# Frenchie

**Category:** 🎙️ Speech-to-Text  
**Repository:** https://github.com/Lab94/frenchie-skill  
**Views:** 0  
**Installs:** 0  
**Upvotes:** 0  
**Directory Page:** https://allmcps.com/mcp/frenchie

## Description
OCR, transcription, and image generation for AI agents via MCP.

## Claude Desktop Quick Installation
Heuristic fallback — verify the package name and runner against the repository README before running it. Uses `npx` (confidence: low):

```json
"mcpServers": {
  "frenchie": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["-y","frenchie"]
  }
}
```

## Documentation & README

[![Frenchie — your agent's best friend.](https://getfrenchie.dev/brand/frenchie-readme-wordmark.svg)](https://getfrenchie.dev)

[![smithery badge](https://smithery.ai/badge/lab94/frenchie)](https://smithery.ai/servers/lab94/frenchie)

# @lab94/frenchie

**Frenchie — your agent's best friend.**

Install Frenchie in your coding agent with one command. Frenchie Kit gives agents file and multimodal capabilities: read PDFs and images, transcribe audio and video, extract Office/CSV files to Markdown, and generate images from text prompts. Frenchie Method gives teams a structured workflow from requirement to release.

> **Upgrading from 0.1.x or 0.2.x?** See [MIGRATION.md](./MIGRATION.md) for the breaking changes in 0.3.0 (stdio metadata-only responses, absolute-path MCP configs, new `mcp --help` / `--selftest` flags).

This package ships:

- Frenchie **Kit** (`/ocr`, `/transcribe`, `/extract`, `/generate-image`, `/frenchie-status` commands + HTTP/stdio MCP guidance)
- Frenchie **Method** (`/frenchie-method`, `/requirement`, `/qa-analysis`, `/implement`, `/run-test`, `/pr-review`, `/release-check`, and related workflow commands)
- The Frenchie **stdio MCP server** (`lab94-frenchie mcp`) bundled for `npx`
- An **installer** that wires skills and MCP config into your agent

## Quick start

### 1. Install the skills

From the root of your project:

```bash
npx @lab94/frenchie install
```

This installs Frenchie Kit and Frenchie Method skills. Method is text-only and works without an API key.

Optional Method config:

```bash
npx @lab94/frenchie install --init-method
```

This creates `.frenchie/method.config.json` and `.frenchie/.gitignore`; it does not edit your root `.gitignore`.

### 2. Log in for Kit MCP tools when you need file or image capabilities

Create an account at [getfrenchie.dev](https://getfrenchie.dev). You get **100 free credits on your first signup, once per email**. No card required.

Then connect your local agent:

```bash
npx @lab94/frenchie login
```

The login command opens a browser device-code flow, then writes `FRENCHIE_API_KEY` into the MCP config the installer created. The full key is never printed.

Fallback if you already have a key from the dashboard:

```bash
npx @lab94/frenchie install --api-key fr_your_key_here
```

To target a specific agent:

```bash
npx @lab94/frenchie login --agent claude
npx @lab94/frenchie login --agent cursor
npx @lab94/frenchie login --agent codex
npx @lab94/frenchie login --agent vscode
npx @lab94/frenchie login --agent gemini
```

User-level installs (Antigravity, Windsurf, Zed, Claude Desktop) need the `--global` flag — auto-detect never writes under `$HOME`:

```bash
npx @lab94/frenchie login --agent antigravity   --global
npx @lab94/frenchie login --agent windsurf       --global
npx @lab94/frenchie login --agent zed            --global
npx @lab94/frenchie login --agent claude-desktop --global
```

Fallback with an existing key:

```bash
npx @lab94/frenchie install --agent claude        --api-key fr_…
npx @lab94/frenchie install --agent codex         --api-key fr_…
npx @lab94/frenchie install --agent antigravity   --global --api-key fr_…
npx @lab94/frenchie install --agent claude-desktop --global --api-key fr_…
```

After login, your agent can call `ocr_to_markdown`, `transcribe_to_markdown`, `extract_to_markdown`, or `generate_image`. OCR/transcription/extraction results are saved to `.frenchie/<name>/result.md` automatically; generated images are saved to `.frenchie/<slug>/generated.<ext>`.

### Upgrading later

When a new Frenchie version ships, the pinned package spec inside each MCP config (`@lab94/frenchie@0.5.0`) needs to point at the new version so `npx` stops serving a cached older bundle. Two upgrade commands cover everything:

```bash
# Project-scoped configs in this directory (.mcp.json, .cursor/mcp.json, .codex/config.toml, etc.)
npx @lab94/frenchie@latest install

# Every $HOME config that already has a frenchie entry — Antigravity, Claude Desktop, Windsurf, Zed,
# and any global Claude Code / Cursor / Codex / Gemini configs you set up. cwd doesn't matter.
npx @lab94/frenchie@latest install --global
```

`install --global` is upgrade-mode: it only rewrites `frenchie` entries that already exist. It will not surprise-install anything new under `$HOME`. First-time global installs still go through `install --agent <name> --global`.

### 3. Restart your agent

The installer prints the restart hint for your agent. After that, ask:

```
OCR ./report.pdf with Frenchie
```

…and Frenchie takes it from there.

For workflow orchestration, ask:

```txt
/frenchie-method
```

`/frenchie` remains the Kit entrypoint in agents that use a single Frenchie command. It is not an alias for Method.

