mcp-photo-edit

An installable MCP server for agent-driven photo editing with RawTherapee.

The server exposes a session-based editing workflow instead of raw sidecar manipulation. Agents create an edit session, apply structured adjustments, regenerate previews when needed, and export a final image. Installing mcp-photo-edit installs all Python runtime dependencies automatically; users only need Python, an MCP client, and RawTherapee.

Each session now also maintains an explicit undo / redo timeline in session.json. Semantic edit history is tracked separately from preview-render history.

Examples

The demo photographs are original work and are not covered by the GPL license. Commercial use is prohibited.

Example: Fujifilm Style (v0.2.0)

Compare the baseline image with the two Fujifilm-style outputs below. Each thumbnail links to the full-size file. One with advanced image info and the other off.

Prompt:

Apply a Fujifilm camera like profile to demo/cosplay.NEF. Apply a crop to focus on the center but keep the aspect ratio, export the result as demo/fujifilm_style.jpg

Before	Preview only	With diagnostics

Model: gemini-3.1-pro-preview

Example: CCD Style (v0.2.0)

This example compares advanced image info-assisted runs using the same source image, prompt but different models.

Prompt:

Apply a 2000s CCD camera like profile to demo/cosplay.NEF. Apply a crop to focus on the center but keep the aspect ratio, export the result as demo/ccd_style_gpt54_mini_medium.jpg

Main comparison:

Baseline	Gemini 3 Flash	Gemini 3.1 Pro	GPT-5.4 (Medium)	GPT-5.4 Mini (Medium)

Models: gemini-3-flash-preview, gemini-3.1-pro-preview, gpt-5.4 (medium), gpt-5.4-mini (medium)

Status

This is an MVP implementation.

Current focus:

• session-based editing flow
• structured adjustment schema
• rawtherapee-cli preview and export
• RAW and common raster inputs when supported by the local RawTherapee build

Not in scope:

• local masks
• healing / AI retouch
• full photo-editor feature coverage
• large preset libraries
• batch editing UX

Requirements

• Python 3.12+
• uv for the easiest install and run workflow, or pipx
• RawTherapee with rawtherapee-cli available on PATH, or an absolute executable path set in RAWTHERAPEE_CLI

Tested Environment

• OS: Windows 11 and Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
• RawTherapee: v5.12 on Windows; v5.10 on Ubuntu

Verify RawTherapee:

rawtherapee-cli -v

On Windows, if RawTherapee is installed but its directory is not on PATH, set the absolute executable path before starting the MCP client:

$env:RAWTHERAPEE_CLI = "C:\Program Files\RawTherapee\5.12\rawtherapee-cli.exe"

Install

Run the published package without cloning this repository:

uvx mcp-photo-edit

uvx creates and caches an isolated environment. All Python dependencies are resolved from the package metadata. To install the command persistently instead:

uv tool install mcp-photo-edit

Or use pipx:

pipx install mcp-photo-edit

After a persistent install, the executable is simply mcp-photo-edit.

MCP Quickstart

Example stdio configurations

Codex CLI

Add this block:

[mcp_servers.photo_edit]
command = "uvx"
args = ["mcp-photo-edit"]

[mcp_servers.photo_edit.env]
MCP_PHOTO_EDIT_WORKDIR = "/absolute/path/to/.mcp-photo-edit"

If you prefer to add it from the CLI instead of editing TOML manually:

codex mcp add photo-edit --env MCP_PHOTO_EDIT_WORKDIR=/absolute/path/to/.mcp-photo-edit -- uvx mcp-photo-edit

Verify the server is registered:

codex mcp list

Recommended AGENTS.md snippet for better tool selection:

Use the `photo-edit` MCP server for photo-editing tasks. Create an edit session first, iterate with previews, and export only when the preview looks correct.

