Use Kolbo.AI in Claude and ChatGPT: MCP Setup Guide

MCP Server

The Kolbo.AI MCP server lets Claude, ChatGPT, Claude Code, Cursor and other AI assistants use Kolbo.AI as built-in tools. Add one connector URL (https://api.kolbo.ai/mcp) or run one npm command, log in once, and you can generate images, video, talking avatars and music, review cuts and publish to social accounts without leaving the chat.

This guide covers the three ways to connect, the tool families you get, how big files reach Kolbo.AI (up to 5 GB), and WebMCP, which lets an AI agent running in your browser work inside app.kolbo.ai.

Three ways to connect

Every route uses the same Kolbo.AI account and the same credit balance as the web app. There is no separate API plan.

Connect Kolbo.AI to Claude (claude.ai)

1. Open Settings, then Connectors, and choose to add a custom connector.
2. Paste the URL https://api.kolbo.ai/mcp and save.
3. Click Connect, log in to your Kolbo.AI account and click Allow.
4. Optional but recommended: download the Kolbo.AI skill from kolbo.ai/skills/kolbo.zip and upload it under Settings, Features, Skills. The skill is the routing layer that teaches the model which tool and model to pick, plus the Seedance, Visual DNA and filmmaking rules. The tools work without it, the results are better with it.
5. Start a chat and ask for something concrete, for example "make a 16:9 product shot of a ceramic mug on a wooden table".

In claude.ai, Claude Desktop and Codex Desktop, results come back as live Kolbo.AI cards: progress with the model and settings, an inline gallery or player, and buttons to animate, edit, recreate or download.

Connect Kolbo.AI to ChatGPT

1. Open Settings, then Connectors, and add a custom connector.
2. Use the same URL: https://api.kolbo.ai/mcp.
3. Click Connect, log in to Kolbo.AI and click Allow.
4. Optional: upload the same skill zip under Settings, Skills.

A chat attachment in a browser chat is not reachable by a remote server. To bring a local file in, ask for an upload: the media_upload_widget tool opens an in-chat upload card and returns a stable link that every other tool can use.

Local install for Claude Code, Cursor and Claude Desktop

One command configures every installed agent and adds the routing skill:

npx -y @kolbo/mcp install

Or paste this block into your client's MCP config. It is identical for every client and carries no API key, because the first generation opens a Kolbo.AI login in your browser:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kolbo": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@kolbo/mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

Prefer an API key? Create one at app.kolbo.ai/developer and add "env": { "KOLBO_API_KEY": "kolbo_live_..." } to the block. If you work in a terminal agent all day, Kolbo Code ships with the same tools already wired in.

What the tools can do

The server exposes Kolbo.AI's product as named tools. These are the main families, with real tool names you will see in your client:

Talking avatars from chat

Avatars are people you can make talk. You create one once from photos and a voice (a cloned voice or a stock voice), then send scripts. There are three modes:

• Omni acts inside any scene, up to 60 seconds per video.
• Photo is the fast mode, working from a still of the person in the scene, up to 3 minutes.
• Twin uses the person's own footage, up to 3 minutes, and needs a video of them.

Before anything renders, quote_avatar_video returns the cost and preview_avatar_speech lets you hear the line. list_avatar_lipsync_models shows which lipsync models fit each mode. For the full walkthrough of photo avatars, see the talking photo avatar guide.

Social Planner: publish and schedule from chat

The Social Planner tools work with Instagram (a Business or Creator account), Facebook Pages, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn and X. If an account is not connected yet, connect_social_account returns a link to the Kolbo.AI Connectors page where you finish the login yourself.

From there your assistant can publish now or schedule up to 180 days ahead, cross-post the same video to up to 20 accounts in one call, read and reply to comments, read and answer direct messages, set comment automations and pull post and account metrics. Publishing tools require your explicit approval before the assistant calls them, so nothing goes live without a yes from you.

Kolbo Review: feedback loops in the chat

Kolbo Review is where clients and teammates leave time-coded notes on a cut. Over MCP, the assistant can upload an asset, add a new version, post and resolve comments, set a status such as approved or changes_requested, and create a share link. Since version 1.135.0 the review tools render an in-chat player card with note markers, notes at the current timecode, replies and an "Open in Kolbo" button. 4K masters get a 1080p playback copy, while downloads keep the original master.

