MCP setup - ElarisLabs

Connect Creative Studio to your agent in three steps. Every API key is bound to one brand. Discovery tools are free. Generation tools deduct credits from that brand’s balance.

Create an API key

Open your profile and go to API keys / MCP.

Pick a brand.
Set an expiry and a spend cap.
Copy the key (elx_live_...). It is shown only once.

Add the server to your client

Paste the config below into your MCP client. Use your key in the Authorization: Bearer header.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "elarislabs": {
      "url": "https://studio.elarislabs.ai/api/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer elx_live_YOUR_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "elarislabs": {
      "url": "https://studio.elarislabs.ai/api/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer elx_live_YOUR_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart and prompt

Restart the client and enable the server in settings. Then ask in plain language:

“List available image models, then generate a product shot with flux-2-flash.”

Start with free tools like list_models and list_brands to confirm the connection before running paid generation.

How do I set up Claude Desktop?

Works with Claude Desktop on macOS and Windows. It requires a recent version with remote MCP (URL) support.

Option A. Remote URL (recommended)

Open the config

Open Claude Desktop, then go to Settings > Developer > Edit Config. This opens claude_desktop_config.json.

Find the config file

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Add the server

Replace the token with your key.

claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "elarislabs": {
      "url": "https://studio.elarislabs.ai/api/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer elx_live_YOUR_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude

Save, then fully quit and restart Claude Desktop. Do not just close the window. Open a new chat and the ElarisLabs tools appear in the tools panel.

Option B. stdio bridge (older Claude builds)

If your Claude version does not support remote url servers, use the mcp-remote npm package as a local bridge.

claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "elarislabs": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://studio.elarislabs.ai/api/mcp",
        "--header",
        "Authorization: Bearer elx_live_YOUR_KEY_HERE"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Requires Node.js 18+ installed. The bridge forwards stdio to HTTP so Claude can talk to the remote server.

How do I set up Cursor?

Cursor has first-class MCP support. Use Agent mode so the model can call tools on its own.

Global vs project config

Scope	File	When to use
Global	`~/.cursor/mcp.json`	Available in every project on your machine
Project	`.cursor/mcp.json` in repo root	Share with teammates via git. Use env vars for secrets

Edit your config

Create or edit your MCP config file.

Add the server

.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "elarislabs": {
      "url": "https://studio.elarislabs.ai/api/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer elx_live_YOUR_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Enable it

Open Cursor Settings > MCP. Confirm elarislabs is listed and the toggle is on (green). A red dot means the server failed to connect. See Troubleshooting.

Use Agent mode

Open Agent mode, not Ask. Then prompt in plain language. The agent discovers tools on its own. You do not need to mention the server unless you want to force it.

Try a prompt

“Use list_models to show image models, then generate_image with flux-2-flash. A neon city skyline at dusk.”

Keep secrets out of git (project-level config)

Cursor supports environment variable interpolation in mcp.json. Set ELARIS_MCP_KEY in your shell or .env, then reference it.

.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "elarislabs": {
      "url": "https://studio.elarislabs.ai/api/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${env:ELARIS_MCP_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

What about other MCP clients?

Any client that supports remote MCP (URL plus headers) can use the same config block. The JSON shape is always mcpServers then { name: { url, headers } }.

Claude Code (CLI)

Add to ~/.claude/settings.json or project .mcp.json. It uses the same structure as Claude Desktop. Run claude mcp list to verify.

Windsurf

Open Windsurf Settings > Cascade > MCP and add a custom server. Or edit ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json with the same JSON block.

VS Code (GitHub Copilot agent mode)

In VS Code 1.99+, add MCP servers via Command Palette > “MCP: Add Server”. Or edit .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace. Use the URL transport with the Authorization header.

Generic stdio fallback

Clients that only support local stdio processes can use the mcp-remote bridge. This is the same as Claude Option B above.

Terminal

npx -y mcp-remote https://studio.elarislabs.ai/api/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer elx_live_YOUR_KEY_HERE"

Can I use ElarisLabs alongside other MCP servers?

