Pixel Surgeon MCP vs Vicsee MCP Server
A side-by-side look at the Pixel Surgeon MCP and Vicsee MCP Server MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Pixel Surgeon MCP for art & culture work as a local process; choose Vicsee MCP Server for art & culture as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Pixel Surgeon MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Art & Culture domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You have the keys it needs:
GOOGLE_API_KEY, OPENAI_API_KEY, XAI_API_KEY. - You want tools like
list_images, save_image, generate_images.
Choose Vicsee MCP Server when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Art & Culture domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You have the keys it needs:
VICSEE_API_KEY. - You want tools like
vicsee_list_models, vicsee_estimate, vicsee_generate.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Art & Culture | Art & Culture |
| Quality signal | 56/100 · Good | 64/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | API key required | API key required |
| Pricing | BYOK (pay the provider) | Paid service |
| Required env vars | GOOGLE_API_KEYOPENAI_API_KEYXAI_API_KEY | VICSEE_API_KEY |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 5 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 4 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 11 | 8 |
| Full listing | View Pixel Surgeon MCP | View Vicsee MCP Server |
Tools & capabilities
Pixel Surgeon MCP tools 11
list_imagesList image and video files in the shared pixel-surgeon directory (/home/user/Pictures/pixel-surgeon). Use this to find images available for editing.save_imageCopy an image file into the shared pixel-surgeon directory (/home/user/Pictures/pixel-surgeon) so it can be used with edit_image. Use this when the user wants to edit an image that exists elsewhere on their filesystem.generate_imagesGenerate multiple images in parallel. Supports Gemini and OpenAI models — pass the model param to choose. Returns the generated images and any accompanying text. Full-resolution images are viewable in the browser viewer.generate_imageGenerate a single image. Supports Gemini and OpenAI models — pass the model param to choose. Full-resolution image is viewable in the browser viewer.generate_videoGenerate a video using Google's Veo 3. Returns an MP4 video file. Video generation takes 1-3 minutes — the tool will poll until complete. Veo 3 generates both video and ambient audio. Videos are saved to the shared directory and viewable in the browser viewer.edit_imageEdit an existing image. Supports Gemini and OpenAI models — pass the model param to choose. Provide the filename of an image in /home/user/Pictures/pixel-surgeon (use list_images to see available files, or save_image to import one first). The MCP reads the file directly — do NOT pass base64 image data.fix_imageFix an image that has glitched or garbled text by splitting it into tiles, re-rendering each tile, and stitching them back together. This works because smaller sections have less text for the model to handle at once. Use this when a generated image has text artifacts or overloaded text regions.fix_regionFix a specific region of an image by cropping it out, sending it for repair, and reinserting it. The crop is automatically snapped to the nearest supported aspect ratio. Use this when only part of an image has glitched text or artifacts — more precise than fix_image's grid approach.interactive_fixOpens an image in a browser-based crop tool where the user can draw a rectangle around the region to fix, add notes/instructions, and submit. The tool waits for the user's selection, then sends the cropped region for repair and composites it back into the original image. Best for precise, user-guided fixes.remove_backgroundRemove a background color from an image and make it transparent. Outputs a PNG with alpha channel. The image must already exist in /home/user/Pictures/pixel-surgeon (use save_image to import first).trace_to_svgConvert a raster image to SVG using potrace vectorization. Best for line art, diagrams, logos, and high-contrast images. The image must already exist in /home/user/Pictures/pixel-surgeon (use save_image to import first).