## Hosted agents (Lovable, Manus, Claude.ai, ChatGPT.com, Le Chat)

These agents can't run local npm binaries. Use the hosted MCP endpoint instead:

```
URL:    https://mcp.getfrenchie.dev
Header: Authorization: Bearer fr_your_key_here
```

The same `@lab94/frenchie` skill files work in HTTP mode — install them once with `install --agent <name>` and the included SKILL.md will tell the agent to upload files via `upload_file` before calling OCR/transcription/extraction. Image generation does not need an upload step in HTTP mode; it returns a short-lived `imageUrl` that the agent should download for the user.

## What you get

### Frenchie Kit

| Command | What it does |
|---------|-------------|
| `/ocr <file>` | Parse a PDF or image into Markdown |
| `/transcribe <file>` | Parse audio or video into a Markdown transcript |
| `/extract <file>` | Parse DOCX, XLSX, CSV, TSV, or PPTX into Markdown |
| `/generate-image <prompt>` | Generate a single image from a text prompt |
| `/frenchie-status` | Check credits and recent jobs |

Under the hood, Frenchie exposes these MCP tools:

- `ocr_to_markdown`
- `transcribe_to_markdown`
- `extract_to_markdown`
- `generate_image`
- `get_job_result`
- `upload_file` (HTTP mode only)
- `fetch_result_file` (HTTP mode only)

### Frenchie Method

Slash notation is the canonical Method command name. Claude Code reads command
files directly. Codex Desktop gets the same entries through wrapper skills such
as `requirement` and `qa-analysis`; restart Codex after install before trying
`/requirement`. Hosts without slash support can use natural language such as
`Frenchie Method requirement ...`.

| Command | What it does |
|---------|-------------|
| `/frenchie-method` | Route a task through Method from requirement to release |
| `/method-check` | Validate Method config, artifacts, gates, and next action |
| `/requirement` | Turn a request into scoped requirements |
| `/qa-analysis` / `/test-case` | Design proof before implementation planning |
| `/sa-analysis` / `/implementation-plan` | Analyze architecture and implementation approach |
| `/implement` | Execute from Method artifacts using the current agent |
| `/run-test` | Run repo-declared verification and write a test report |
| `/pr-review` / `/review-pr` | Review the result, tests, security, and artifact drift |
| `/release-check` | Read-only release readiness gate |

Method stores optional workflow artifacts under `.frenchie/docs/feature/`. `install --init-method` also writes a visible `skillTriggers` skeleton in `.frenchie/method.config.json`; command keys are empty slots teams can fill with installed agent skills, for example `"requirement": ["brainstorming"]`. Teams decide whether to commit or ignore Method config and artifacts.

## Invocation — how to call Frenchie in each agent

Every agent handles MCP a little differently. `/ocr` is a Claude Code-only slash command; Method slash commands are host-dependent and use Codex wrapper skills outside Claude Code. Other agents use natural language, `@`-mention, or a server-name slash command. All facts below are dogfood-verified.

| Agent | Invoke | Full guide |
|-------|--------|------------|
| Claude Code | `/ocr TOR.pdf` | [docs](https://getfrenchie.dev/docs/tools/claude-code) |
| Cursor | `Use Frenchie to OCR TOR.pdf` | [docs](https://getfrenchie.dev/docs/tools/cursor) |
| Codex (Desktop / CLI / IDE) | Kit: `/frenchie TOR.pdf` · `@frenchie ocr TOR.pdf`; Method: `/requirement` after restart, or `Frenchie Method requirement ...` | [docs](https://getfrenchie.dev/docs/tools/codex) |
| Antigravity | `/frenchie TOR.pdf` (invokes by server name) | [docs](https://getfrenchie.dev/docs/tools/antigravity) |
| VS Code Copilot | `/frenchie TOR.pdf` | [docs](https://getfrenchie.dev/docs/tools/vscode) |
| Claude Desktop | `Use Frenchie to OCR TOR.pdf` | [docs](https://getfrenchie.dev/docs/tools/claude-desktop) |
| Windsurf | `OCR TOR.pdf via Frenchie` | [docs](https://getfrenchie.dev/docs/tools/windsurf) |
| Gemini CLI | `OCR TOR.pdf with Frenchie` | [docs](https://getfrenchie.dev/docs/tools/gemini-cli) |
| Zed | `OCR TOR.pdf via Frenchie` | [docs](https://getfrenchie.dev/docs/tools/zed) |

Something not working? See the [symptom-first troubleshooting guide](https://getfrenchie.dev/docs/troubleshooting) — every error we've hit in dogfood has a canonical entry.

## Pricing

Simple numbers. No subscriptions.

File extraction pricing: DOCX 0.5 credits per page, XLSX 0.5 credits per sheet, CSV/TSV 0.5 credits per file, PPTX 1 credit per slide.

| Action | Cost |
|--------|------|
| OCR | 1 credit per page |
| Transcription | 2 credits per minute |
| DOCX extraction | 0.5 credits per page |
| XLSX extraction | 0.5 credits per sheet |
| CSV/TSV extraction | 0.5 credits per file |
| PPTX extraction | 1 credit per slide |
| Image generation | 20 credits per image |

**$1 = 100 credits.** Credits don't expire.

## Privacy

Files are processed and deleted. Results expire about 30 minutes after first delivery. If you need a durable copy, save the Markdown when it comes back.

## Supported formats

**OCR:** PDF, PNG, JPG, JPEG, WebP

**Transcription:** MP3, M4A, WAV, MP4, MOV, WebM

**File extraction:** DOCX, XLSX, CSV, TSV, PPTX

**Image generation:** PNG, JPEG, WebP output from text prompts

## Need help?

- [Docs](https://getfrenchie.dev/docs)
- [Dashboard](https://getfrenchie.dev/dashboard)
- [LAB94](https://lab94.io)
- [support@getfrenchie.dev](mailto:support@getfrenchie.dev)