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# Gemini MCP - Google Gemini image generation, video and search grounding inside Claude [![npm version](https://img.shields.io/npm/v/@houtini/gemini-mcp.svg?style=flat-square)](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@houtini/gemini-mcp) [![MCP Registry](https://img.shields.io/badge/MCP-Registry-blue?style=flat-square)](https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io) [![Known Vulnerabilities](https://snyk.io/test/github/houtini-ai/gemini-mcp/badge.svg)](https://snyk.io/test/github/houtini-ai/gemini-mcp) [![License: Apache 2.0](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-Apache%202.0-blue.svg?style=flat-square)](https://opensource.org/licenses/Apache-2.0) I've had this Gemini MCP server running in my Claude Desktop setup for the best part of a year now. It's one of the few I leave switched on permanently. Not because Gemini replaces Claude (it doesn't), but because grounded search, image generation, SVG diagrams and video are things Gemini happens to do well, and having them as tools inside Claude beats flipping between browser tabs. Fourteen tools, built around the models people actually come looking for: **Nano Banana Pro** (`gemini-3-pro-image`) and **Nano Banana 2** for images, **Veo 3.1** for video with synchronised audio, **Gemini 4 Argon** for chat and **Gemini 3.1 Pro** for deep research, both with Google Search grounding. Everything previews inline in Claude Desktop through MCP Apps rather than landing as a file path you have to go and open. One `npx` command. That's it. New here? The [full user guide](https://github.com/houtini-ai/gemini-mcp/blob/main/docs/user-guide.md) walks through every tool, the free-tier gotcha, and what to do when something breaks.

--- > **Quick Navigation** > > [What it makes](#what-it-makes) | [Get started](#get-started-in-two-minutes) | [What it does](#what-it-does) | [Image output](#image-output-and-storage) | [Configuration](#configuration-reference) | [Tools](#tools-reference) | [Models](#model-reference) | [Requirements](#requirements) --- ## What it makes Everything below came out of the tools in this repo, unretouched, on the afternoon I wrote this. Prompts are in the captions so you can judge for yourself. **Image generation with search grounding.** One `generate_image` call with `use_search=true`. Gemini looked up the actual Met Office forecast for the week, then drew it. The dates and temperatures are real (well, as real as a forecast gets). ![London five-day weather infographic, generated by Nano Banana Pro from live search data](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/houtini-ai/gemini-mcp/main/assets/showcase/grounded-weather-infographic.jpg) *Prompt: "A polished editorial infographic poster: London weather, this week. Use real forecast data from search for the next 5 days..." - `gemini-3-pro-image`, 16:9, 2K.* **Text that's actually spelled correctly.** This is the thing Nano Banana Pro does that the previous generation of image models couldn't. Every label here is straight out of the model. ![Four-step infographic explaining an MCP tool call, with correctly rendered text](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/houtini-ai/gemini-mcp/main/assets/showcase/infographic-text-rendering.jpg) *Prompt: "A clean, magazine-quality infographic titled How an MCP tool call works, with four numbered steps..." - `gemini-3-pro-image`.* **Generate, then edit.** Left is `generate_image`. Right is `edit_image` on that file with one sentence of instructions: change the track to Monza in daylight, swap the rim lighting for window light, make the pedals red. Same cockpit, same camera angle. | `generate_image` | `edit_image` | |:---:|:---:| | ![Sim racing cockpit at night, rainy Spa on the monitor](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/houtini-ai/gemini-mcp/main/assets/showcase/cockpit-original.jpg) | ![The same cockpit edited to daytime Monza with red pedals](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/houtini-ai/gemini-mcp/main/assets/showcase/cockpit-edited.jpg) | **Image to video with Veo 3.1.** The night-time cockpit above, passed to `generate_video` as `firstFrameImage`. Eight seconds at 1080p with generated audio (engine note, tyre hiss) - the GIF below is silent and squashed for GitHub, the real file is a proper MP4. ![Veo 3.1 video: the cockpit comes to life, hands turning the wheel through Eau Rouge](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/houtini-ai/gemini-mcp/main/assets/showcase/cockpit-veo.gif) **SVG that you can actually use.