Albumentations-MCP with Nano Banana (Gemini)

Natural language image augmentation via MCP protocol. Transform images using plain English with this MCP-compliant server built on Albumentations.

Example: "add blur and rotate 15 degrees" → Applies GaussianBlur + Rotate transforms automatically

Quick Start

# Install from PyPI
pip install albumentations-mcp

# Run as MCP server
uvx albumentations-mcp

MCP Client Setup

Claude Desktop

Copy claude-desktop-config.json to ~/.claude_desktop_config.json

Or add manually:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "albumentations": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["albumentations-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "INFO",
        "OUTPUT_DIR": "./outputs",
        "ENABLE_VISION_VERIFICATION": "true",
        "DEFAULT_SEED": "42"
      }
    }
  }
}

Kiro IDE

Copy kiro-mcp-config.json to .kiro/settings/mcp.json

Or add manually:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "albumentations": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["albumentations-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "INFO",
        "OUTPUT_DIR": "./outputs",
        "ENABLE_VISION_VERIFICATION": "true",
        "DEFAULT_SEED": "42"
      },
      "disabled": false,
      "autoApprove": ["augment_image", "list_available_transforms"]
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

Core MCP Tools

• ping - Lightweight health check that reports status, version, and timestamp.

• load_image_for_processing - Stage remote URLs or base64 payloads and return a session_id for follow-up calls.

• augment_image - Run Albumentations pipelines from natural language prompts or named presets.

• validate_prompt - Parse prompts and surface the structured transforms without processing images.

• list_available_transforms - Enumerate supported transforms with parameter metadata.

• list_available_presets - List built-in presets (segmentation, portrait, lowlight).

• get_quick_transform_reference - Provide a condensed keyword-to-transform reference for prompting.

• set_default_seed - Persist a global seed to keep augmentations reproducible.

• get_pipeline_status - Report pipeline configuration, enabled features, and output locations.

• get_getting_started_guide - Deliver the structured onboarding walkthrough as a tool response.

VLM (Gemini / Nano Banana) Tools

• check_vlm_config - Verify VLM readiness without exposing secrets.

• vlm_test_prompt - Low-level text-to-image preview helper (no session required).

• vlm_generate_preview - Convenience wrapper for quick prompt/style ideation previews.

• vlm_apply - Direct VLM apply endpoint for image-to-image edits with fine-grained controls.

• vlm_edit_image - Full session edit flow that includes verification steps.

• vlm_suggest_recipe - Generate Albumentations + VLM plans and optionally save under outputs/recipes/.

Install (with or without VLM)

• Core only (Alb augmentations): pip install albumentations-mcp

• With VLM (Gemini): pip install 'albumentations-mcp[vlm]'

• Local dev (with VLM): uv pip install -e '.[vlm]'

Claude/uvx note: include the extra in args when you need VLM

• Latest prerelease with VLM: "args": ["--refresh", "--prerelease=allow", "albumentations-mcp[vlm]"]

• Pin stable with VLM: "args": ["--refresh", "albumentations-mcp[vlm]==1.0.2"]

VLM quickstart (env or file):

# Option 1: env
set ENABLE_VLM=true
set VLM_PROVIDER=google
set VLM_MODEL=gemini-2.5-flash-image-preview
set GOOGLE_API_KEY=...  # or GEMINI_API_KEY / VLM_API_KEY

# Option 2: file (auto-discovered)
# Place a non-secret file at config/vlm.json:
{
  "enabled": true,
  "provider": "google",
  "model": "gemini-2.5-flash-image-preview"
  // api_key may be in file or environment
}

Examples:

# Preview (no input image, no session)
vlm_generate_preview(prompt="Neon night street, cinematic moodboard")

# Edit (image + prompt, full session)
vlm_edit_image(
    image_path="examples/basic_images/cat.jpg",
    prompt=(
        "Using the provided photo of a cat, add a small, knitted wizard hat. "
        "Preserve identity, pose, lighting, and composition."
    ),
    edit_type="edit",
)

# Plan and save a hybrid recipe (Alb + VLMEdit)
plan = vlm_suggest_recipe(
    task="domain_shift",
    constraints_json='{"output_count":3,"identity_preserve":true}',
    save=True,
)
print(plan["paths"])  # outputs/recipes/<timestamp>_<task>_<hash>/

MCP env examples for VLM (choose one option)

Option A - file (preferred):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "albumentations": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["albumentations-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "INFO",
        "OUTPUT_DIR": "./outputs",
        "ENABLE_VLM": "true",
        "VLM_CONFIG_PATH": "config/vlm.json"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option B - inline env (no file):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "albumentations": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["albumentations-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "INFO",
        "OUTPUT_DIR": "./outputs",
        "ENABLE_VLM": "true",
        "VLM_PROVIDER": "google",
        "VLM_MODEL": "gemini-2.5-flash-image-preview"
      }
    }
  }
}

Available Prompts

Core Prompt Templates

• compose_preset - Generate augmentation policies from presets with optional tweaks

• explain_effects - Analyze pipeline effects in plain English

• augmentation_parser - Parse natural language to structured transforms

• vision_verification - Compare original and augmented images

• error_handler - Generate user-friendly error messages and recovery suggestions

VLM Prompt Templates

• None (VLM flows currently reuse the core prompt templates.)

Available Resources

Core MCP Resources

• transforms_guide - Comprehensive transform documentation with defaults and parameter ranges.

• policy_presets - Built-in preset configurations for segmentation, portrait, and lowlight workflows.

• available_transforms_examples - Practical usage examples organized by transform category.

• preset_pipelines_best_practices - Guidance for composing and maintaining augmentation pipelines.

• troubleshooting_common_issues - Frequently seen problems with recommended fixes.

• get_getting_started_guide - Structured onboarding guide; identical content to the tool response.

VLM Resources

• get_gemini_prompt_templates - JSON templates and style guidance for Gemini-based VLM flows.

Usage Examples

# Simple augmentation
augment_image(
    image_path="photo.jpg",
    prompt="add blur and rotate 15 degrees"
)

# Using presets
augment_image(
    image_path="dataset/image.jpg",
    preset="segmentation"
)

# Test prompts
validate_prompt(prompt="increase brightness and add noise")

# Process from URL (two-step)
session = load_image_for_processing(image_source="https://example.com/image.jpg")
# Use the returned session_id from the previous call
augment_image(session_id="<session_id>", prompt="add blur and rotate 10 degrees")

Features

• Natural Language Processing - Convert English descriptions to transforms

• Preset Pipelines - Pre-configured transforms for common use cases

• Reproducible Results - Seeding support for consistent outputs

• MCP Protocol Compliant - Full MCP implementation with tools, prompts, and resources

• Comprehensive Documentation - Built-in guides, examples, and troubleshooting resources

• Production Ready - Comprehensive testing, error handling, and structured logging

• Multi-Source Input - Works with local file paths, base64 payloads, and URLs (via loader)

Documentation

• Installation & Setup

• Architecture Overview

• Purpose & Rationale

• Preset Configurations

• Session Folders (outputs/) Guide

• Regex Security Analysis

• Design Philosophy

• Usage Examples

• VLM (Nano Banana/Gemini) Guide

• Troubleshooting

• Contributing

Configuration Files

• Claude Desktop Config

• Kiro IDE Config

• All Configuration Examples

• VLM Example Config

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

Contact: ramsi.kalia@gmail.com