mcp-see
Click on "Deploy Server".
Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state.
In the chat, type
@followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@mcp-seeDescribe the image at https://example.com/salad.jpg"
That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed.
Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.
mcp-see
An MCP server that gives AI agents eyes - the ability to observe and understand images without stuffing raw pixels into their context window.
Features
Multi-provider vision: Describe images using Gemini, OpenAI, or Claude
Object detection: Find objects with bounding boxes (Gemini only - native bbox support)
Hierarchical analysis: Detect regions, then zoom in for detail
Precise color extraction: K-Means clustering in LAB color space (runs locally, no API needed)
Color naming: Human-readable color names via color.pizza API
URL support: Analyze images directly from the web (http/https)
TL;DR: A Gemini API key gives you full functionality. OpenAI/Claude are optional alternatives for image description only.
Related MCP server: VisionPower
Installation
Install from npm:
npx @sanity-labs/mcp-seeOr install globally:
npm install -g @sanity-labs/mcp-seeOr clone and build locally:
git clone https://github.com/sanity-labs/mcp-see.git
cd mcp-see
npm install
npm run buildMCP Client Configuration
Claude Desktop
Add to your Claude Desktop config (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS):
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-see": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["@sanity-labs/mcp-see"],
"env": {
"GEMINI_API_KEY": "your-gemini-api-key"
}
}
}
}Get your Gemini API key from Google AI Studio.
With all providers (optional):
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-see": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["@sanity-labs/mcp-see"],
"env": {
"GEMINI_API_KEY": "your-gemini-api-key",
"OPENAI_API_KEY": "sk-...",
"ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "sk-ant-..."
}
}
}
}Enterprise/Vertex AI users:
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-see": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["@sanity-labs/mcp-see"],
"env": {
"GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT": "your-gcp-project-id"
}
}
}
}Requires ADC setup: gcloud auth application-default login
Other MCP Clients
The server runs on stdio transport. Configure your client to spawn npx @sanity-labs/mcp-see.
Tools
describe
Get an AI-generated description of an image.
Input:
{
"image": "/path/to/image.png or https://example.com/image.jpg",
"prompt": "What is shown in this image?",
"provider": "gemini",
"detail": "detailed"
}Example Output:
The image shows a vibrant and colorful salad bowl, viewed from directly above.
The bowl is made of a light brown, possibly biodegradable material. The salad
is composed of various ingredients arranged in distinct sections: two small
white peeled eggs, sliced red tomatoes topped with chopped green onions, cubed
seasoned tofu, bright green edamame beans, shredded purple cabbage, and
julienned carrots...detect
Detect objects and return bounding boxes. Uses Gemini for native bbox support.
Input:
{
"image": "/path/to/image.png",
"prompt": "find all TV screens"
}Example Output:
{
"count": 3,
"objects": [
{ "id": 1, "label": "television", "bbox": [178, 245, 433, 818] },
{ "id": 2, "label": "television", "bbox": [614, 518, 792, 898] },
{ "id": 3, "label": "television", "bbox": [617, 198, 792, 493] }
]
}Coordinates are [ymin, xmin, ymax, xmax] normalized 0-1000.
describe_region
Crop to a bounding box and describe that region in detail.
Input:
{
"image": "/path/to/image.png",
"bbox": [200, 200, 800, 800],
"prompt": "describe this in detail",
"provider": "gemini"
}Example Output:
{
"bbox": [200, 200, 800, 800],
"description": "The image showcases a vibrant and colorful salad bowl in close-up. The bowl contains fresh ingredients including cubed tofu with a seasoned exterior, bright green edamame, sliced tomatoes, and shredded purple cabbage..."
}analyze_colors
Extract dominant colors from a region using K-Means clustering in LAB color space.
Input:
{
"image": "/path/to/image.png",
"bbox": [100, 200, 400, 600],
"top": 5
}Example Output:
{
"dominant": [
{
"hex": "#e6e6e5",
"rgb": [230, 230, 229],
"hsl": { "h": 60, "s": 2, "l": 90 },
"name": "Ambience White",
"percentage": 75.91
},
{
"hex": "#b16c39",
"rgb": [177, 108, 57],
"hsl": { "h": 26, "s": 51, "l": 46 },
"name": "Ginger Dough",
"percentage": 15.91
}
],
"average": {
"hex": "#c4b8a8",
"rgb": [196, 184, 168],
"name": "Doeskin"
},
"confidence": "high",
"region": {
"bbox": [100, 200, 400, 600],
"size": [200, 150],
"totalPixels": 30000
}
}The confidence field indicates color precision:
high: Flat colors (UI elements) - clusters are tightmedium: Mixed contentlow: Photographs/gradients - colors are approximate
Workflows
Hierarchical Image Understanding
The power of mcp-see is in combining tools for progressive analysis:
1. describe(image)
→ "A shelf displaying various vintage electronics and TVs"
2. detect(image, "find all screens")
→ [{label: "television", bbox: [178, 245, 433, 818]}, ...]
3. describe_region(image, [178, 245, 433, 818])
→ "A vintage CRT television with wood grain casing, displaying
a test pattern. The screen shows horizontal color bars..."
4. analyze_colors(image, [178, 245, 433, 818])
→ dominant: ["#2b1810" Espresso Bean, "#c4a882" Sandcastle, ...]Design Reference Analysis
Extract implementation-ready specs from design mockups:
1. describe(image, "explain this UI to a web developer")
→ Layout structure, component hierarchy, spacing patterns
2. detect(image, "find all buttons")
→ Bounding boxes for each button
3. For each button:
- describe_region() → Button label, icon, state
- analyze_colors() → Exact color tokens for CSSAPI Keys
Quick Start: Gemini Only
For full functionality, you only need a Gemini API key:
Variable | Description |
| Get one from Google AI Studio |
This gives you access to all tools: describe, detect, describe_region, and analyze_colors.
Tool Availability by Provider
Tool | Gemini | OpenAI | Claude | No API |
| ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | |
| ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | |
| ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | |
| ✅ |
detect(object detection with bounding boxes) requires Gemini - it's the only provider with native bounding box supportanalyze_colorsruns locally using K-Means clustering - no API key needed
All Environment Variables
Variable | Required | Description |
| Recommended | API key from Google AI Studio. Enables all tools. |
| Alternative | GCP project ID for Vertex AI instead of Gemini API. Requires ADC setup ( |
| Optional | OpenAI API key for GPT-4o vision. Alternative provider for |
| Optional | Anthropic API key for Claude vision. Alternative provider for |
If both GEMINI_API_KEY and GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT are set, GEMINI_API_KEY takes precedence.
Technical Details
Color Extraction Algorithm
The analyze_colors tool uses K-Means clustering in LAB color space:
Convert pixels from RGB to LAB (perceptually uniform)
Subsample to 50k pixels for performance
K-Means++ initialization for better convergence
Cluster centroids become dominant colors
Convert back to RGB, name via color.pizza API
This approach groups perceptually similar colors together, working well for both flat UI colors and noisy photographs.
Bounding Box Format
All bounding boxes use [ymin, xmin, ymax, xmax] format with coordinates normalized to 0-1000. To convert to pixel coordinates:
const pixelX = (normalizedX / 1000) * imageWidth;
const pixelY = (normalizedY / 1000) * imageHeight;License
MIT
This server cannot be deployed
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