Drive VidSeeds.ai - pre-upload video SEO & metadata optimization and multi-platform publishing - directly from your AI coding client.
VidSeeds.ai analyzes a creator's existing video and produces optimized titles, descriptions, tags, thumbnails, and chapters for YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and X, then publishes them. It is not a video generator or editor.
This repo is the public marketplace/catalog source for the hosted
MCP connector that exposes the VidSeeds.ai workflow
(247 tools, all prefixed vidseeds_). It ships the machine-readable metadata that
different clients expect:
| Client / catalog | What this repo provides |
|---|---|
| Claude Code | .claude-plugin/marketplace.json, .claude-plugin/plugin.json, .mcp.json, and workflow skills |
| Codex | .agents/plugins/marketplace.json, .codex-plugin/plugin.json, codex.mcp.json, and workflow skills |
| Official MCP Registry and downstream catalogs | root server.json for mcp-publisher and registry-compatible crawlers |
| ChatGPT | source metadata/assets plus docs for the separate Apps SDK endpoint at https://vidseeds.ai/api/mcp/chatgpt |
| Cursor and other MCP clients | copy-paste Streamable HTTP config for https://vidseeds.ai/api/mcp |
The connector ships no credentials - it tells your client how to call the hosted endpoint with a token you supply.
- Endpoint:
https://vidseeds.ai/api/mcp(MCP Streamable HTTP) - Auth (this plugin): Personal Access Token (
Authorization: Bearer vs_pat_…) - Auth (Claude.ai / Desktop): the same endpoint also supports OAuth 2.0 (PKCE + Dynamic Client Registration) - add it as a custom connector, no token needed. See the in-app guide below.
- ChatGPT App: a dedicated endpoint
https://vidseeds.ai/api/mcp/chatgptpowers the OpenAI ChatGPT App (Apps SDK) with rendered result widgets. Local-only tools (ffmpeg/ffprobe recipes, precision-trim, local-audio transcription) are hidden there since ChatGPT has no local shell - use this Claude Code / Codex plugin for those. ChatGPT distribution is through the ChatGPT Apps submission/directory flow, not by adding this Git repo as a custom marketplace. - Server:
vidseedsv1.9.2 (agent orientation: routing-first server instructions sized for client truncation limits, vidseeds_guide tool, workflow prompts)
More clients & a copy-paste walkthrough: the in-app setup guide at https://vidseeds.ai/settings/mcp-settings covers Claude.ai & Desktop (OAuth), Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and any other MCP client - with ready-to-copy snippets for each.
💳 Paid connector - 14-day free trial. The MCP server is available to paid VidSeeds.ai subscribers. Every account gets a 14-day free trial that starts on the first MCP connection - including older accounts that have never connected before; once it ends, an active subscription is required to keep using the connector. Manage plans at https://vidseeds.ai/pricing.
If you are editing the VidSeeds.ai source code: Do not keep the
vidseedsMCP server connected in the same coding agent session you use to work on this repository. The catalog (even with?toolset=core) is the product surface for operating on user videos/channels. It will consume context you need for the actual code changes. Use your agent's normal file system / grep / edit tools. Only connect the MCP (with?toolset=corerecommended) when you are specifically testing the MCP layer, a new tool, the route handler, etc. See the rootAGENTS.md"Context Hygiene" section.
- Sign in at https://vidseeds.ai (free account).
- Open Settings → MCP Settings: https://vidseeds.ai/settings/mcp-settings.
- Create a token and copy the secret (
vs_pat_…) - it is shown only once (90-day default expiry). - Expose it to your client as the
VIDSEEDS_PATenvironment variable (below).
🔒 The token value never belongs in any file. This package references it by name (
VIDSEEDS_PAT); your client injects the value from the environment at connect time. A leaked PAT grants full non-admin access to your account - treat it like a password.