** Not a picture of a diagram - real vector markup you can drop into a page, edit by hand or commit to a repo. Both of these are the raw `.svg` files the tool wrote to disk. | `generate_svg` style=technical | `generate_svg` style=data-viz | |:---:|:---:| | ![Architecture diagram of this MCP server as an SVG](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/houtini-ai/gemini-mcp/main/assets/showcase/architecture-diagram.svg) | ![Grouped bar chart of API latency by region as an SVG](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/houtini-ai/gemini-mcp/main/assets/showcase/latency-dashboard.svg) | **A landing page from a paragraph.** `generate_landing_page` with a brief, a company name and a brand colour. Self-contained HTML, inline CSS, the little chart in the hero is animated SVG. Screenshot of the file opened in Chrome, nothing else touched. ![Generated SaaS landing page rendered in a browser](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/houtini-ai/gemini-mcp/main/assets/showcase/landing-page-hero.png) **And the fast one.** Nano Banana 2 (`gemini-3.1-flash-image`) for when you want volume rather than 4K. This took about ten seconds. ![Flat-lay of a mechanical keyboard on a walnut desk, Nano Banana 2](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/houtini-ai/gemini-mcp/main/assets/showcase/flash-image-keyboard.jpg) --- ## Get started in two minutes **Step 1: Get a Gemini API key** Go to [Google AI Studio](https://aistudio.google.com/apikey) and create one. A word on the free tier, because the defaults lean on a paid model. Google's [pricing page](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/pricing) gives Gemini 3 Flash Preview a free tier, but the flagship models are paid-only - and `gemini-4-argon` is the default for `gemini_chat` and `generate_landing_page`, with `gemini-3.1-pro-preview` the default for `gemini_deep_research` (synthesis) and `analyze_image`. On a free key those calls will fail unless you point them at a free model: set `GEMINI_DEFAULT_MODEL=gemini-3-flash-preview` (covers chat and landing pages), `GEMINI_DEEP_RESEARCH_MODEL` and `GEMINI_IMAGE_ANALYSIS_MODEL` likewise, or pass `model` per call. `generate_svg` already defaults to `gemini-3-flash-preview`. Check the pricing page for the other models before relying on them - Google changes these tiers. **Step 2: Add to your Claude Desktop config** Config file locations: - Windows: `C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json` - macOS: `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json` ```json { "mcpServers": { "gemini": { "command": "npx", "args": ["@houtini/gemini-mcp"], "env": { "GEMINI_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here" } } } } ``` **Step 3: Restart Claude Desktop** That's it. Tools show up automatically. `npx` pulls the package on first run, so there's no separate install. ### Local build instead For development, or if you'd rather not rely on npx: ```bash git clone https://github.com/houtini-ai/gemini-mcp cd gemini-mcp npm install --include=dev npm run build ``` Then point your config at the local build: ```json { "mcpServers": { "gemini": { "command": "node", "args": ["C:/path/to/gemini-mcp/dist/index.js"], "env": { "GEMINI_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here" } } } } ``` ### Claude Code (CLI) Claude Code doesn't read `claude_desktop_config.json`. Use `claude mcp add` instead: ```bash claude mcp add -e GEMINI_API_KEY=your-api-key-here -s user gemini -- npx -y @houtini/gemini-mcp ``` With an output directory for images and video: ```bash claude mcp add \ -e GEMINI_API_KEY=your-api-key-here \ -e GEMINI_IMAGE_OUTPUT_DIR=/path/to/output \ -s user \ gemini -- npx -y @houtini/gemini-mcp ``` Check with `claude mcp get gemini` - you want to see `Status: Connected`. --- ## What it does ### Chat with Google Search grounding ``` Use gemini:gemini_chat to ask: "What changed in the MCP spec in the last month?" ``` Grounding is on by default. Gemini searches Google before it answers, so you get this month's information rather than a training-cutoff guess, and the sources come back as markdown links. For questions where you want pure reasoning ("explain this code", that sort of thing) set `grounding: false`. Runs on `gemini-4-argon` (Gemini 4 Argon) unless you say otherwise. Pass `model: "gemini-3.8-flash"` if you'd rather have speed than depth, or `model: "gemini-3.1-pro-preview"` for the previous flagship. `thinking_level` works on Gemini 3.x and 4 models: `high` for the hard stuff, `low` to keep it snappy. ### Deep research ``` Use gemini:gemini_deep_research with: research_question="What are the current approaches to AI agent memory management?" max_iterations=5 ``` Runs grounded search passes and then writes them up as one report. The passes run on `gemini-3.8-flash` with low thinking (they're gathering facts, not reasoning about them), and the synthesis at the end runs on `gemini-3.1-pro-preview` with high thinking. Two passes plus a synthesis is the default and lands in two to three minutes. That split matters more than it sounds. Earlier versions ran everything on Pro with full thinking, and one pass on a broad question could run past Claude Desktop's four-minute timeout on its own. Keep `max_iterations` at 2 or 3 in Claude Desktop; in an IDE or an agent framework, 5 to 7 produces noticeably better synthesis. `focus_areas` takes an array if you want to steer each pass. ### Image generation with search grounding ``` Use gemini:generate_image with: prompt="Stock price chart showing Apple (AAPL) closing prices for the last 5 trading days" use_search=true aspectRatio="16:9" ``` Default model is `gemini-3-pro-image`, which is Nano Banana Pro now that it's out of preview. It renders legible text, does 4K, and it's the only one that supports conversational editing. `gemini-3.1-flash-image` (Nano Banana 2) is the fast option - not far off in quality, a fraction of the time and the cost. There's a Lite variant too if you're doing hundreds. With `use_search=true`, Gemini looks things up before it draws. Weather, prices, sports results, that kind of data-driven image works reliably. The full-resolution file always goes to disk; the inline preview is resized to fit the MCP transport cap but the original is untouched. ### Video generation with Veo 3.1 ``` Use gemini:generate_video with: prompt="A close-up shot of a futuristic coffee machine brewing a glowing blue espresso, steam rising dramatically. Cinematic lighting." resolution="1080p" durationSeconds=8 ``` Google's Veo 3.1. Four to eight second clips at up to 4K with native, synchronised audio. It's asynchronous on Google's side and takes two to five minutes; the tool polls until it's ready so you don't have to. Options worth knowing about: - `aspectRatio` - `16:9` landscape or `9:16` for vertical - `generateAudio` - on by default; dialogue and effects that match the prompt - `firstFrameImage` - animate from a still (that's how the cockpit clip above was made) - `referenceImages` - up to three, for character or style consistency - `sampleCount` - up to four variations in one call - `seed` - deterministic output across runs - `generateThumbnail` - pulls a frame out with ffmpeg, if you've got it in PATH - `model` - `veo-3.1-lite-generate-preview` if you want cheaper and faster ### SVG generation This is the one people underestimate. The output isn't a picture of a diagram, it's the SVG markup itself - drop it into a codebase, a slide, a web page, and it scales without a single raster artefact. ``` Use gemini:generate_svg with: prompt="Architecture diagram showing a microservices system with API gateway, three services, and a shared database" style="technical" width=1000 height=600 ``` Four styles: | Style | Best for | |-------|----------| | `technical` | Architecture diagrams, flowcharts, system maps | | `artistic` | Illustrations, decorative graphics, icons | | `minimal` | Clean data visualisations, simple charts | | `data-viz` | Charts, dashboards, infographics | You get real SVG code back. Edit it, animate it, embed it, commit it. No export step, no Figma. Runs on `gemini-3-flash-preview` unless you pass `model` - it's quick, it handles SVG markup comfortably, and it has a free tier. Pass `model: "gemini-3.1-pro-preview"` for denser diagrams if you're on a paid key. ### Image editing and analysis **Conversational editing.** Nano Banana Pro keeps context between turns. Pass the thought signature from the previous call back in and it remembers what it was working on: ``` Use gemini:edit_image with: prompt="Change the colour scheme to blue and green" images=[{filePath: "C:/output/gemini-123.png", thoughtSignature: "fromPreviousCall"}] ``` **Analysis**, two tools for two jobs: - `describe_image` - quick general descriptions on `gemini-3.8-flash` - `analyze_image` - structured extraction and proper reasoning on `gemini-3.1-pro-preview` **Local files:** ``` Use gemini:load_image_from_path with filePath="C:/screenshots/error.png" ``` Or just pass `filePath` straight into any image tool's `images` array and the server reads it itself - that skips the MCP transport limit entirely. ### Media resolution control Cut token usage by up to 75% where the task doesn't need the detail: | Level | Tokens | Savings | Best for | |-------|--------|---------|----------| | `MEDIA_RESOLUTION_LOW` | 