Gemini CLI

Add this block:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "photo-edit": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["mcp-photo-edit"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_PHOTO_EDIT_WORKDIR": "/absolute/path/to/.mcp-photo-edit"
      },
      "timeout": 30000,
      "trust": true
    }
  }
}

Or add it from the CLI. This example writes to user config instead of project-local config:

gemini mcp add --scope user --transport stdio --env MCP_PHOTO_EDIT_WORKDIR=/absolute/path/to/.mcp-photo-edit --timeout 30000 --trust photo-edit uvx mcp-photo-edit

If you omit --scope user, Gemini CLI writes the MCP entry to project-local config by default.

Verify the configuration:

gemini mcp list

If Gemini shows the stdio server as disconnected, trust the current folder first:

gemini trust

Compatibility Note

RAW support depends on the local RawTherapee build and its bundled RAW decoders. A file extension being supported in principle does not guarantee that every camera or compression variant will decode on every machine. When diagnosing unsupported RAW files, check the installed RawTherapee version and the camera / compression mode used by the source file. For reference, this project is primarily developed and tested on the environment described in the Tested Environment section.

Note on Nikon RAW: Some compressed Nikon RAW formats (e.g., High Efficiency / HE* compression) may not be supported by the underlying libraries in current RawTherapee builds. If you encounter issues with Nikon files, try using uncompressed RAW or Lossless Compressed modes if available in-camera.

Advanced Image Info

The server can attach structured diagnostics to each preview:

• preview_path remains the primary image for aesthetic judgment.
• diagnostic_summary adds machine-readable stats for exposure, balance, and saturation.
• Set DISABLE_ADVANCED_IMAGE_INFO=true to turn the diagnostics off and keep the original preview-first workflow.

Available Tools

• create_edit_session
• get_edit_session
• render_preview
• apply_adjustments
• reset_adjustments
• undo_adjustment
• redo_adjustment
• export_image
• list_supported_adjustments

render_preview regenerates the current session preview, appends a new preview artifact, and returns the latest preview_count. undo_adjustment and redo_adjustment move the session cursor across committed edit states without creating new edit-history entries.

Typical Agent Workflow

1. Create a session from an input image.
2. Inspect the returned session state, including preview_path, preview_history, current adjustment state, and history cursor fields such as history_index, history_length, can_undo, and can_redo.
3. Apply one or more adjustments.
4. Use undo_adjustment or redo_adjustment when you need to move across committed edit steps.
5. Re-check the preview by calling render_preview whenever you want a fresh preview artifact and an explicit preview_count for the current step.
6. Export a final image explicitly.

See SKILL.md for an agent-facing usage guide.

Adjustment Model

The public API exposes a stable edit schema. It does not ask clients to hand-author backend profile files.

Current default-backend MVP adjustments:

• exposure
• contrast
• saturation
• rgb_mixer
• denoise_luma
• denoise_detail
• denoise_chroma
• color_temperature
• green_balance
• highlights
• shadows
• sharpen_amount
• sharpen_radius
• sharpen_contrast
• orientation
• crop

Use list_supported_adjustments to discover exact ranges, defaults, and example payloads at runtime.

list_supported_adjustments is the source of truth for the installed renderer's runtime capabilities.

Session History

• session.json is the authoritative session timeline.
• history stores committed semantic edit steps.
• history_index points to the current step.
• state.json is the current renderer-neutral service request state.
• render_preview appends preview artifacts but does not append semantic edit history.
• Applying a new edit after undo truncates the redo tail.

Project Layout

src/mcp_photo_edit/
  interfaces.py    Backend protocols
  backend.py       Local file editing backend
  models.py        Pydantic schemas and validation
  session.py       Session lifecycle and persistence
  server.py        MCP tool registration
tests/
skills/

Development

Install dev dependencies:

uv sync --dev

Run tests:

uv run pytest

Start the server over stdio:

uv run mcp-photo-edit

This repository is self-contained for development. uv sync --dev resolves all declared Python dependencies automatically.

Disclaimers

• This project invokes rawtherapee-cli; it does not embed or redistribute RawTherapee internals.
• Exact visual behavior depends on the local RawTherapee version, decoder support, ICC setup, and the input file.
• The server never modifies the original source image. It writes session artifacts and backend state files in a managed workspace.