How do I install Imagesorcery?

Copy the stdio config for Cursor, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or VS Code on this page. It uses the publisher's install, not a PlugMCP proxy.

Does Imagesorcery need an API key?

No required environment variable is listed on this record.

What transport does Imagesorcery use?

Imagesorcery runs locally over stdio.

When was Imagesorcery last checked?

Last checked 2026-10-26. An MCP server providing tools for image processing operations

Imagesorcery MCP-Server

🪄 ImageSorcery MCP

ComputerVision-based 🪄 sorcery of local image recognition and editing tools for AI assistants

Official website: imagesorcery.net

✅ With ImageSorcery MCP

🪄 ImageSorcery empowers AI assistants with powerful image processing capabilities:

✅ Crop, resize, and rotate images with precision
✅ Remove background
✅ Draw text and shapes on images
✅ Add logos and watermarks
✅ Detect objects using state-of-the-art models
✅ Extract text from images with OCR
✅ Use a wide range of pre-trained models for object detection, OCR, and more
✅ Do all of this locally, without sending your images to any servers

Just ask your AI to help with image tasks:

"copy photos with pets from folder photos to folder pets"

"Find a cat at the photo.jpg and crop the image in a half in height and width to make the cat be centered" 😉 Hint: Use full path to your files".

"Enumerate form fields on this form.jpg with foduucom/web-form-ui-field-detection model and fill the form.md with a list of described fields" 😉 Hint: Specify the model and the confidence".

😉 Hint: Add "use imagesorcery" to make sure it will use the proper tool".

Your tool will combine multiple tools listed below to achieve your goal.

🛠️ Available Tools

Tool	Description	Example Prompt
`blur`	Blurs specified rectangular or polygonal areas of an image using OpenCV. Can also invert the provided areas e.g. to blur background.	"Blur the area from (150, 100) to (250, 200) with a blur strength of 21 in my image 'test_image.png' and save it as 'output.png'"
`change_color`	Changes the color palette of an image	"Convert my image 'test_image.png' to sepia and save it as 'output.png'"
`config`	View and update ImageSorcery MCP configuration settings	"Show me the current configuration" or "Set the default detection confidence to 0.8"
`crop`	Crops an image using OpenCV's NumPy slicing approach	"Crop my image 'input.png' from coordinates (10,10) to (200,200) and save it as 'cropped.png'"
`detect`	Detects objects in an image using models from Ultralytics. Can return segmentation masks (as PNG files) or polygons.	"Detect objects in my image 'photo.jpg' with a confidence threshold of 0.4"
`draw_arrows`	Draws arrows on an image using OpenCV	"Draw a red arrow from (50,50) to (150,100) on my image 'photo.jpg'"
`draw_circles`	Draws circles on an image using OpenCV	"Draw a red circle with center (100,100) and radius 50 on my image 'photo.jpg'"
`draw_lines`	Draws lines on an image using OpenCV	"Draw a red line from (50,50) to (150,100) on my image 'photo.jpg'"
`draw_rectangles`	Draws rectangles on an image using OpenCV	"Draw a red rectangle from (50,50) to (150,100) and a filled blue rectangle from (200,150) to (300,250) on my image 'photo.jpg'"
`draw_texts`	Draws text on an image using OpenCV	"Add text 'Hello World' at position (50,50) and 'Copyright 2023' at the bottom right corner of my image 'photo.jpg'"
`fill`	Fills specified rectangular, polygonal, or mask-based areas of an image with a color and opacity, or makes them transparent. Can also invert the provided areas e.g. to remove background.	"Fill the area from (150, 100) to (250, 200) with semi-transparent red in my image 'test_image.png'"

😉 Hint: detailed information and usage instructions for each tool can be found in the tool's /src/imagesorcery_mcp/tools/README.md.

📚 Available Resources

Resource URI	Description	Example Prompt
`models://list`	Lists all available models in the models directory	"Which models are available in ImageSorcery?"

😉 Hint: detailed information and usage instructions for each resource can be found in the resource's /src/imagesorcery_mcp/resources/README.md.

