image-generation-mcp

<!-- DOMAIN-START -->
<!-- Add an optional project logo or project-specific header here. Kept across copier update. -->
<!-- DOMAIN-END -->

# Image Generation MCP

<!-- mcp-name: io.github.pvliesdonk/image-generation-mcp -->

[![CI](https://github.com/pvliesdonk/image-generation-mcp/actions/workflows/ci.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/pvliesdonk/image-generation-mcp/actions/workflows/ci.yml) [![codecov](https://codecov.io/gh/pvliesdonk/image-generation-mcp/graph/badge.svg)](https://codecov.io/gh/pvliesdonk/image-generation-mcp) [![PyPI](https://img.shields.io/pypi/v/image-generation-mcp)](https://pypi.org/project/image-generation-mcp/) [![Python](https://img.shields.io/pypi/pyversions/image-generation-mcp)](https://pypi.org/project/image-generation-mcp/) [![License](https://img.shields.io/github/license/pvliesdonk/image-generation-mcp)](LICENSE) [![Docker](https://img.shields.io/github/v/release/pvliesdonk/image-generation-mcp?label=ghcr.io&logo=docker)](https://github.com/pvliesdonk/image-generation-mcp/pkgs/container/image-generation-mcp) [![Docs](https://img.shields.io/badge/docs-GitHub%20Pages-blue)](https://pvliesdonk.github.io/image-generation-mcp/) [![llms.txt](https://img.shields.io/badge/llms.txt-available-brightgreen)](https://pvliesdonk.github.io/image-generation-mcp/latest/llms.txt) [![Template](https://img.shields.io/badge/dynamic/yaml?url=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pvliesdonk/image-generation-mcp/main/.copier-answers.yml&query=%24._commit&label=template)](https://github.com/pvliesdonk/fastmcp-server-template)

Multi-provider image generation [MCP](https://modelcontextprotocol.io) server built on [FastMCP](https://gofastmcp.com). Generate images from Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or any MCP client using OpenAI, Google Gemini, Stable Diffusion (SD WebUI), or a zero-cost placeholder provider.

**[Documentation](https://pvliesdonk.github.io/image-generation-mcp/)** | **[Config wizard](https://pvliesdonk.github.io/image-generation-mcp/latest/configuration-generator/)** | **[PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/image-generation-mcp/)** | **[Docker](https://github.com/pvliesdonk/image-generation-mcp/pkgs/container/image-generation-mcp)**

## Features

<!-- DOMAIN-START -->

- **Multi-provider**: OpenAI (`gpt-image-2`, `gpt-image-1.5`, `dall-e-3`), Google Gemini (`gemini-3.1-flash-image`, `gemini-3-pro-image`, `gemini-3.1-flash-lite-image`), SD WebUI (Stable Diffusion / Forge / reForge), and a zero-cost placeholder for testing.
- **Per-model style metadata**: every model carries a `style_profile` (strengths, prompt grammar, lifecycle); `list_providers` includes a top-level `warnings` array for deprecated models. See [Model Catalog](https://pvliesdonk.github.io/image-generation-mcp/providers/model-catalog/).
- **Keyword-based auto-selection**: `provider="auto"` routes by prompt content (text/logo → OpenAI, photoreal/anime → SD WebUI, draft → placeholder).
- **CDN-style image transforms**: `image://{id}/view?format=webp&width=512&crop_x=...` resizes / re-encodes / crops on demand without re-generating.
- **Hybrid background tasks**: long-running SD generations run with `task=True` (poll for status); short OpenAI calls stream progress in the foreground.
- **MCP Apps gallery + viewer**: interactive UI surfaces (browse generated images, edit / crop / rotate) for clients that support `app:` resources.
- **Production deployment**: Docker (multi-arch), `.deb`/`.rpm` with hardened systemd, OIDC + bearer auth, persistent EventStore for HTTP session resumability.
<!-- DOMAIN-END -->

## What you can do with it

<!-- DOMAIN-START -->

With this server mounted in an MCP client, you can ask:

- **"Generate a coffee mug product photo on a worn oak table, 16:9, no text."** Routes to `gpt-image-1.5` for typography-aware photorealism.
- **"Create three concept-art variations of a cyberpunk alley at dusk."** Composes `generate_image` with `provider="sd_webui"` and a stylised checkpoint like `dreamshaperXL`.
- **"Crop this image to a 1:1 square centred on the subject and resize to 512px."** Uses `image://{id}/view?width=512&height=512&crop_x=...` resource transforms.
- **"Show me my recent generations."** Browses the gallery via the `image://list` resource and the MCP Apps gallery viewer.
- **"Save this style as 'cyberpunk-night' so I can apply it to future requests."** Uses the style library, whose markdown briefs the LLM interprets per-provider.
- **"Replace the background of my last photo with a sunset sky."** Uses `transform_image` with the gallery `image_id` as a reference (image-to-image via Gemini).
<!-- DOMAIN-END -->

<!-- ===== TEMPLATE-OWNED SECTIONS BELOW — DO NOT EDIT; CHANGES WILL BE OVERWRITTEN ON COPIER UPDATE ===== -->

## Installation

### From PyPI

```bash
pip install image-generation-mcp
```

If you add optional extras via the `PROJECT-EXTRAS-START` / `PROJECT-EXTRAS-END` sentinels in `pyproject.toml`, document them below:

