Use Seedance 2.5 and Nano Banana from Claude, Cursor or Codex with the VidLab MCP (setup in one minute)

What you need

• A VidLab account and an API key. Create one at API keys. It starts with vidlab_sk_ and is shown once.
• Credit in your wallet, added on the billing page. Estimates and model lists are free.
• Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor or Codex.

Keep the key out of the commands below. Put it in your shell profile once, then open a new terminal:

export VIDLAB_API_KEY="vidlab_sk_your_key_here"

Claude Code

Sign in with OAuth, so no key is stored anywhere:

claude mcp add --transport http --scope user vidlab https://vidlab.ai/api/developers/v1/mcp

Run /mcp inside Claude Code, pick vidlab and sign in. To use your key instead, put this in .mcp.json in your project. Claude Code fills in ${VIDLAB_API_KEY} from your environment, so the file holds no secret:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vidlab": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://vidlab.ai/api/developers/v1/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer ${VIDLAB_API_KEY}" }
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Add this to ~/.cursor/mcp.json for every project or .cursor/mcp.json for one. Cursor fills in ${env:VIDLAB_API_KEY} itself:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vidlab": {
      "url": "https://vidlab.ai/api/developers/v1/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer ${env:VIDLAB_API_KEY}" }
    }
  }
}

Codex

Add this to ~/.codex/config.toml. Codex reads the key from the variable named in bearer_token_env_var:

[mcp_servers.vidlab]
url = "https://vidlab.ai/api/developers/v1/mcp"
bearer_token_env_var = "VIDLAB_API_KEY"

Claude Desktop and claude.ai

Open Settings, then Connectors, and choose Add custom connector. Paste https://vidlab.ai/api/developers/v1/mcp as the URL, sign in to VidLab and choose Allow access. No key is needed.

Check it works

Start with a request that costs nothing:

Use VidLab to list three video models and the price of a 5 second clip at 720p.

Then a small paid one. Ask for the price first:

Use VidLab to make a 5 second 9:16 clip with Seedance 2.5 at 480p: a slow push-in on a perfume bottle on wet black stone. Tell me the price before you start.

A 5 second clip at 480p is $0.44. For an image, ask for a Nano Banana Pro picture at 2K, which is $0.04. Tell your assistant your price limit and it can pass it as max_price_usd, so a call above it is refused.

A first frame, then a clip

A common request chains two models: make a still, then animate it. Ask your assistant for it in one message:

Use VidLab. Make a 9:16 Nano Banana Pro image at 2K of a red sneaker on a white studio floor. Then animate it into a 5 second Seedance 2.5 clip at 720p using that image as the first frame. Give me both prices first and stop if the total is over $1.50.

The image costs $0.04 and the 5 second clip costs $1.05. Your assistant can add them up, ask for your go-ahead, run the first call, pass the image link to the second and poll both until they finish.

The tools your assistant gets

tools/list is the source of truth for your account, and it also includes tools for running ad formats.

Why use MCP instead of the REST API

MCP is the shortest path when a person is driving: you describe what you want, the assistant picks a model, shows you the price and runs it. When code is driving, use the REST API from a script, and give your coding agent the skill file so it knows the endpoints. Both use the same models and the same prices. For help choosing, see which AI video API should you use.