ℹ️ Creating a token is free, but connecting requires a paid subscription or an active 14-day trial (see above). Beyond access, individual tools spend seeds from your balance (read-only tools are free) - connection access and per-tool seed cost are separate, both enforced server-side per call.
/plugin marketplace add CarrotGamesStudios/vidseeds-mcp
/plugin install vidseeds@vidseeds
Then make the token available in the environment Claude Code is launched from:
export VIDSEEDS_PAT="vs_pat_your_token_here"
claudeRun /mcp to confirm the vidseeds server is connected and listing tools. If you see an
auth error, VIDSEEDS_PAT was not set in the launching shell - export it and restart.
The plugin's
.mcp.jsoninjects your token viaBearer ${VIDSEEDS_PAT}- the same shape Anthropic's official GitHub connector uses. SetVIDSEEDS_PATbefore launching; if it is unset, Claude Code flags thevidseedsserver as needing configuration.
For a quick test without installing the plugin. Prefer Option A for daily use - it
keeps the token in the environment (VIDSEEDS_PAT) and reads it at runtime, instead
of writing the resolved token into ~/.claude.json.
Reference the env var rather than pasting the raw token, so the secret never lands in your shell history or terminal scrollback:
export VIDSEEDS_PAT="vs_pat_your_token_here"
claude mcp add --transport http vidseeds https://vidseeds.ai/api/mcp?toolset=core \
--header "Authorization: Bearer $VIDSEEDS_PAT"Codex does not yet offer self-serve central plugin publishing, so the most reliable path is to add the server to your Codex config.
[mcp_servers.vidseeds]
url = "https://vidseeds.ai/api/mcp"
bearer_token_env_var = "VIDSEEDS_PAT"Then export the token in the environment Codex runs in:
export VIDSEEDS_PAT="vs_pat_your_token_here"codex mcp add vidseeds --url https://vidseeds.ai/api/mcp?toolset=core --bearer-token-env-var VIDSEEDS_PATcodex plugin marketplace add CarrotGamesStudios/vidseeds-mcp
codex plugin add vidseeds@vidseedsThis repo also ships a Codex repo marketplace at .agents/plugins/marketplace.json and a
plugin manifest at .codex-plugin/plugin.json (MCP config in codex.mcp.json). Point a
Codex marketplace at this repo and install vidseeds with codex plugin add or via
codex → /plugins. The same
VIDSEEDS_PAT environment variable applies.
Add the server to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global) or .cursor/mcp.json (per project).
Cursor resolves ${env:…} in url / headers, so reference the token by name rather
than pasting the secret:
{
"mcpServers": {
"vidseeds": {
"url": "https://vidseeds.ai/api/mcp",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer ${env:VIDSEEDS_PAT}"
}
}
}
}Set VIDSEEDS_PAT in your environment, then enable the vidseeds server in
Cursor Settings → MCP. Tool names use the vidseeds_ prefix (underscore, not dot) .
Cursor rejects dotted names like vidseeds.generate_thumbnail.
The root server.json is the registry-compatible description of the hosted
remote server:
- Name:
io.github.CarrotGamesStudios/vidseeds-mcp - Remote:
streamable-httpathttps://vidseeds.ai/api/mcp - Auth header: required secret
Authorizationvalue, for exampleBearer vs_pat_your_token_here - Repository:
https://github.com/CarrotGamesStudios/vidseeds-mcp
Maintainership note: publish or republish server.json with the official mcp-publisher
CLI whenever the connector version, endpoint, auth requirements, or canonical description
changes. Directory sites that ingest the official registry can then discover VidSeeds.ai
without needing a Claude/Codex-specific plugin marketplace.
ChatGPT does not install this Git repo as a custom marketplace. Use the VidSeeds.ai ChatGPT
App once it is published in the ChatGPT Apps directory, or use a client that supports
custom MCP connectors with the hosted endpoint. The ChatGPT endpoint is
https://vidseeds.ai/api/mcp/chatgpt; it exposes the ChatGPT-safe subset of tools and
rendered widgets.