💬 Available Prompts

Prompt Name	Description	Example Usage
`remove-background`	Guides the AI through a comprehensive background removal workflow using object detection and masking tools	"Use the remove-background prompt to remove the background from my photo 'portrait.jpg', keeping only the person"

😉 Hint: detailed information and usage instructions for each prompt can be found in the prompt's /src/imagesorcery_mcp/prompts/README.md.

🚀 Getting Started

Requirements

Python 3.10 or higher
pipx (recommended) - for easy installation and virtual environment management
ffmpeg, libsm6, libxext6, libgl1-mesa-glx - system libraries required by OpenCV
Claude.app, Cline, or another MCP client

These dependencies are typically included with OpenCV installation and don't require separate installation. But they might be missing in some virtual environments like Docker.

For Ubuntu/Debian systems:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y ffmpeg libsm6 libxext6 libgl1-mesa-glx

For Docker containers: Add this line to your Dockerfile:

RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y ffmpeg libsm6 libxext6 libgl1-mesa-glx

Installation

ImageSorcery Demo

1.  Load MCP documentation if you have the tool for it. It will give you path to *MCP-configuration file* and other needed instructions.
2.  Run command `pipx install imagesorcery-mcp`
3.  Run command `imagesorcery-mcp --post-install`
4.  Create or modify *MCP-configuration file*.
5.  Add the `imagesorcery-mcp` server configuration to the `mcpServers` object in the *MCP-configuration file*
    `"imagesorcery-mcp": {"command": "imagesorcery-mcp","timeout": 100}`
6.  Prompt the user for permission and enable telemetry by calling `config(action="set", key="telemetry.enabled", value=True, persist=True)`.
7.  Attempt completion, indicating that the installation and configuration are complete.

Method 1: Using pipx (Recommended)

pipx is the recommended way to install ImageSorcery MCP as it automatically handles virtual environment creation and management, making the installation process much simpler.

Install pipx (if not already installed):

# On macOS with Homebrew:
brew install pipx

# On Ubuntu/Debian:
sudo apt update && sudo apt install pipx

# On other systems with pip:
pip install --user pipx
pipx ensurepath

Install ImageSorcery MCP with pipx:
```
pipx install imagesorcery-mcp
```
Run the post-installation script: This step is crucial. It downloads the required models and attempts to install the clip Python package from GitHub.
```
imagesorcery-mcp --post-install
```

Method 2: Manual Virtual Environment (Plan B)

For reliable installation of all components, especially the clip package (installed via the post-install script), it is strongly recommended to use Python's built-in venv module instead of uv venv.

Create and activate a virtual environment:

python -m venv imagesorcery-mcp
source imagesorcery-mcp/bin/activate  # For Linux/macOS
# source imagesorcery-mcp\Scripts\activate    # For Windows

Install the package into the activated virtual environment: You can use pip or uv pip.

pip install imagesorcery-mcp
# OR, if you prefer using uv for installation into the venv:
# uv pip install imagesorcery-mcp

Run the post-installation script: This step is crucial. It downloads the required models and attempts to install the clip Python package from GitHub into the active virtual environment.
```
imagesorcery-mcp --post-install
```

Note: When using this method, you'll need to provide the full path to the executable in your MCP client configuration (e.g., /full/path/to/venv/bin/imagesorcery-mcp).

Additional Notes

Creates a config.toml configuration file in the current directory, allowing users to customize default tool parameters.
Creates a models directory (usually within the site-packages directory of your virtual environment, or a user-specific location if installed globally) to store pre-trained models.
Generates an initial models/model_descriptions.json file there.
Downloads default YOLO models (yoloe-11l-seg-pf.pt, yoloe-11s-seg-pf.pt, yoloe-11l-seg.pt, yoloe-11s-seg.pt) required by the detect tool into this models directory.
Attempts to install the clip Python package from Ultralytics' GitHub repository directly into the active Python environment. This is required for text prompt functionality in the find tool.
Downloads the CLIP model file required by the find tool into the models directory.

