GIMP
MCP server that bridges GIMP 3.0 with natural language commands, enabling conversational image editing through Claude Desktop and other MCP clients. Exposes GIMP's full PyGObject API for AI-powered image manipulation.
What is GIMP?
GIMP is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to mcp server that bridges gimp 3.0 with natural language commands, enabling conversational image editing through claude desktop and other mcp clients. exposes gimp's full pygobject api for ai-powered im...
MCP server that bridges GIMP 3.0 with natural language commands, enabling conversational image editing through Claude Desktop and other MCP clients. Exposes GIMP's full PyGObject API for AI-powered image manipulation.
This server falls under the Developer Tools category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- MCP server that bridges GIMP 3.0 with natural language comma
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx gimpConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use GIMP
gimp-mcp is a Model Context Protocol server that bridges GIMP 3.0's full PyGObject API to AI assistants, enabling conversational image editing through Claude Desktop, Gemini CLI, and other MCP clients. It exposes 56 dedicated tools covering layers, selections, transforms, filters, color adjustments, drawing, text, file I/O, and a live snapshot tool that captures the current image state as a PNG mid-workflow so the AI can verify each edit before proceeding. This makes it possible to describe complex multi-step image manipulations in natural language and have GIMP execute them with live visual feedback.
Prerequisites
- GIMP 3.2 or later (tested on GIMP 3.2.2) installed on your machine
- Python 3.8 or later
- The uv package manager (pip install uv)
- An MCP-compatible AI client: Claude Desktop, Gemini CLI, or similar
- The gimp-mcp repository cloned locally (no published pip package)
Clone the repository
Pull the gimp-mcp source code. You will need the full path to this directory for the GIMP plugin installer and the MCP client config.
git clone https://github.com/maorcc/gimp-mcp.git
cd gimp-mcpInstall Python dependencies
Use uv to install the server's Python dependencies inside the project directory.
uv syncInstall the GIMP plugin
Run the installation script, which auto-detects your GIMP 3.x configuration directory and deploys the plugin there. On Windows, copy the plugin file manually to %APPDATA%\GIMP\<VERSION>\plug-ins\gimp-mcp-plugin\.
# macOS / Linux
python install_plugin.py
# Windows (PowerShell)
Copy-Item -Recurse gimp-mcp-plugin "$env:APPDATA\GIMP\3.2\plug-ins\"Start the MCP server inside GIMP
Restart GIMP after installing the plugin, then go to Tools > MCP > Start MCP Server. GIMP must be running with the server active for the MCP client to connect.
Configure your MCP client
Add gimp-mcp to your Claude Desktop (or other client) config. Use the full absolute path to the gimp-mcp directory.
{
"mcpServers": {
"gimp": {
"command": "uv",
"args": [
"run",
"--directory", "/full/path/to/gimp-mcp",
"gimp_mcp_server.py"
]
}
}
}GIMP Examples
Client configuration
Claude Desktop config pointing at a locally cloned gimp-mcp repository.
{
"mcpServers": {
"gimp": {
"command": "uv",
"args": [
"run",
"--directory", "/Users/yourname/Projects/gimp-mcp",
"gimp_mcp_server.py"
]
}
}
}Prompts to try
Describe image edits in natural language. The AI uses GIMP's 56 tools and the get_state_snapshot feedback loop to verify each step.
- "Open portrait.jpg, remove the background, and export as portrait-nobg.png"
- "Boost the contrast by 30, shift the hue 15 degrees warmer, then show me a before/after zoom"
- "Add a text layer saying 'Hello World' in white 48pt at the top centre of the image"
- "Scale the image to 800x600 pixels and apply a slight Gaussian blur"
- "Create a new 1920x1080 canvas with a dark-to-light blue gradient background"Troubleshooting GIMP
MCP client cannot connect to GIMP
Ensure GIMP is open and you have clicked Tools > MCP > Start MCP Server before launching the MCP client. The plugin must be actively running inside GIMP for the TCP connection to succeed.
Plugin does not appear in GIMP's Tools menu after installation
Verify the plugin was installed in the correct GIMP configuration directory. GIMP creates a new directory for each minor version (e.g. 3.2, 3.4). Re-run install_plugin.py after upgrading GIMP, then restart GIMP.
uv run command fails with dependency errors
Run uv sync inside the gimp-mcp directory to install all dependencies. If errors persist, check that your Python version is 3.8 or later: python --version.
Frequently Asked Questions about GIMP
What is GIMP?
GIMP is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that mcp server that bridges gimp 3.0 with natural language commands, enabling conversational image editing through claude desktop and other mcp clients. exposes gimp's full pygobject api for ai-powered image manipulation. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install GIMP?
Follow the installation instructions on the GIMP GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with GIMP?
GIMP works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is GIMP free to use?
Yes, GIMP is open source and available under the GPL 3.0 license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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Set Up GIMP in Your Editor
Choose your AI client for step-by-step setup instructions.
Quick Config Preview
Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json
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