Vicsee MCP Server tools 8
vicsee_list_modelsList available VicSee models with their capabilities and credit costs. Call this first to find a model id to pass to vicsee_generate. Optionally filter by media type.vicsee_estimateReturn the EXACT credits a vicsee_generate call will charge, without generating anything. Takes the same arguments as vicsee_generate. The server runs the identical validation, model/resolution resolution and per-second billing (probing any reference video for its length) and stops before the charge, so `credits` is what vicsee_generate will deduct. Also returns `resolvedParams` (the settings that will actually apply, including defaults you did not send), `creditsRemaining` and `sufficient`. Call this before vicsee_generate whenever the user cares about cost, is comparing models, or is attaching a video reference (per-second billing across input + output). Invalid requests return the same error vicsee_generate would, so it also works as a free dry run.vicsee_generateCreate an AI image or video with VicSee. Generation is ASYNCHRONOUS: this returns a task `id` immediately, then poll `vicsee_get_task` with that id until status is "completed" (the result URL appears in result.url) or "failed". Use vicsee_list_models to pick a `model` and see its valid options. For image-to-video / image-to-image, pass source images in `image_urls`. For reference-to-video models (e.g. "seedance-2-5-reference-to-video"), pass references in reference_image_urls / reference_video_urls / reference_audio_urls and refer to them positionally in the prompt as @Image1, @Image2, … For native 2K output at the best value per second use the "minimax-h3-*" models (MiniMax H3, also called Hailuo 03): 4-15s, 768P/2K, always-on stereo audio, billed per second (25 credits/s at 768P, 40 at 2K). Note "minimax-h3-image-to-video" takes the first frame in image_urls[0] and an optional last frame in image_urls[1], and has NO aspect_ratio parameter — the ratio follows the frames; "minimax-h3-reference-to-video" requires at least one image OR video reference (audio alone is rejected) and accepts at most 5 reference images. For clips longer than 15 seconds use the "seedance-2-5-*" models, which generate up to 30 seconds (480p/720p only, no 1080p or 4K); the "seedance-2-0-*" models cap at 15 seconds but add 1080p and 4K. Note that supplying a video reference switches billing to per-second across input + output, so a long reference clip costs considerably more than the duration table suggests. When cost matters, call vicsee_estimate with the same arguments FIRST — it returns the exact credits this call will charge and creates nothing. IMAGE inputs (image_urls, reference_image_urls) may be a public https URL, a local file path (this server reads and base64-encodes it for you), or a base64 data URI. VIDEO/AUDIO inputs (reference_video_urls, reference_audio_urls) must be public https URLs. For video-edit models (e.g. "happyhorse-video-edit"), pass the source clip in video_url and optionally set audio_setting ("auto" or "origin"). Input images must have an aspect ratio between 0.4 and 2.5 (width÷height) and at most 36MP — wide-strip composites (e.g. 3:1) are rejected; use a 2×2 grid layout instead. On "failed" tasks, read error.key and error.message from vicsee_get_task — they state the actual reason (do not guess).vicsee_get_taskPoll a generation or upscale task by its id. IMPORTANT: finished media URLs are kept for 7 days only — result.expires_at is the exact time the URL stops working; download or re-host anything the user wants to keep. status is one of "pending" | "processing" | "queued" | "completed" | "failed". When "completed", the media URL is in result.url (videos/images) or result.songs (music). When "failed", details are in error. Poll every few seconds until completed or failed.vicsee_upscale_imageUpscale a publicly accessible image (JPEG/PNG/WebP). Asynchronous: returns a task id — poll vicsee_get_task until completed. upscale_factor defaults to "2" (max "4"). Credits are tiered by OUTPUT size (input megapixels × factor²): ≤24MP = 20, ≤48MP = 40, ≤96MP = 80; outputs above 96MP are rejected.vicsee_upscale_videoUpscale a publicly accessible video (MP4/MOV/MKV, up to 60s). Asynchronous: returns a task id — poll vicsee_get_task until completed. upscale_factor defaults to "2".vicsee_get_creditsGet the current VicSee credit balance for the configured API key.vicsee_uploadUpload a LOCAL file (image, video, or audio) from this machine and get back a public https URL. Use the returned url as an input for vicsee_generate — e.g. drop it into reference_image_urls for a reference-to-video storyboard, or image_urls for image-to-video. PREFER this over inline base64 for references: large base64 strings get truncated in tool-call output and the model rejects them. The file uploads directly to storage; only its public URL comes back.
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Pixel Surgeon MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"j-east-pixel-surgeon-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"pixel-surgeon-mcp"
],
"env": {
"GOOGLE_API_KEY": "YOUR_GOOGLE_API_KEY_HERE",
"OPENAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENAI_API_KEY_HERE",
"XAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_XAI_API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Vicsee MCP Server
{
"mcpServers": {
"vicseeai-vicsee-mcp-server": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@vicsee/mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"VICSEE_API_KEY": "YOUR_VICSEE_API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Pixel Surgeon MCP is categorized under Art & Culture and uses a local stdio subprocess. Vicsee MCP Server belongs to Art & Culture and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Pixel Surgeon MCP for art & culture work and Vicsee MCP Server for art & culture.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
Pixel Surgeon MCP is bring-your-own-key: usage is billed by the API provider you supply a key for. Auth: api key required. Vicsee MCP Server is listed as a paid service. Auth: api key required. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add j-east-pixel-surgeon-mcp and vicseeai-vicsee-mcp-server as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Pixel Surgeon MCP has a quality signal of 56/100 (Good) with 2 views, 0 installs and 5 GitHub stars. Vicsee MCP Server has 64/100 (Good) with 4 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.