280 | 75% | Simple tasks, bulk operations | | `MEDIA_RESOLUTION_MEDIUM` | 560 | 50% | PDFs and documents (OCR saturates here) | | `MEDIA_RESOLUTION_HIGH` | 1120 | default | Detailed analysis | | `MEDIA_RESOLUTION_ULTRA_HIGH` | 2000+ | per-image only | Maximum detail | For PDF OCR, MEDIUM gives me identical text extraction to HIGH at half the tokens. I've not found a case where it didn't. ### Landing page generation ``` Use gemini:generate_landing_page with: brief="A SaaS tool that helps developers monitor API latency" companyName="PingWatch" primaryColour="#6366F1" style="startup" sections=["hero", "features", "pricing", "cta"] ``` One self-contained HTML file: inline CSS, vanilla JS, no external dependencies. Styles are `minimal`, `bold`, `corporate` and `startup`. The PingWatch page in the gallery above is exactly this call. ### Professional chart design systems `gemini_prompt_assistant` carries nine chart design systems you can ask for by name: | System | Inspiration | Best for | |--------|------------|----------| | **storytelling** | Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic | Executive presentations | | **financial** | Financial Times | Editorial journalism - FT pink, serif titles | | **terminal** | Bloomberg / fintech | High-density dark mode with neon | | **modernist** | W.E.B. Du Bois | Bold geometric blocks, stark contrasts | | **professional** | IBM Carbon / Tailwind | Enterprise dashboards | | **editorial** | FiveThirtyEight / Economist | Data journalism | | **scientific** | Nature / Science | Academic rigour | | **minimal** | Edward Tufte | Maximum data-ink ratio | | **dark** | Observable | Modern dark mode | ### Help system ``` Use gemini:gemini_help with topic="overview" ``` The full documentation without leaving Claude. Topics: `overview`, `image_generation`, `image_editing`, `image_analysis`, `chat`, `deep_research`, `grounding`, `media_resolution`, `models`, `all`. --- ## Image output and storage By default, images come back as inline previews rendered directly in Claude, and the full-size file is written next to the package. Set `GEMINI_IMAGE_OUTPUT_DIR` if you'd rather they all landed somewhere sensible: ```json "env": { "GEMINI_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here", "GEMINI_IMAGE_OUTPUT_DIR": "C:/Users/username/Pictures/gemini-output" } ``` Two files per image: | File | What it is | |------|---------| | **Full-res** | Saved to disk immediately, untouched | | **Preview** | Resized JPEG for inline transport, sized to fit under the cap | Gemini returns 2 to 5 MB images. The resize measures the non-image overhead in each response, works out the binary budget left, and steps the preview down (800, 600, 400, 300, 200px) until it fits under the 1 MB MCP transport limit. The full image is always there on disk. ### Inline viewers in Claude Desktop Image, SVG, video and landing-page results each open in an MCP App viewer with zoom, the saved path and a copy button. If you're on Claude Desktop and the viewer sat on "Waiting for image..." forever in an older version, that was Claude Desktop stripping the structured data the viewer reads ([ext-apps#696](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/ext-apps/issues/696)). Since 2.7.0 the viewer fetches it back from the server itself, so it renders either way. --- ## Configuration reference | Variable | Required | Default | Description | |----------|----------|---------|-------------| | `GEMINI_API_KEY` | Yes | - | Google AI API key from [AI Studio](https://aistudio.google.com/apikey) | | `GEMINI_DEFAULT_MODEL` | No | `gemini-4-argon` | Model for `gemini_chat` and `generate_landing_page` | | `GEMINI_DEEP_RESEARCH_MODEL` | No | `gemini-3.1-pro-preview` | Synthesis model for `gemini_deep_research` | | `GEMINI_DEEP_RESEARCH_SEARCH_MODEL` | No | `gemini-3.8-flash` | Model for the grounded search passes in `gemini_deep_research` | | `GEMINI_IMAGE_ANALYSIS_MODEL` | No | `gemini-3.1-pro-preview` | Model for `analyze_image` | | `GEMINI_IMAGE_DESCRIBE_MODEL` | No | `gemini-3.8-flash` | Model for `describe_image` | | `GEMINI_IMAGE_GENERATION_MODEL` | No | `gemini-3-pro-image` | Model for `generate_image` and `edit_image` | | `GEMINI_DEFAULT_GROUNDING` | No | `true` | Set to `false` to turn Google Search grounding off by default | | `GEMINI_IMAGE_OUTPUT_DIR` | No | - | Where generated images and videos are saved | | `GEMINI_ALLOW_EXPERIMENTAL` | No | `false` | Include experimental and preview models in auto-discovery | | `GEMINI_REQUEST_TIMEOUT_MS` | No | `240000` | Per-request timeout for chat and analysis calls, in milliseconds | | `GEMINI_MCP_RETRY_ATTEMPTS` | No | `3` | Total