MCP clients can connect to many servers at once. ElarisLabs handles creative generation. Other servers handle their own domains, like databases, docs, or Google Workspace. Add each server as a separate entry under mcpServers.

mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "elarislabs": {
      "url": "https://studio.elarislabs.ai/api/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer elx_live_YOUR_KEY_HERE"
      }
    },
    "another-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@example/some-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "your-other-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

What ElarisLabs MCP does and does not do

Capability	ElarisLabs MCP	Needs a different server
Image, video, audio generation	Yes	No
Brand pack resize and composer edits	Yes	No
Studio projects and templates	Yes	No
Google Slides, Docs, Sheets	No	Yes. Use a Google Workspace MCP server alongside ElarisLabs
GitHub, Linear, Notion	No	Yes. Each has its own MCP server
Database queries (Supabase, Postgres)	No	Yes. Use the provider’s MCP server

Combining servers: with ElarisLabs and a Google Slides MCP connected, you can ask: “Generate a hero image with flux-2-flash, then add it to slide 2 of this deck.” The agent picks the right tool from each server. You still install and authenticate the Google server yourself. ElarisLabs does not proxy third-party MCPs.

Browse community servers at modelcontextprotocol/servers or your client’s MCP directory.

Example prompts

Once connected, talk in plain language. The agent maps your intent to tools.

Discovery (free)

“What brands and image models can this key access? List the top 5 image models.”

Image generation

“Generate a square product shot of a matte black sneaker on white marble using flux-2-flash. 2K resolution.”

Image to video

“Take the image you just generated and make a 6-second vertical video. Slow camera push-in, cinematic lighting.”

Brand pack

“List brand-pack sizes, then resize that hero image into Instagram feed, story, and 300x250 display. Return the zip.”

Composer edit

“Add the text ‘SUMMER DROP’ in white at the bottom of the image, then remove the background.”

Multi-step workflow

“Generate 3 lifestyle variants of our product, stitch them into a hyperlapse at 24fps, then generate a voiceover saying ‘Built for the city.’”

Troubleshooting

Server shows red or "failed to connect" in Cursor

Check that your JSON is valid, with no trailing commas. Confirm the URL ends in /api/mcp with no extra slash. Verify the bearer token starts with elx_live_ and has not been revoked. Restart Cursor after editing mcp.json.

Tools do not appear in Claude after restart

Make sure you fully quit Claude. On macOS use Cmd+Q, not just close the window. If you use the URL transport and it still fails, switch to the mcp-remote stdio bridge. Check Claude’s developer logs for connection errors.

"Invalid key", "Key expired", or "Key revoked"

Create a new key in your profile and update the config. Keys have a required expiry, max 24 weeks. Revoked keys stop working immediately.

"Insufficient credits" or spend cap hit

Top up the brand’s credit balance in Studio. Or raise the per-key spend cap in profile settings, max 2000 credits per key. Free tools like list_models still work.

Agent does not call tools, only describes what it would do

In Cursor, switch to Agent mode, not Ask. Explicitly ask it to use a tool: “Call generate_image with flux-2-flash.” Confirm the MCP server toggle is on in Settings > MCP.

Video or brand-pack tool times out

These jobs can take 30 to 90 seconds. If your client has a short tool timeout, retry or ask for a shorter durationSeconds on video. Brand packs with many sizes take longer.

Can I create Google Slides from a link via ElarisLabs MCP?

Not directly. ElarisLabs MCP is for creative generation, like images, video, audio, and brand packs. To edit Google Slides, install a separate Google Workspace MCP server and connect both. Then ask the agent to generate assets with ElarisLabs and place them with the Google server.

Testing the endpoint manually

With a valid key, the MCP initialize handshake should return a 200.

Terminal

curl -s -X POST "https://studio.elarislabs.ai/api/mcp" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer elx_live_YOUR_KEY_HERE" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"initialize","params":{"protocolVersion":"2024-11-05","capabilities":{},"clientInfo":{"name":"test","version":"1.0"}}}'

​How do I set up Claude Desktop?

​Option A. Remote URL (recommended)

​Option B. stdio bridge (older Claude builds)

​How do I set up Cursor?

​Global vs project config

​What about other MCP clients?

​Can I use ElarisLabs alongside other MCP servers?

​What ElarisLabs MCP does and does not do

​Example prompts

​Troubleshooting

How do I set up Claude Desktop?

Option A. Remote URL (recommended)

Option B. stdio bridge (older Claude builds)

How do I set up Cursor?

Global vs project config

What about other MCP clients?

Can I use ElarisLabs alongside other MCP servers?

What ElarisLabs MCP does and does not do

Example prompts

Troubleshooting