alttextai/alttext-mcp

An MCP server that lets AI assistants generate alt text, manage image libraries, and queue alt text generation for web page images using the AltText.ai API.
Works with Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, and any MCP-compatible client.
Verify this package
This server runs npx -y @alttext_ai/alttext-mcp, which downloads and executes code with your API key in its environment. That's worth a moment of verification before you install — by you or by an AI agent doing the setup. Everything below should match:
| Signal | Value |
|--------|-------|
| npm package | @alttext_ai/alttext-mcp |
| Source repository | github.com/alttextai/alttext-mcp |
| Publisher | AltText.ai |
| Provenance | Published from this repo's CI with npm provenance — npm shows a verified build badge linking the package to this exact commit |
**The npm scope is @alttext_ai (with an underscore), while the GitHub org is alttextai (no underscore).** This is intentional, not a typosquat: the @alttextai npm scope was already taken, so we publish under @alttext_ai. The two names refer to the same official AltText.ai package.
To cryptographically verify the published package was built by this repo's CI — not just trust the metadata — run:
from a project where the package is installed. This validates the registry signature **and** the npm provenance attestation, which links the tarball to a specific commit and GitHub Actions build. A counterfeit package can forge repository.url and other metadata, but it cannot forge the provenance attestation — so this is the check that actually matters.
(For a quick, weaker cross-reference of the *claimed* source you can run npm view @alttext_ai/alttext-mcp repository.url, but note that field is publisher-controlled metadata and proves nothing on its own.)
Pinning a version
The setup snippet uses npx -y @alttext_ai/alttext-mcp, which always resolves to the latest published version and re-runs it on every launch. That keeps you current, but it also means a future release runs automatically without review. If you want a reproducible, audited install, pin a specific version:
Run npm audit signatures against the pinned version, and bump it deliberately when you're ready to take a new release.
Setup
**Requirements:** Node.js 22+ and an AltText.ai API key
Add the server to your MCP client configuration:
**Where to add this:**
| Client | Config file |
|--------|-------------|
| Claude Desktop | claude_desktop_config.json |
| Claude Code | .mcp.json in your project root |
| Cursor | MCP settings in the Cursor preferences |
| Windsurf | MCP settings in the Windsurf preferences |
Command-line tool
The same operations are available as the alttext command, which also manages an account's site API keys with a full-access key. See packages/cli/README.md for commands, flags and exit codes.
Once @alttext_ai/cli is released on npm:
Until then, build it from a clone of this repo:
Agent skill
skills/alttext teaches Claude Code, Codex and other coding agents to drive the alttext CLI: checking whoami first, parsing --json, dry-running and asking before a rotate, revoke or delete, keeping tokens out of the conversation, and the reseller workflows for onboarding, billing and leaked keys. The skill contains no credentials, and it tells the agent to have you run alttext login yourself rather than paste a key into chat. It needs the CLI installed.
With npx skills, for any supported agent:
As a Claude Code plugin, from this repo's plugin marketplace:
Or in one step inside a Claude Code session (2.1.275 or later): /plugin install alttext --marketplace alttextai/alttext-mcp.