attempts per Gemini API request. Transient network failures (`fetch failed`, `ECONNRESET`, proxy or VPN drops) are retried with backoff. `1` disables it | | `GEMINI_MCP_LOG_FILE` | No | `false` | Write logs to `~/.gemini-mcp/logs/` | | `DEBUG_MCP` | No | `false` | Log to stderr for debugging tool calls | ## Tools reference | Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | `gemini_chat` | Chat with Gemini 4 Argon. Google Search grounding on by default. Supports `thinking_level` | | `gemini_deep_research` | Grounded search passes on Flash, synthesised into a report by 3.1 Pro. Default 2 passes | | `gemini_list_models` | Lists the models your API key can see, live | | `gemini_help` | Documentation for every tool without leaving Claude | | `gemini_prompt_assistant` | Expert guidance for image generation with nine chart design systems | | `generate_image` | Image generation with optional search grounding. Full-res saved to disk | | `edit_image` | Edit images with natural-language instructions. Multi-turn continuity via thought signatures | | `describe_image` | Fast image descriptions on Gemini 3.8 Flash | | `analyze_image` | Structured extraction and analysis on Gemini 3.1 Pro | | `load_image_from_path` | Read a local image file and return base64 for any image tool | | `generate_video` | Video generation with Veo 3.1: 4 to 8 seconds at up to 4K with native audio | | `generate_svg` | Production-ready SVG: diagrams, illustrations, icons, data visualisations | | `generate_landing_page` | Self-contained HTML landing pages with inline CSS and JS | | `gemini_viewer_payload` | Internal. The inline viewers use it to fetch their display data; you'll never call it | --- ## Model reference Checked against the live models API on 22 September 2026. `gemini_list_models` will tell you what your key can see today. | Model | Used by | Notes | |-------|---------|-------| | `gemini-4-argon` | `gemini_chat`, `generate_landing_page` | Default. Gemini 4 Argon - the current flagship. Paid-only - no free tier | | `gemini-3.1-pro-preview` | `gemini_deep_research` (synthesis), `analyze_image` | Default for those two. Strong reasoning, paid-only - no free tier | | `gemini-3.8-flash` | `describe_image`, `gemini_deep_research` (search passes) | Default. Google's GA workhorse as of September 2026; a good `gemini_chat` choice when you want speed | | `gemini-3-flash-preview` | `generate_svg` | Default. Has a free tier (Google pricing page, 24 September 2026) | | `gemini-3.7-flash`, `3.6`, `3.5`, `3.5-flash-lite`, `3.1-flash-lite` | any text tool | Earlier GA Flash releases, all accepted | | `gemini-3-pro-image` | `generate_image`, `edit_image` | Default. Nano Banana Pro, GA. 4K, real text, conversational editing | | `gemini-3.1-flash-image` | `generate_image`, `edit_image` | Nano Banana 2, GA. Near-Pro quality, Flash speed and price | | `gemini-3.1-flash-lite-image` | `generate_image` | Nano Banana 2 Lite. Fastest and cheapest | | `gemini-3-pro-image-preview`, `nano-banana-pro-preview`, `gemini-2.5-flash-image` | image tools | Older IDs, still accepted so existing configs keep working | | `veo-3.1-generate-preview` | `generate_video` | Default. Cinematic, native audio, up to 4K | | `veo-3.1-lite-generate-preview` | `generate_video` | Cheaper and faster on the same API | **Why the defaults are what they are.** I went back and forth on this. Gemini 3.8 Flash is GA and newer, but 3.1 Pro is still what Google calls its strongest reasoning model, and reasoning is the point of `gemini_chat` and deep research - so Pro stays the default there, and Flash takes the lighter `describe_image` job. For images, Nano Banana Pro left preview and kept its quality lead, so it's the default; Nano Banana 2 is there when you'd rather trade a little quality for a lot of speed. Gemini's newer Omni video model uses a different API, so it's not wired in yet. **Gemini 3 notes:** temperature is forced to 1.0 on every 3.x model (Google's requirement, lower values cause looping). `thinking_level` applies to `gemini_chat`. **Token budgets:** `max_tokens` defaults to each model's full output ceiling as reported live by the models API (65,536 on current Gemini 3 text models; the 1M figure is input context). It's a cap, not consumption, so unused headroom costs nothing. Values below 4,096 are ignored because Gemini 3 thinking burns tiny budgets before you see any output, which looks exactly like a timeout, and values above the model's real limit are clamped. --- ## Requirements - Node.js 20.19+ - A Gemini API key from [Google AI Studio](https://aistudio.google.com/apikey) - ffmpeg (optional, for video thumbnails) ## Licence Apache-2.0