seedream-image

This MCP server wires SeeDream-based image generation into the MCP ecosystem. It leverages Volcano Engine's SeeDream 4.0 model to produce high-quality images with configurable size and optional reference imagery. The server speaks MCP, so clients such as Cursor or Claude Desktop can request images through the standard MCP flows, enabling automated prompt generation and image rendering without writing complex prompts yourself. You can run locally with an API key or use the cloud version for convenience and persistent CDN-hosted assets. The tool accepts a Volcano Ark API key via the --ark-key flag and returns generated images that can be embedded in your workflows or agents.

To use it from clients, configure the MCP server in your client’s MCP config (Cursor MCP config or Claude Desktop config) to point at the seedream-image MCP. The example config shows running the MCP locally with npx and passing your Ark API key. When used in automation, your agent can request images, and the MCP will orchestrate calls to SeeDream and return the generated image data to the agent for downstream tasks.

Prerequisites:

• Node.js and npm (or pnpm/bun as preferred).
• Access to a Volcano Engine Ark API Key if you plan to run locally.

Step-by-step:

1. Ensure Node.js is installed. You can verify with: node -v npm -v

2. If you are not using a package manager wrapper, you can run the MCP server directly with npx (no local install required):

npx seedream-image-mcp --ark-key=YOUR_API_KEY

3. If you prefer a local development setup with dependencies installed first, clone the repository (or follow project setup) and install dependencies:

bun install
# or
npm install

4. Run the server locally with your API key:

bun run src/index.ts --ark-key=YOUR_API_KEY

5. Configure clients (Cursor or Claude Desktop) to point to the MCP with a config like:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "seedream-image": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["seedream-image-mcp", "--ark-key=YOUR_API_KEY"]
    }
  }
}

6. For cloud/cloud-free usage, follow the cloud version guidance in the project (cloud hosting may provide a ready-to-use endpoint and CDN-hosted outputs).

Notes and tips:

• API key handling: keep your Ark API Key secure. Do not hard-code in public configs; prefer environment variables or secret management where possible.
• Image URLs are commonly time-limited (24 hours) when using the direct Volcano API. For long-term storage, download and host locally or rely on the cloud/CDN path.
• If you switch between local and cloud usage, adjust the provider settings accordingly: local mode uses your API key; cloud mode may offer broader features like permanent CDN hosting and concurrent generation.
• MCP compatibility: Ensure the client config uses the exact server name seedream-image to route requests correctly.
• Performance considerations: larger output sizes and concurrent requests may impact latency; consider using the cloud version for higher concurrency and retention features.