MCP Preflight

Read This Before Any ImageKit MCP Call

You have access to two ImageKit MCP servers. Each serves a different purpose. Calling the wrong server or the wrong tool wastes tokens and produces errors. This skill is your routing table.

Server Map

imagekit_api — Authenticated API Server

Prefix: mcp_imagekit_api_*

Two tools only:

All CRUD operations are performed by writing TypeScript code that runs via execute:

• List, search, get details of files
• Delete, move, copy, rename files
• Create, delete, move, copy folders
• Bulk tag/untag operations
• File versions (list, restore, delete)
• Custom metadata fields (CRUD)
• Cache invalidation (purge)
• URL endpoints and origins management
• Account usage stats

imagekit_devtools — Public Tools Server

Prefix: mcp_imagekit_devtools_*

Two tools only — no auth required:

Routing Table

Searching / Filtering Assets

When listing assets with client.assets.list, filter on the server instead of fetching everything and filtering in code. Read the search-assets skill first — it is the canonical reference for the Lucene-like searchQuery syntax, when to use top-level params vs a searchQuery, and how to narrow the returned File/Folder results.

Integration Use Cases

When the task is to integrate ImageKit into a specific technology (front-end, back-end, mobile, CMS, external storage, upload widgets, URL generation, etc.), read the imagekit-integrations skill to find the right SDK/plugin and what it covers before writing code.

Before Calling imagekit_api

Use the imagekit-sdk-reference skill before constructing any TypeScript code that calls mcp_imagekit_api_* tools. That skill provides complete SDK method signatures, parameters, return types, error handling patterns, and examples to ensure correct API calls and proper data handling.

Critical Rules

1. Uploads are URL-only — client.files.upload() via mcp_imagekit_api_execute only accepts a public URL string. Local files cannot be uploaded (no file bytes, streams, or Buffers). Read the upload-files skill first.
2. ALWAYS call search_docs before writing any ImageKit SDK code — do not rely on training data for method signatures or parameters.
3. Do NOT read library source code to figure out usage — search_docs returns official docs and working examples. Only read source code as a last resort when docs fail.
4. Use transformation_builder instead of hand-crafting transformation URLs — it knows correct parameter syntax and ordering.
5. Filter client.assets.list server-side, not in code — read the search-assets skill for how to choose between top-level params and a searchQuery.