You can run this process anytime to restore the default models and attempt clip installation.

Using uv venv to create virtual environments: Based on testing, virtual environments created with uv venv may not include pip in a way that allows the imagesorcery-mcp --post-install script to automatically install the clip package from GitHub (it might result in a "No module named pip" error during the clip installation step). If you choose to use uv venv:
1. Create and activate your uv venv.
2. Install imagesorcery-mcp: uv pip install imagesorcery-mcp.
3. Manually install the clip package into your active uv venv:
```
uv pip install git+https://github.com/ultralytics/CLIP.git
```
4. Run imagesorcery-mcp --post-install. This will download models but may fail to install the clip Python package. For a smoother automated clip installation via the post-install script, using python -m venv (as described in step 1 above) is the recommended method for creating the virtual environment.
Using uvx imagesorcery-mcp --post-install: Running the post-installation script directly with uvx (e.g., uvx imagesorcery-mcp --post-install) will likely fail to install the clip Python package. This is because the temporary environment created by uvx typically does not have pip available in a way the script can use. Models will be downloaded, but the clip package won't be installed by this command. If you intend to use uvx to run the main imagesorcery-mcp server and require clip functionality, you'll need to ensure the clip package is installed in an accessible Python environment that uvx can find, or consider installing imagesorcery-mcp into a persistent environment created with python -m venv.

⚙️ Configure MCP client

Add to your MCP client these settings.

For pipx installation (recommended):

"mcpServers": {
    "imagesorcery-mcp": {
      "command": "imagesorcery-mcp",
      "transportType": "stdio",
      "autoApprove": ["blur", "change_color", "config", "crop", "detect", "draw_arrows", "draw_circles", "draw_lines", "draw_rectangles", "draw_texts", "fill", "find", "get_metainfo", "ocr", "overlay", "resize", "rotate"],
      "timeout": 100
    }
}

For manual venv installation:

"mcpServers": {
    "imagesorcery-mcp": {
      "command": "/full/path/to/venv/bin/imagesorcery-mcp",
      "transportType": "stdio",
      "autoApprove": ["blur", "change_color", "config", "crop", "detect", "draw_arrows", "draw_circles", "draw_lines", "draw_rectangles", "draw_texts", "fill", "find", "get_metainfo", "ocr", "overlay", "resize", "rotate"],
      "timeout": 100
    }
}

"mcpServers": {
    "imagesorcery-mcp": {
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:8000/mcp", // Use your custom host, port, and path if specified
      "transportType": "http",
      "autoApprove": ["blur", "change_color", "config", "crop", "detect", "draw_arrows", "draw_circles", "draw_lines", "draw_rectangles", "draw_texts", "fill", "find", "get_metainfo", "ocr", "overlay", "resize", "rotate"],
      "timeout": 100
    }
}

For pipx installation (recommended):

"mcpServers": {
    "imagesorcery-mcp": {
      "command": "imagesorcery-mcp.exe",
      "transportType": "stdio",
      "autoApprove": ["blur", "change_color", "config", "crop", "detect", "draw_arrows", "draw_circles", "draw_lines", "draw_rectangles", "draw_texts", "fill", "find", "get_metainfo", "ocr", "overlay", "resize", "rotate"],
      "timeout": 100
    }
}

For manual venv installation:

"mcpServers": {
    "imagesorcery-mcp": {
      "command": "C:\\full\\path\\to\\venv\\Scripts\\imagesorcery-mcp.exe",
      "transportType": "stdio",
      "autoApprove": ["blur", "change_color", "config", "crop", "detect", "draw_arrows", "draw_circles", "draw_lines", "draw_rectangles", "draw_texts", "fill", "find", "get_metainfo", "ocr", "overlay", "resize", "rotate"],
      "timeout": 100
    }
}

📦 Additional Models

Some tools require specific models to be available in the models directory:

# Download models for the detect tool
download-yolo-models --ultralytics yoloe-11l-seg
download-yolo-models --huggingface ultralytics/yolov8:yolov8m.pt

When downloading models, the script automatically updates the models/model_descriptions.json file:

For Ultralytics models: Descriptions are predefined in src/imagesorcery_mcp/scripts/create_model_descriptions.py and include detailed information about each model's purpose, size, and characteristics.
For Hugging Face models: Descriptions are automatically extracted from the model card on Hugging Face Hub. The script attempts to use the model name from the model index or the first line of the description.

