mochify-cli

A command-line tool and MCP server for mochify.app — a fast, privacy-first image compression and conversion API powered by a native C++ engine.

Compress and convert images to modern formats (AVIF, JXL, WebP, Jpegli) from your terminal, or give AI assistants like Claude direct access to image processing via the Model Context Protocol.

Installation

macOS (Homebrew):

brew tap getmochify/mochify
brew install mochify

Linux / WSL:

# x86_64
curl -L https://github.com/getmochify/mochify-cli/releases/latest/download/mochify-linux-x86_64 -o mochify
chmod +x mochify
sudo mv mochify /usr/local/bin/

# arm64
curl -L https://github.com/getmochify/mochify-cli/releases/latest/download/mochify-linux-arm64 -o mochify
chmod +x mochify
sudo mv mochify /usr/local/bin/

Cargo (all platforms):

cargo install mochify

Requires Rust. Easiest option on Linux/WSL if you already have the toolchain.

Manual: All binaries at Releases.

From source:

cargo install --path .

Authentication

Sign in with your mochify.app account to unlock your full quota:

mochify auth login

This opens your browser, where you sign in and authorize the CLI. Credentials are saved automatically to ~/.config/mochify/credentials.toml — no environment variables or manual key copying required. Both the CLI and MCP server pick them up automatically.

mochify auth status   # check whether you're signed in
mochify auth logout   # remove saved credentials

Without an account you get 3 images per batch (IP-based). With a free account: 25 images/month. Sign up at mochify.app.

CLI Usage

mochify [OPTIONS] <FILES>...

Options

Flag	Description
-t, --type <FORMAT>	Output format: jpg, png, webp, avif, jxl
-w, --width <N>	Target width in pixels
-H, --height <N>	Target height in pixels
--crop	Crop to exact dimensions (saliency-guided)
-r, --rotation <DEG>	Rotation: 0, 90, 180, 270
-o, --output <DIR>	Output directory (default: same as input)
-n, --name <NAME>	Base name for the output file (without extension)
--clarity	Apply clarity (midtone contrast enhancement — crisper, more detailed look)
-p, --prompt <TEXT>	Natural-language prompt — resolves all params automatically
-k, --api-key <KEY>	API key override (or set MOCHIFY_API_KEY env var)

Examples

# Convert to AVIF
mochify photo.jpg -t avif

# Resize and convert to WebP
mochify photo.jpg -t webp -w 800

# Batch convert a folder to AVIF at 1200px wide
mochify ./images/*.jpg -t avif -w 1200 -o ./compressed

# Natural-language prompt — let the AI pick the right params
mochify photo.jpg -p "convert to avif, 1200px wide"
mochify photo.jpg -p "optimise for eBay"
mochify photo.jpg -p "remove background and convert to WebP"
mochify photo.jpg -p "resize to 50%, strip EXIF, keep as WebP"

# Custom output name
mochify photo.jpg -t webp -n hero
mochify product.jpg -p "optimise for Shopify" -n product-main

# Pipe file paths from stdin
find . -name "*.jpg" | mochify -t webp -o ./out
cat images.txt | mochify -p "convert to avif 1200px wide" -o ./compressed
ls *.heic | mochify -t jpg

Output file naming

By default, when the output format and directory match the input, the result is saved as {name}_mochified.{ext} so it's always clear something happened. If that file already exists, a numeric suffix is added (_1, _2, etc.). When the format changes (e.g. .jpg → .webp), the extension change is already unambiguous so no suffix is added.

Use -n, --name to set an explicit base name: mochify photo.jpg -t webp -n hero saves hero.webp. The prompt path also supports this: mochify *.jpg -p "optimise for Shopify, name them product" will produce product.webp, product_1.webp, etc.

MCP Server (Claude Desktop)

mochify can run as an MCP server, letting Claude process images on your behalf directly from conversation.

Setup

Run mochify auth login first, then add the following to your Claude Desktop config at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mochify": {
      "command": "mochify",
      "args": ["serve"]
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop. The mochify server will appear in your connections and use your saved credentials automatically.

Usage

Describe what you want in natural language with the full path to your image:

"Convert /Users/me/Desktop/photo.jpg to AVIF at 1000px wide"

"Compress all the JPEGs in /Users/me/projects/blog/images/ to WebP and save to /Users/me/projects/blog/compressed/"

"Optimise /Users/me/Desktop/product.jpg for eBay"

"Remove the background from /Users/me/Desktop/shirt.png and save as WebP"

Claude calls the squish tool automatically and reports back the saved path and file size.

API

Powered by https://api.mochify.app/v1/squish. Images are processed in-memory and never written to disk.

Plan	Ops/month	Max file size
Free (no account)	3/batch	20 MB
Free (with account)	25	20 MB
Seller ($7.99/mo)	300	75 MB
Pro ($24.99/mo)	1,200	75 MB

Visit mochify.app for the web interface, pricing, and API docs.