git:20260604.0f18c46 to git:20260615.9a28338

1 added, 0 removed. Audit A to A.

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name: vidseeds-thumbnails

description: Use for VidSeeds MCP thumbnail workflows — generate, poll jobs, edit, restyle, Thumbnail Studio (trends, briefs, subjects, overlay text), apply to a project, publish to YouTube, or thumbnails from a local video file via vidseeds-local.

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# Thumbnails (MCP)

## Quick generate → retrieve

1. `vidseeds_get_seed_balance` (free).

2. `vidseeds_generate_thumbnail` → `jobId`, `expectedCostSeeds`; poll `vidseeds_get_thumbnail_job` every **~3s** (~70–100s typical). Price per image uses model-specific seeds (Gemini 7, OpenAI 11, Grok 3); see get_seed_balance.

3. `vidseeds_get_thumbnail` or `vidseeds_list_thumbnails` for URLs/ids.

4. Optional: `vidseeds_download_thumbnail_bundle` for a packaged download.

**Edit pricing (2026-06 correct):** `vidseeds_edit_thumbnail` (and restyle) charges model-specific seeds; edits that reference an input image cost more than pure generation (input + output). Check `vidseeds_get_seed_balance` for current per-model rates before calling. Always confirm with user.

## Edit or restyle an existing thumbnail

- `vidseeds_edit_thumbnail` — chat-style edit (async job; poll per tool response).

- `vidseeds_restyle_thumbnail` — style transfer on an existing asset.

## Attach to a project

- `vidseeds_apply_thumbnail_to_project` with `projectId` and the generated thumbnail id.

## Publish thumbnail to YouTube

- `vidseeds_publish_thumbnail_to_youtube` when the video is on a connected channel (see `vidseeds-publishing` for connections).

+ - **Bulk YouTube limit:** YouTube rate-limits custom-thumbnail uploads separately from VidSeeds.ai seeds/MCP quota. For bulk replacements, plan **no more than about 100 thumbnail uploads per connected YouTube channel/account per rolling 24 hours**. If YouTube returns `uploadRateLimitExceeded` / "too many thumbnails recently", stop the batch, persist the next video id, and resume later.

## Thumbnail Studio (research → brief → generate)

Use when you want data-informed creative direction:

| Step | Tool |

| -------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |

| Trends in niche | `vidseeds_get_thumbnail_trends` |

| Niche detection | `vidseeds_detect_thumbnail_niche` |

| Frame analysis (from video refs) | `vidseeds_analyze_thumbnail_frames`, `vidseeds_select_best_thumbnail_frame` |

| Creative brief | `vidseeds_build_thumbnail_brief` |

| Subject ideas | `vidseeds_suggest_thumbnail_subjects` |

| Overlay copy options | `vidseeds_generate_thumbnail_overlay_texts` |

| Style profiles | `vidseeds_get_thumbnail_style_profiles`, `vidseeds_save_thumbnail_style_profile` |

| Visual audit / CTR sim | `vidseeds_audit_thumbnail_visual`, `vidseeds_simulate_ctr` |

| Custom upload | `vidseeds_upload_custom_thumbnail` |

Then run `vidseeds_generate_thumbnail` (or from-video flow below) with prompts/refs from the brief.

## Local source video (file on disk only)

The **hosted** server cannot read the user's filesystem.

1. Configure **vidseeds-local** stdio MCP (see plugin README; env `VIDSEEDS_API_KEY` or PAT).

2. `vidseeds_generate_thumbnail_from_video` on the local server — probes/transcribes/extracts frames locally, then calls the hosted pipeline.

Alternatively, extract frames locally with `vidseeds_extract_video_frames` (see `vidseeds-local-video`) and pass base64 frames into `vidseeds_generate_thumbnail`.

## From an existing YouTube video (hosted)

- `vidseeds_generate_thumbnail_from_video` (hosted) when the video is addressable via allowed CDN URLs / account-owned assets — check tool `description` for inputs.

## Learning / preferences

- `vidseeds_record_thumbnail_preference`, `vidseeds_get_thumbnail_learning_status` — optional feedback loop for repeat creators.