MiniMax MCP for VS Code: Setup & Config

What you can do with MiniMax in VS Code

Access MiniMax speech, voice, image, video, and music workflows from one MCP-enabled assistant.

• Clone or design a voice for a media workflow.
• Create images or videos from descriptive prompts.
• Check video-generation progress from an assistant.

Before you start: MiniMax in VS Code

• uv with uvx available
• A MiniMax API key matching the selected regional host
• An MCP-compatible client

The command follows the README's Claude Desktop configuration. Windows Claude Desktop may require Developer Mode. SSE is supported, but a ready-to-use SSE endpoint is not stated in the README.

MiniMax VS Code configuration

1. Choose VS Code configuration scope

   For MiniMax MCP, open Workspace: .vscode/mcp.json. Merge into servers; preserve existing inputs.

2. Add MiniMax MCP to VS Code

   Use the MiniMax-MCP entry below in servers. Keep MiniMax MCP's documented stdio connection fields and your other VS Code entries.

3. Check MiniMax MCP in VS Code

   MiniMax MCP: Start in VS Code’s MCP controls; inspect output and trust prompts.

{
  "servers": {
    "MiniMax-MCP": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "minimax-mcp",
        "-y"
      ],
      "env": {
        "MINIMAX_API_KEY": "<your region-specific MiniMax API key>",
        "MINIMAX_MCP_BASE_PATH": "<local directory for generated output>",
        "MINIMAX_API_HOST": "<matching regional host: https://api.minimax.io or https://api.minimaxi.com>",
        "MINIMAX_API_RESOURCE_MODE": "<url or local; url is the default>"
      }
    }
  }
}

MiniMax tools available to VS Code

MiniMax's stored tool list documents 10 tools; compare it with VS Code's connected tool list, because the stored list is not a live check.

text_to_audio

Look for text_to_audio among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MiniMax through the MCP controls.

Synthesize speech with a selected voice and save audio output; API charges may apply.

list_voices

Look for list_voices among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MiniMax through the MCP controls.

List available voices; the supplied tool data restricts support to https://api.minimax.chat.

play_audio

Look for play_audio among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MiniMax through the MCP controls.

Play a WAV or MP3 audio file, excluding video playback.

voice_clone

Look for voice_clone among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MiniMax through the MCP controls.

text_to_image

Look for text_to_image among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MiniMax through the MCP controls.

generate_video

Look for generate_video among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MiniMax through the MCP controls.

Start prompt-based video creation through MiniMax.

image_to_video

Look for image_to_video among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MiniMax through the MCP controls.

Generate video using an image as input.

query_video_generation

Look for query_video_generation among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MiniMax through the MCP controls.

music_generation

Look for music_generation among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MiniMax through the MCP controls.

voice_design

Look for voice_design among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting MiniMax through the MCP controls.

MiniMax: full stored tool descriptions

Troubleshooting MiniMax in VS Code

• Make uvx minimax-mcp (from uv, for Python tools) available in the workspace, container, or remote environment hosting MiniMax MCP. Start through VS Code's MCP controls; inspect output and trust prompts.
• For MiniMax MCP, keep MINIMAX_API_HOST, MINIMAX_API_KEY, MINIMAX_API_RESOURCE_MODE, MINIMAX_MCP_BASE_PATH out of version control; VS Code documents input variables and secret handling.
• MiniMax MCP uses stdio here: VS Code must keep the configured process running; protocol output belongs on stdout and diagnostics on stderr.
• Known limitation: API calls may incur costs.
• Known limitation: API keys and hosts must match the account region.
• Known limitation: The structured list_voices tool description limits that tool to a specific API host.
• General VS Code troubleshooting lives in the /clients/vscode guide.

Frequently asked questions