Visual DNA: the same character in every shot

A Visual DNA stores a character, product or location so it stays consistent across generations. Through MCP you create and list them, generate character sheets and transfer them between accounts. One rule matters: tag the DNA in the prompt by name, for example @Maya walks into the cafe, in addition to passing its id. Attached references follow the same idea: @Image1, @Video1 and @Audio1 tell the model what each file is for.

Uploading large files, up to 5 GB

Raw footage, long podcasts and 4K masters are too big for a normal upload. Kolbo.AI has one large-upload path that sends the file in parts straight to Kolbo.AI storage, so it never passes through the chat or the model's context, and it can resume if the connection drops.

1. Ask the assistant to upload the file. A local install handles large files automatically through upload_media with the file path.
2. Over a remote connector, create_upload_ticket with the file name, size and purpose returns part upload links.
3. finish_large_upload reports which parts are stored or missing and completes the upload.

The purpose decides what happens to the file:

The limit is 5 GB per file. Files sent to a generation model keep their 500 MB upload path.

WebMCP: let a browser agent work inside app.kolbo.ai

WebMCP is a Chrome capability that lets a web page hand tools to an AI agent running in the browser. When you are signed in to app.kolbo.ai in a Chrome build that supports it, the page registers Kolbo.AI tools for that agent:

• Kolbo.AI tools run in your own session: a core set on every page, the tools for the area you are in, and every other tool through kolbo_find_tools and kolbo_call_tool.
• Page tools act on the screen you see: get_current_page, open_kolbo_page, and on tool pages fill_prompt, read_prompt and press_generate.

Guardrails are built in. The browser agent can create and organise but never delete. Paid, public or visibility-changing calls are marked as consequential so the agent confirms them first. Each user gets a separate, revocable key named "Browser agent (WebMCP)", and calls are limited to 60 per minute with 3 running at once. The tools disappear when you sign out.

Credits and pricing

Every tool call draws from the same Kolbo.AI credit balance as the web app, at the same per-model prices. Generation responses report the credits used, and avatar videos can be quoted before they render. For current per-model costs, see pricing facts.

FAQ

How do I add Kolbo.AI as a connector in Claude?

In claude.ai, open Settings, then Connectors, add a custom connector with the URL https://api.kolbo.ai/mcp, click Connect, log in to Kolbo.AI and click Allow. Uploading the Kolbo.AI skill afterwards improves model and tool choice.

Can I generate AI video inside ChatGPT with Kolbo.AI?

Yes. Add the same connector URL in ChatGPT under Settings, Connectors. Then ask for a video in plain words, and the assistant calls tools such as generate_video or generate_video_from_image on your Kolbo.AI account.

Do I need an API key for the Kolbo.AI MCP server?

No. Both the remote connector and the local npx -y @kolbo/mcp install setup log you in through the browser. An API key is optional for local installs and needed only for direct API calls from scripts.

Which Kolbo.AI MCP tools make talking avatars?

create_avatar builds the avatar from photos and a voice, quote_avatar_video prices the clip, and create_avatar_video renders it in Omni, Photo or Twin mode. animate_photo makes a quick talking clip from a single photo.

Can Claude post to Instagram or TikTok for me?

Yes, through the Social Planner tools, once the account is connected in Kolbo.AI. The assistant can post now, schedule up to 180 days ahead or cross-post to several accounts, and it needs your explicit approval before each publish.

What is the file size limit for uploads over MCP?

Up to 5 GB per file through the large-upload path, with resume. Files that go into a generation model keep a 500 MB limit.

What is WebMCP and how is it different from the MCP connector?

The connector serves assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT from Kolbo.AI's server. WebMCP runs in Chrome on app.kolbo.ai and gives a browser agent the same tools plus page actions like filling a prompt, using your signed-in session and never deleting anything.

Get started

Add https://api.kolbo.ai/mcp in Claude or ChatGPT, or run npx -y @kolbo/mcp install for your coding agent, and ask for your first image. Don't have an account yet? Create one at app.kolbo.ai.