const hours = Math.floor(t / 3600);
-  const minutes = Math.floor((t % 3600) / 60);
-  const secs = Math.floor(t % 60);
-  const ms = Math.round((t - Math.floor(t)) * 1000);
-
-  return `${String(hours).padStart(2, "0")}:${String(minutes).padStart(2, "0")}:${String(secs).padStart(2, "0")},${String(ms).padStart(3, "0")}`;
-}
-
-function main() {
-  const args = process.argv.slice(2);
-  if (args.length < 1) {
-    console.error("Usage: lrc2srt.ts <input.lrc> [output.srt]");
-    process.exit(1);
-  }
-
-  const input = fs.readFileSync(args[0], "utf-8");
-  const lines = input.split(/\r?\n/);
-  const entries: { start: number; end: number; text: string }[] = [];
-  let currentStart: number | null = null;
-  let currentText: string | null = null;
-
-  for (const raw of lines) {
-    const trimmed = raw.trim();
-    if (!trimmed) continue;
-
-    const timeMatch = trimmed.match(/\[(\d{1,2}):(\d{2})\.(\d{2,3})\]/);
-    const text = trimmed.replace(/\[\d{1,2}:\d{2}\.\d{2,3}\]/g, "").trim();
-
-    if (timeMatch && !currentStart) {
-      currentStart = lrcTimeToSeconds(raw);
-      currentText = text;
-    } else if (currentStart && currentText) {
-      // If there's a time tag, the current entry ends here
-      entries.push({ start: currentStart, end: currentStart + 1, text: currentText });
-      currentStart = lrcTimeToSeconds(raw);
-      currentText = text;
-    } else if (currentStart && !currentText) {
-      currentText = text;
-    } else if (!currentStart) {
-      // line without time tag, skip
-    }
-  }
-
-  if (currentStart && currentText) {
-    entries.push({ start: currentStart, end: currentStart + 1, text: currentText });
-  }
-
-  // Fix end times: each entry ends when the next one starts
-  for (let i = 0; i < entries.length; i++) {
-    if (i + 1 < entries.length) {
-      entries[i].end = entries[i + 1].start;
-    } else {
-      entries[i].end = entries[i].start + 5; // default 5s for last line
-    }
-  }
-
-  const srtBlocks = entries.map((e, idx) => {
-    return `${idx + 1}\n${secondsToSrtTime(e.start)} --> ${secondsToSrtTime(e.end)}\n${e.text}`;
-  });
-
-  const output = srtBlocks.join("\n\n") + "\n";
-  const outPath = args[1];
-  if (outPath) {
-    fs.writeFileSync(outPath, output, "utf-8");
-  } else {
-    process.stdout.write(output);
-  }
-}
-
-main();