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AI Image and Video Tools

Three MCP tools let a connected AI assistant generate pictures and short videos on your installation's Gemini key: generate_image, start_video and get_video. Because they spend money on text the assistant chooses, they are served only when you have opted in on AI Settings as well as on the MCP side, and every call is held to the same allowances as any other route.

Where to find it

Architect Panel → Configuration:

  • AI Settings — Offer to MCP clients, Who may generate and the daily allowances, in AI images and video
  • Site Settings — the AI Tool Access (MCP) group: Enable the MCP server and Tool packs

Architect Panel → Integration & Connections:

  • AI Tool Access (MCP) — which tools are served, each key's access level, and the call log

The three tools

  • generate_image (write): one picture from a description, with an optional shape (1:1, 3:2, 2:3, 4:3, 3:4, 4:5, 5:4, 16:9, 9:16 or 21:9) and size (1K or 2K). The picture is saved as a file owned by the person whose credential is used, and returned to the assistant so it can show it, with the saved file's number.
  • start_video (write): starts a short clip with sound, landscape or portrait, and returns a job key straight away.
  • get_video (read): reports on a job: still generating with rough progress, did not finish and why, or ready with the saved file's number.

What has to be true for them to be served

  1. The MCP server is on: Enable the MCP server in Site Settings.
  2. A Gemini key is set in the Gemini (Google) section of AI Settings.
  3. Offer to MCP clients is on in AI images and video. This is the installation's explicit consent, kept beside the key it spends.
  4. Tool packs in Site Settings is empty (automatic), or lists aimedia among the packs.
  5. The AI module is on in Platform Modules.

Then, for each call:

  • The credential needs Read and write access to make images and start videos; Read only is enough for get_video. As with every MCP tool, the access level is a ceiling, not a grant.
  • The person behind the credential must be allowed by Who may generate or Also these security groups.
  • Their daily allowance must not be used up. A refusal tells the assistant not to retry.

Checking it works

  1. Open AI Tool Access (MCP) and confirm the three tools are listed as served. They are listed but cannot be run from Try a tool, because they call a paid provider.
  2. From an MCP client signed in with a write credential, ask for one image.
  3. Check the image arrives, then find the call in the MCP call log and its cost on AI Usage.

Videos over MCP

A video started over MCP is finished either by the Background Jobs task or by the assistant calling get_video, whichever comes first. If the worker is not running, start_video says so and tells the assistant to keep calling get_video every 10 to 20 seconds until it is ready, because nothing else will save it and it is charged either way.

What goes wrong, and how to tell

  • The tools are not listed: one of the five conditions above is missing. Offer to MCP clients is the usual one.
  • "AI image and video generation is switched off on this system. Do not retry.": Who may generate is off.
  • The assistant reports a daily limit: the person has used today's allowance.
  • "No such video job": the key is wrong, or the job belongs to another person.
  • The image was made but "could not be saved": file storage refused it. Check file storage is working.

Worked example

An architect wants a design assistant to produce social media images. They switch on Offer to MCP clients, set Who may generate to Administrators with five images a day, leave Tool packs empty, and set the design lead's key to Read and write on AI Tool Access (MCP). The tools appear in the served list. The design lead asks for a 16:9 banner, sees it in the assistant, and finds it saved as a file.

Recommendations

  • Grant write access only to people who need generation; Read only keeps the tools out of reach.
  • Set modest daily allowances before switching on Offer to MCP clients.
  • Switch on Background Jobs if videos will be requested.
  • Review the MCP call log and AI Usage together in the first fortnight.