This plugin ships skills under skills/ so agents use MCP efficiently without guessing tool chains. Read vidseeds-efficiency before expensive workflows.
| Skill | When to use |
|---|---|
vidseeds-setup |
PAT/OAuth, trial, first connect |
vidseeds-efficiency |
Seeds, daily MCP quota, async polling |
vidseeds-thumbnails |
Generate, edit, studio, apply to project |
vidseeds-projects |
YouTube → project → metadata |
vidseeds-analytics |
Channel intel, autopsy, discovery |
vidseeds-local-video |
Local files, ffmpeg recipes, trim |
vidseeds-publishing |
Connections, preflight, publish |
Per-tool parameters and seed costs come from the hosted server's tools/list descriptions. Skills teach composition, not a full catalog. Maintainer sync: MAINTAINERS.md.
247 tools spanning the full VidSeeds.ai creator workflow:
| Area | Examples |
|---|---|
| Metadata optimization | titles, descriptions, tags, chapters; optimization history |
| Thumbnails | AI generation, edit, restyle; Thumbnail Studio (trends, briefs, subjects, overlay text, style profiles); publish to YouTube |
| Projects | create from a YouTube video, snapshots, apply thumbnail, per-platform config |
| Analytics & intelligence | channel/video analytics, channel intelligence, video autopsy, outlier detection, public-channel audit |
| Discovery & research | keyword research, trending videos, breakout channels, video ideas |
| Auto-clips | list/get saved shorts, edit metadata, caption style, reframe, download |
| Translation & captions | metadata localization (85 languages), caption upload/get/delete |
| Local video media | probe, frame/clip extraction, precision-trim & midroll analysis (commands run locally) |
| Publishing | platform connections, schedule/confirm publish, direct YouTube upload |
| Account | seed balance, subscription, referrals, support |
Seeds: some tools (thumbnail generation, AI intelligence, translation, …) spend seeds from your VidSeeds.ai balance. Read-only tools are free. Every tool's description states its cost; check
vidseeds_get_seed_balanceif unsure.
247 tools is a lot. When VidSeeds.ai connects to your MCP client, the full tool catalog (~46K tokens) loads into the agent's context. If your agent feels slow or overwhelmed, you can switch to a leaner toolset:
Add ?toolset=guide for the absolute minimum (only the orientation vidseeds_guide tool + instructions, ~1 tool).
Add ?toolset=core to reduce from ~247 to ~74 essential tools (~16K tokens) - the recommended default for most usage:
Claude Code (recommended for most):
claude mcp add --transport http vidseeds https://vidseeds.ai/api/mcp?toolset=core \
--header "Authorization: Bearer $VIDSEEDS_PAT"For ultra-light (guide only):
claude mcp add --transport http vidseeds https://vidseeds.ai/api/mcp?toolset=guide \
--header "Authorization: Bearer $VIDSEEDS_PAT"Cursor (recommended default):
{
"mcpServers": {
"vidseeds": {
"url": "https://vidseeds.ai/api/mcp?toolset=core",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer ${env:VIDSEEDS_PAT}"
}
}
}
}(Use ?toolset=guide for lightest.)
Codex (recommended):
[mcp_servers.vidseeds]
url = "https://vidseeds.ai/api/mcp?toolset=core"
bearer_token_env_var = "VIDSEEDS_PAT"Claude Desktop - add when defining the custom MCP connector:
URL: https://vidseeds.ai/api/mcp?toolset=core
⚠️ You can always upgrade back. If a core-only agent needs a tool not in the core set (e.g. deep intelligence, precision trim, comment management), just remove?toolset=corefrom the URL and reconnect. The full catalog is always available.
Tools that survive the core toolset: projects, metadata optimization, publishing,
thumbnails, basic analytics, channel management, translation, connections, billing,
and referrals. Everything else (deep intelligence, competitive research, local video
tools, admin, autoclips, bulk edit, comments, assistant workflows) is excluded.
