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Prerequisites

  • Node.js 18+ installed
  • At least one generation provider (for generate_image / generate_video):
    • MeiGen Cloud — an API key from meigen.ai (Settings → API Keys)
    • ComfyUI — a running ComfyUI server (installation guide)
    • OpenAI-Compatible API — your own key from any provider (Together AI, Fireworks AI, OpenAI, etc.)
You don’t need a provider to get started. Gallery search, prompt enhancement, and inspiration tools work without any API key.

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Installation

1

Install the plugin

# Add the plugin marketplace
/plugin marketplace add jau123/MeiGen-AI-Design-MCP

# Install
/plugin install meigen@meigen-marketplace
Restart Claude Code after installation (close and reopen, or open a new terminal tab).
2

Configure a provider

Start a new Claude Code session and run /meigen:setup. The setup wizard will guide you through provider selection and API key configuration on macOS, Linux, and Windows.Alternatively, set environment variables directly (see Provider Configuration below).
3

Start using it

Ask Claude to generate images or videos naturally:
  • “Generate a minimalist logo for a coffee shop”
  • “Animate this photo into a 5-second clip”
  • “Search the gallery for cyberpunk cityscapes”
  • “Enhance this prompt: a cat in space”

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Cursor / VS Code / Windsurf / Roo Code

One command writes the right MCP config file for each editor: 
npx meigen init cursor      # writes .cursor/mcp.json
npx meigen init vscode      # writes .vscode/mcp.json
npx meigen init windsurf    # writes ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json
npx meigen init roo         # writes .roo/mcp.json
npx meigen init claude      # writes .mcp.json (Claude Code project-level)
After the config is written, set MEIGEN_API_TOKEN in your shell and restart the host. On hosts that don’t support the /meigen:setup slash command, add the token to the env block of the meigen server entry directly.

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OpenAI Codex CLI

Codex uses TOML. Add to ~/.codex/config.toml: 
[mcp_servers.meigen]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "meigen@latest"]

[mcp_servers.meigen.env]
MEIGEN_API_TOKEN = "meigen_sk_..."

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Hermes Agent (NousResearch)

Hermes is a first-class MCP client. Add to ~/.hermes/config.yaml: 
mcp_servers:
  meigen:
    command: "npx"
    args: ["-y", "meigen@latest"]
    env:
      MEIGEN_API_TOKEN: "meigen_sk_..."
    timeout: 600          # video generation can take 5–10 min
    connect_timeout: 120  # first npx download can be slow
The timeout: 600 and connect_timeout: 120 overrides are important — Hermes defaults (120s / 60s) are tuned for short-running tools and will time out on video generation or first-run npx downloads.

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Standalone CLI (no MCP host required)

For shell scripts, CI pipelines, or anyone who wants AI image generation without an MCP host: 
# Auth once
export MEIGEN_API_TOKEN=meigen_sk_...

# Generate
npx meigen gen --prompt "a calico cat in a sunlit kitchen"

# With a specific model + aspect ratio
npx meigen gen -p "logo design" -m midjourney-v8.1 -r 1:1

# With a reference image (local path auto-uploaded)
npx meigen gen -p "product hero shot" --ref ~/Desktop/bottle.jpg

# Submit only — print generationId without polling (good for CI)
npx meigen gen -p "..." --no-wait

# Machine-readable output (good for jq pipes)
npx meigen gen -p "..." --json | jq -r '.imageUrls[0]'
Generated images save to ~/Pictures/meigen/ by default (override with MEIGEN_OUTPUT_DIR, or on Linux with XDG_PICTURES_DIR).

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OpenClaw

Install the full plugin from ClawHub (includes commands, skills, and MCP server): 
openclaw bundles install clawhub:meigen-ai-design
Or install only the skill (no commands/agents): 
npx clawhub@latest install creative-toolkit
OpenClaw uses the Agent Skills open standard. No MCP configuration needed — the skill handles everything.

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Other MCP-Compatible Hosts

For any host that consumes stdio MCP, add this to its config file: 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "meigen": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "meigen@latest"],
      "env": {
        "MEIGEN_API_TOKEN": "meigen_sk_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

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Provider Configuration

Configure one or more providers. When multiple are available, the plugin selects in order: MeiGen → ComfyUI → OpenAI-compatible. You can override this per-request.

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MeiGen Cloud

The easiest way to get started. Access 9 image and video models — GPT Image 2, Nanobanana Pro/2, Seedream, Midjourney V8.1, Flux 2 Klein, Seedance 2.0 (fast/pro), Happyhorse 1.0, and Veo 3.1 — through MeiGen’s hosted API.
VariableValue
MEIGEN_API_TOKENYour API key starting with meigen_sk_
Get your API key: sign in at meigen.ai → click your avatar → Settings → API Keys → create a new key.
API keys can only use purchased credits, not daily free credits. Ensure your account has purchased credits before generating via the plugin.

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Bring Your Own API (OpenAI-Compatible)

Connect any image generation API that follows the OpenAI format — Together AI, Fireworks AI, DeepInfra, SiliconFlow, OpenAI, or your own endpoint.
VariableValue
OPENAI_API_KEYYour API key from the provider
OPENAI_BASE_URLAPI endpoint (e.g., https://api.together.xyz/v1)
OPENAI_MODEL(Optional) Model name at your provider
Set OPENAI_BASE_URL to point to your provider’s endpoint. If omitted, defaults to OpenAI’s API.

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ComfyUI (Local)

Run image generation on your own GPU with full control over models, samplers, and workflows. Free to use — no API key needed.
VariableValue
COMFYUI_URLComfyUI server address (default: http://127.0.0.1:8188)
Requirements:
  1. ComfyUI must be running and accessible at the configured URL
  2. You need at least one imported workflow template — see the ComfyUI Guide
ComfyUI runs serially: one image at a time.

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Verify Installation

After setup, ask your AI assistant:
“List the available models”
If configured correctly, it will call the list_models tool and show models from all your configured providers.

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Usage

Once installed, ask your AI assistant in plain language — for example, “Generate a watercolor landscape, 16:9 aspect ratio”. See the overview for the full list of tools.

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Troubleshooting

No provider is set up. On Claude Code, run /meigen:setup (interactive wizard). On other hosts (Cursor, Codex, Windsurf, Hermes Agent, etc.), add the env var to your MCP config file directly:
  • MeiGen: MEIGEN_API_TOKEN
  • OpenAI-compatible: OPENAI_API_KEY
  • ComfyUI: COMFYUI_URL (and import a workflow)
Then restart the host.
API keys can only use purchased credits, not daily free credits. Purchase credits at meigen.ai.
  1. Make sure ComfyUI is running (python main.py in the ComfyUI directory)
  2. Check that COMFYUI_URL matches the address shown when ComfyUI starts (default: http://127.0.0.1:8188)
  3. If running on a different machine, ensure the port is accessible
  1. Open the ComfyUI web UI and check for error messages
  2. Use comfyui_workflow view to inspect the workflow nodes
  3. Ensure the checkpoint model referenced in the workflow is actually downloaded
  4. Try running the workflow manually in ComfyUI first
  1. Make sure Node.js 18+ is installed
  2. Try running npx -y meigen directly to check for errors
  3. Restart your editor
  4. Check that the MCP configuration JSON is valid
Generation times vary by model and provider. MeiGen Cloud models range from 5–60 seconds. ComfyUI depends on your GPU. The plugin waits up to 5 minutes before timing out.
After modifying ~/.config/meigen/config.json or environment variables, you must restart your editor (or start a new Claude Code session) for changes to take effect.