<!-- DOMAIN-START -->

| Extra | Includes | Use when |
|-------|----------|----------|
| `mcp` | `fastmcp[tasks]>=3.0,<4` | Background-task support (`task=True`), required for long SD generations. |
| `openai` | `openai>=1.0` | Enables the OpenAI provider. |
| `google-genai` | `google-genai>=1.0` | Enables the Gemini provider. |
| `all` | `fastmcp[tasks]` + `openai` + `google-genai` | Everything except SD WebUI (which is HTTP-only, no extra needed). |

Example: `pip install image-generation-mcp[all]`.
<!-- DOMAIN-END -->

### From source

```bash
git clone https://github.com/pvliesdonk/image-generation-mcp.git
cd image-generation-mcp
uv sync --all-extras --all-groups
```

### Docker

```bash
docker pull ghcr.io/pvliesdonk/image-generation-mcp:latest
```

To run the newest merged code instead of the newest release, use the rolling `edge` tag. It is rebuilt on every merge to `main` and carries no version identity. See [Image tags](docs/deployment/docker.md#image-tags) for the full tag list.

```bash
docker pull ghcr.io/pvliesdonk/image-generation-mcp:edge
```

A `compose.yml` ships at the repo root as a starting point. Copy `.env.example` to `.env`, edit, and `docker compose up -d`.

To attach a remote Python debugger (development only; the protocol is unauthenticated), see [Remote debugging](docs/deployment/docker.md#remote-debugging).

### Linux packages (.deb / .rpm)

Download `.deb` or `.rpm` packages from the [GitHub Releases](https://github.com/pvliesdonk/image-generation-mcp/releases) page. Both install a hardened systemd unit; env configuration is sourced from `/etc/image-generation-mcp/env` (copy from the shipped `/etc/image-generation-mcp/env.example`).

### Claude Desktop (.mcpb bundle)

Download the `.mcpb` bundle from the [GitHub Releases](https://github.com/pvliesdonk/image-generation-mcp/releases) page and double-click to install, or run:

```bash
mcpb install image-generation-mcp-<version>.mcpb
```

Claude Desktop prompts for required env vars via a GUI wizard, with no manual JSON editing needed.

For manual Claude Desktop configuration and setup options, see [Claude Desktop deployment](docs/deployment/claude-desktop.md).

## Release channels

Artifacts ship on three channels. Each row lists exactly what that channel publishes.

| Channel | Version identity | Artifacts |
|---|---|---|
| `edge` (rolling) | None; the commit is the identity | Docker image `:edge` rebuilt on every merge to `main`; `.mcpb` bundle as the `mcpb-bundle-edge` workflow artifact; Claude Code plugin `.zip` as the `plugin-zip-edge` artifact; rolling `unstable` docs version. It leaves no git tag, GitHub release, or PyPI entry behind. |
| Pre-release | `vX.Y.Z-rc.N`, computed and reviewed in its release pull request | PyPI (as the pre-release `X.Y.ZrcN`); GitHub release with wheels, `sdist`, `.deb`/`.rpm` packages, `.mcpb` bundle, plugin `.zip`, and SBOM attached; Docker image under its immutable `vX.Y.Z-rc.N` tag plus the ordering-aware rolling `rc` tag. Skips the plugin marketplace, the MCP registry, and the docs deploy. |
| Stable | `vX.Y.Z` | Everything: PyPI, Docker (version tag plus ordering-aware `latest` / `vX` / `vX.Y`), `.deb`/`.rpm`, GitHub release assets (wheels, `sdist`, `.mcpb` bundle, plugin `.zip`, SBOM), plugin marketplace and MCP registry entries (when the release is the newest stable), versioned docs with an ordering-aware `latest` alias. |

Pre-releases reach PyPI so that a candidate's `.mcpb` bundle installs: the bundle points at PyPI rather than carrying the code. Ordinary installers never see them, because a PEP 440 resolver skips pre-releases unless the requirement pins one or you pass `--pre`. Ask for a candidate by name with `pip install image-generation-mcp==X.Y.ZrcN`. PyPI spells it in the PEP 440 canonical form, while tags use SemVer. Rolling pointers are ordering-aware, so a patch release cut from an old `release/X.Y` branch never moves `latest`-style tags back to older content, and a candidate for an already-released version never moves `rc`. See [Release process](docs/deployment/release-process.md) for the full model.

## Quick start

```bash
image-generation-mcp serve                                # stdio transport
image-generation-mcp serve --transport http --port 8000   # streamable HTTP
```

For library usage (embedding the domain logic without the MCP transport), import from the `image_generation_mcp` package directly. See the project's domain modules under `src/image_generation_mcp/` for entry points.

### Server info

The server registers a built-in `get_server_info` tool (via `fastmcp_pvl_core.register_server_info_tool`) so operators can confirm the deployed version with a single MCP call. The default response carries `server_name`, `server_version`, and `core_version`. Servers that talk to a remote upstream wire upstream version reporting inside the `DOMAIN-UPSTREAM-START` / `DOMAIN-UPSTREAM-END` sentinel in `src/image_generation_mcp/server.py`; see [`CLAUDE.md`](CLAUDE.md#server-info-tool-get_server_info) for the wiring pattern.

## Configuration

Core e