Zed MCP Integration

Capture a webpage or turn HTML/CSS into a PNG, WebP, or PDF with HTML/CSS to Image.

You’ll need: an HCTI account with image credits. Sign in through your browser when connecting—no API key to copy.

1. Add a remote MCP server in Zed

Open Settings → AI → MCP Servers.
Select Add Server → Add Remote Server.
Enter https://mcp.hcti.io as the URL and name the server hcti.
Complete the OAuth prompt in your browser.

Alternatively, merge this entry into your Zed settings file, available through zed: open settings file:

{
  "context_servers": {
    "hcti": {
      "url": "https://mcp.hcti.io"
    }
  }
}

Leave authentication headers unset so Zed can use OAuth. Check for the Server is active indicator, then open the Agent Panel and ask “Use HCTI to check my image usage and account limits”. This remote connection does not need a local mcp-remote process. See Zed’s MCP guide.

2. Take a screenshot

Send this prompt after connecting:

Use HTML/CSS to Image to screenshot https://example.com as a PNG.
Set viewport_width to 1440 and device_scale to 1. Return the image URL.

Open the returned image URL to view your screenshot. Replace https://example.com with your own public URL.

3. Render HTML/CSS

Try a small card with explicit text, colors, and dimensions:

Use HCTI to render this HTML and CSS as a PNG at device_scale 1.
HTML: <div class="card">Hello from HCTI</div>
CSS: .card { width: 1200px; height: 630px; display: flex;
align-items: center; justify-content: center; background: #172554;
color: white; font: 64px sans-serif; }
Return the hosted image URL.

The result is a dark blue card with centered white text. Edit the text or CSS and render again to refine it.

How to render HTML/CSS from your editor

Include your HTML and CSS files in the Agent Panel context, then ask:

Read the attached HTML and CSS. Make the markup self-contained, render it as a PNG with HCTI at device_scale 1, and return the image URL.

Zed supplies the file content to the assistant, which sends the rendering input to HCTI. A local file path or localhost URL alone is not enough for the hosted renderer.

Available tools

HTML/CSS to Image (HCTI) exposes the same MCP tools in every supported client. Ask your assistant to use HCTI by name when you want it to render HTML/CSS or capture a website.

Account usage

Tool	What it does
check_usage	Check images used, the account’s image allowance, the next reset date, and whether overages are enabled. Does not render an image.

Screenshots and rendering

Tool	What it does
create_image	Render HTML and CSS as PNG, JPG, WebP, or PDF. Accepts rendering options such as `device_scale`, `viewport_width`, `viewport_height`, and `ms_delay`.
create_url_image	Capture a public webpage or a specific element using a CSS selector. Supports viewport settings and cookie banner blocking.
create_templated_image	Render a saved template using its `template_id` and a `template_values` object.
create_batch_images	Render multiple variations in one request, with shared `default_options` and per-image `variations`.
get_max_batch_size	Check the authorized account’s current batch limit before preparing a batch.

Template management

Tool	What it does
create_template	Save HTML and CSS as a reusable template with variables.
update_template	Update an existing template by ID.
list_templates	Find templates in the connected HCTI account.
list_template_versions	Inspect the version history of a template.

See the rendering parameters for available options and the Template Editor guide for designing reusable templates.

Troubleshooting

Missing tools or connection errors

Check the status indicator in Settings → AI → MCP Servers. If the server is active but tools are missing from the conversation, check the Agent Panel profile and enable the HCTI tools. Mention HCTI explicitly in your prompt.

Rendering errors

HCTI fetches webpages from its hosted service. Use a publicly accessible URL; it cannot reach your computer’s localhost. For HTML/CSS rendering, supply the file contents and accessible assets rather than local file paths. Check your HCTI dashboard for available image credits.

See shared MCP troubleshooting for authentication and rendering errors, or choose another client.

Need help?

Talk to a human. Please email us support@htmlcsstoimage.com with any questions and we’ll gladly help you get started.