Sometimes generalist agents fall back to writing raw python, ffmpeg command templates, or browser automation instead of the connected VidSeeds.ai tools. The server ships routing-first instructions sized for those truncation limits (v1.9.2), but you can make the routing deterministic by telling your client directly:
Claude.ai / Claude Desktop - paste into Settings → Profile → Preferences (applies everywhere) or your Project's custom instructions:
When my request involves my videos, channels, titles, descriptions, tags,
thumbnails, video SEO, keywords, analytics, comments, clips, captions,
translations, scheduling, or publishing, ALWAYS use the connected VidSeeds.ai
tools (vidseeds_*) first - search the available tools for "vidseeds" if none
are loaded. Do not use web search, browser automation, or general knowledge
for these tasks: VidSeeds.ai has authenticated access to my actual channel data,
transcripts, and analytics.
Claude Code - add the same block to your project's CLAUDE.md (or
~/.claude/CLAUDE.md for all projects).
Codex / Cursor - add it to AGENTS.md / project rules respectively.
Beyond per-tool seed costs, every MCP tool call - read or write - counts toward a generous daily platform-usage quota that refills continuously throughout the day. This keeps real production workloads (daily shorts, adjustments, polling, agent-driven investigations) comfortable on every plan, while pricing sustained high-volume scraping or abuse in real money.
| Plan | Included calls / day | Bucket cap |
|---|---|---|
| Sprout | 1,000 | 2,000 |
| Growth | 3,000 | 6,000 |
| Harvest | 8,000 | 16,000 |
| Agency | 20,000 | 40,000 |
| Trial | 1,000 | 1,000 |
- Continuous refill, not a midnight reset. Your bucket refills at the per-plan rate (e.g. Sprout = 1,000/day), accumulating up to the cap so a quiet day carries a reasonable burst into the next.
- Overage: once the bucket is empty, each additional tool call costs 1 seed
(
MCP_OVERAGE_SEED_COST), on top of any per-tool seed cost. The bucket keeps refilling, so you stop paying overage as soon as it tops up again. - Balance and cost reads are free and exempt -
vidseeds_get_seed_balanceandvidseeds_get_seed_balance_and_subscriptionnever consume a call or charge overage. - Check your remaining included calls any time with
vidseeds_get_seed_balance(it returns your daily refill, bucket cap, available included calls, and the overage rate).
If a call is over quota and your balance can't cover the 1-seed overage, the tool returns a clear
MCP_QUOTA_EXCEEDEDerror with a top-up link - no surprise charges.
YouTube rate-limits custom-thumbnail uploads separately from VidSeeds.ai seeds and
MCP call quota. For bulk thumbnail replacements, plan no more than about 100
thumbnail uploads per connected YouTube channel/account per rolling 24 hours.
If vidseeds_publish_thumbnail_to_youtube returns uploadRateLimitExceeded or
"too many thumbnails recently", stop the batch, save the next video id, and resume
later.
- This package contains no credentials. It declares how Claude Code / Codex should
call
https://vidseeds.ai/api/mcpwith a user-supplied PAT read fromVIDSEEDS_PAT. - Never commit, paste, or share a
vs_pat_…token. Rotate or revoke tokens at https://vidseeds.ai/settings/mcp-settings. - Cookie/session auth is rejected by the server by design - a PAT is the only accepted credential, so a misconfigured client can't piggyback on a dashboard login.
The plugin version tracks the VidSeeds.ai MCP connector package (currently 1.9.2 - routing-first server instructions sized for client truncation limits so tool-search clients default to VidSeeds tools, plus the vidseeds_guide tool, the vidseeds://guide resource, and workflow prompts).
The wildcard PAT scope reaches new tools automatically as the server grows, so existing
tokens keep working without being recreated.
- Product: https://vidseeds.ai
- MCP settings: https://vidseeds.ai/settings/mcp-settings
- MCP: https://modelcontextprotocol.io
MIT - see LICENSE.