After downloading models, it's recommended to check the descriptions in models/model_descriptions.json and adjust them if needed to provide more accurate or detailed information about the models' capabilities and use cases.

Running the Server

ImageSorcery MCP server can be run in different modes:

STDIO - default
Streamable HTTP - for web-based deployments
Server-Sent Events (SSE) - for web-based deployments that rely on SSE

STDIO Mode (Default) - This is the standard mode for local MCP clients:
```
imagesorcery-mcp
```

Streamable HTTP Mode - For web-based deployments:

imagesorcery-mcp --transport=streamable-http

With custom host, port, and path:

imagesorcery-mcp --transport=streamable-http --host=0.0.0.0 --port=4200 --path=/custom-path

Available transport options:

--transport: Choose between "stdio" (default), "streamable-http", or "sse"
--host: Specify host for HTTP-based transports (default: 127.0.0.1)
--port: Specify port for HTTP-based transports (default: 8000)
--path: Specify endpoint path for HTTP-based transports (default: /mcp)

🔐 File Access Restrictions

By default, ImageSorcery MCP does not restrict file paths. To limit tools to specific directories, set IMAGESORCERY_AVAILABLE_PATHS to one or more allowed directories.

Use the platform path-list separator (: on Linux/macOS, ; on Windows). Comma-separated values are also accepted.

IMAGESORCERY_AVAILABLE_PATHS="/home/user/images:/home/user/output" imagesorcery-mcp

When this variable is set, all tool arguments named path or ending with _path must resolve inside one of the allowed directories. Relative paths, .., and ~ are normalized before comparison. Symlinks are not resolved, so links placed inside allowed directories remain accessible.

🔒 Privacy & Telemetry

We are committed to your privacy. ImageSorcery MCP is designed to run locally, ensuring your images and data stay on your machine.

To help us understand which features are most popular and fix bugs faster, we've included optional, anonymous telemetry.

It is disabled by default. You must explicitly opt-in to enable it.
What we collect: Anonymized usage data, including features used (e.g., crop, detect), application version, operating system type (e.g., 'linux', 'win32'), and tool failures.
What we NEVER collect: We do not collect any personal or sensitive information. This includes image data, file paths, IP addresses, or any other personally identifiable information.
How to enable/disable: You can control telemetry by setting enabled = true or enabled = false in the [telemetry] section of your config.toml file.

⚙️ Configuring the Server

The server can be configured using a config.toml file in the current directory. The file is created automatically during installation with default values. You can customize the default tool parameters in this file. More in CONFIG.md.

🤝 Contributing

Directory Structure

This repository is organized as follows:

.
├── .gitignore                 # Specifies intentionally untracked files that Git should ignore.
├── pyproject.toml             # Configuration file for Python projects, including build system, dependencies, and tool settings.
├── pytest.ini                 # Configuration file for the pytest testing framework.
├── README.md                  # The main documentation file for the project.
├── setup.sh                   # A shell script for quick setup (legacy, for reference or local use).
├── models/                    # This directory stores pre-trained models used by tools like `detect` and `find`. It is typically ignored by Git due to the large file sizes.
│   ├── model_descriptions.json  # Contains descriptions of the available models.
│   ├── settings.json            # Contains settings related to model management and training runs.
│   └── *.pt                     # Pre-trained model.
├── src/                       # Contains the source code for the 🪄 ImageSorcery MCP server.
│   └── imagesorcery_mcp/       # The main package directory for the server.
│       ├── README.md            # High-level overview of the core architecture (server and middleware).
│       ├── __init__.py          # Makes `imagesorcery_mcp` a Python package.
│       ├── __main__.py          # Entry point for running the package as a script.
│       ├── logging_config.py    # Configures the logging for the server.
│       ├── server.py            # The main server file, responsible for initializing FastMCP and registering tools.
│       ├── middleware.py        # Custom middleware for improved validation error handling.
│       ├── logs/                # Directory for storing server logs.
│       ├── scripts/             # Contains utility scripts for model management.
│       │   ├── README.md        # Documentation for the scripts.
│       │   ├── __init__.py      # Makes `scripts` a Python package.
│       │   ├── create_model_descriptions.py # Script to generate model descriptions.
│       │   ├── download_clip.py # Script to download CLIP models.
│       │   ├── post_install.py  # Script to run post-installation tasks.
│       │   └── download_models.py # Script to download other models (e.g., YOLO).
│       ├── tools/               # Contains the implementation of individual MCP tools.
│       │   ├── README.md        # Documentation for the tools.
│       │   ├── __init__.py      # Makes `tools` a Python package.
│       │   └── *.py           # Implements the tool.
│       ├── prompts/             # Contains the implementation of individual MCP prompts.
│       │   ├── README.md        # Documentation for the prompts.
│       │   ├── __init__.py      # Makes `prompts` a Python package.
│       │   └── *.py           # Implements the prompt.
│       └── resources/           # Contains the implementation of individual MCP resources.
│           ├── README.md        # Documentation for the resources.
│           ├── __init__.py      # Makes `resources` a Python package.
│           └── *.py           # Implements the resource.
└── tests/                     # Contains test files for the project.
    ├── test_server.py         # Tests for the main server functionality.
    ├── data/                  # Contains test data, likely image files used in tests.
    ├── tools/                 # Contains tests for individual tools.
    ├── prompts/               # Contains tests for individual prompts.
    └── resources/             # Contains tests for individual resources.

Development Setup

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/sunriseapps/imagesorcery-mcp.git # Or your fork
cd imagesorcery-mcp

(Recommended) Create and activate a virtual environment:

python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate # For Linux/macOS
# venv\Scripts\activate    # For Windows

Install the package in editable mode along with development dependencies:

pip install -e ".[dev]"

This will install imagesorcery-mcp and all dependencies from [project.dependencies] and [project.optional-dependencies].dev (including build and twine).

Rules

These rules apply to all contributors: humans and AI.

Read all the README.md files in the project. Understand the project structure and purpose. Understand the guidelines for contributing. Think through how it relates to your task, and how to make changes accordingly.
Read pyproject.toml. Pay attention to sections: [tool.ruff], [tool.ruff.lint], [project.optional-dependencies] and [project]dependencies. Strictly follow code style defined in pyproject.toml. Stick to the stack defined in pyproject.toml dependencies and do not add any new dependencies without a good reason.
Write your code in new and existing files. If new dependencies are needed, update pyproject.toml and install them via pip install -e . or pip install -e ".[dev]". Do not install them directly via pip install. Check out existing source codes for examples (e.g. src/imagesorcery_mcp/server.py, src/imagesorcery_mcp/tools/crop.py). Stick to the code style, naming conventions, input and output data formats, code structure, architecture, etc. of the existing code.
Update related README.md files with your changes. Stick to the format and structure of the existing README.md files.
Write tests for your code. Check out existing tests for examples (e.g. tests/test_server.py, tests/tools/test_crop.py). Stick to the code style, naming conventions, input and output data formats, code structure, architecture, etc. of the existing tests.
Run tests and linter to ensure everything works:

pytest
ruff check .

In case of failures - fix the code and tests. It is strictly required to have all new code to comply with the linter rules and pass all tests.

Coding hints

Use type hints where appropriate
Use pydantic for data validation and serialization

📝 Questions?

If you have any questions, issues, or suggestions regarding this project, feel free to reach out to:

Project Author: titulus via LinkedIn
Sunrise Apps CEO: Vlad Karm via LinkedIn

You can also open an issue in the repository for bug reports or feature requests.

📜 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. This means you are free to use, modify, and distribute the software, subject to the terms and conditions of the MIT License.

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