Installation

There are three ways to use AI Playground from outside the web app: the gen-ai CLI, drop-in Skills for AI agents, and the MCP server. All three share the same account and credit balance.

This page covers installation for each surface. If you want a quickstart instead, go to CLI Quickstart or MCP Quickstart.

Surface	Install the CLI?	Sign-in
gen-ai CLI	Yes	gen-ai login
Skills	Yes, Skills run the CLI	gen-ai login
MCP server	No, it is hosted by Picsart	In your agent, the first time it connects

Only using MCP? Skip straight to MCP and agent integrations.

gen-ai CLI

Install the CLI to generate from your terminal, scripts, and CI, or to use Skills (which run the CLI under the hood). The MCP server does not need it.

macOS and Linux

curl -fsSL https://picsart.com/gen-ai-cli/install.sh | bash

This installs the gen-ai binary to ~/.local/bin (override with GEN_AI_INSTALL_DIR), verifies SHA-256 checksums, and adds the install directory to your PATH via your shell rc file (.bashrc, .zshrc, .profile, or fish config). Supports macOS and Linux on x64 and arm64.

Windows (PowerShell)

iwr https://picsart.com/gen-ai-cli/install.ps1 | iex

On Windows the script installs the npm package: it installs or upgrades Node.js 22+ first if needed (via winget, or the official MSI), runs npm install -g @picsart/gen-ai, and sets the PowerShell execution policy to RemoteSigned for your user if it was Restricted.

npm (all platforms)

npm install -g @picsart/gen-ai

Requires Node.js 22 or later. Works on macOS, Linux, and Windows.

Verify the install

gen-ai --version

Keep it current with gen-ai update.

Then sign in once:

gen-ai login

gen-ai login opens your browser for a one-time OAuth confirmation and stores a secure token at ~/.gen-ai/credentials.json. This sign-in covers the CLI and Skills. The MCP server signs in separately, inside your agent. For CI or other headless machines, use environment variables instead of gen-ai login. See Authentication for details.

Official product page: picsart.com/gen-ai-cli

---

Skills — drop-in agent bundles

Skills are .zip bundles that teach an AI agent how to generate media with Picsart. Drop a skill into Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, or ChatGPT, and the agent knows which model to pick and which command to run — you ask in plain English.

The flagship skill, gen-ai-use, lets an agent use the models available in its installed CLI. The SDK catalog reference covers 222 models.

Skills call the CLI internally, so install the CLI and run gen-ai login before adding a skill.

Install — Claude Code (recommended)

claude plugin marketplace add PicsArt/gen-ai-skills

Then activate it inside Claude Code:

/plugin install picsart@picsart

Or via npx:

npx skills add PicsArt/gen-ai-skills

Or copy the skills bundled with the CLI straight into ~/.claude/skills/:

gen-ai install-skills        # --force to overwrite, --to <dir> for another location
gen-ai check-skills          # see which are installed

Install — Cursor and Windsurf

1. Download the skill ZIP from picsart.com/gen-ai-skills.
2. Place it in your Cursor or Windsurf skills/rules directory as instructed by that agent.
3. Ask in plain English: "Generate a 16:9 hero image for a spring campaign."

Install — ChatGPT

Attach the skill ZIP to a conversation or a custom GPT. Once attached, the agent can call gen-ai commands directly.

Official product page: picsart.com/gen-ai-skills

Full walkthrough in the Skills guide.

---

MCP and agent integrations

The Picsart MCP server exposes the full model catalog as Model Context Protocol tools, so any MCP-compatible agent can generate image, video, and audio without leaving the agent. See What is MCP? if you are new to the protocol.

The server is hosted by Picsart, so there is nothing to install. You add its address to your agent and sign in to Picsart in the browser window the agent opens:

https://api.picsart.com/gen-ai/mcp

Each host has a dedicated setup guide:

Agent	Guide
Claude Code	Claude Code integration
Cursor	Cursor integration
Windsurf	Windsurf integration
ChatGPT	ChatGPT integration
Codex (OpenAI)	Codex integration
VS Code Copilot	VS Code integration

You do not need the CLI or gen-ai login for any of them. Each agent signs in to your Picsart account the first time it connects, and all of them share one credit balance.

Quick reference — add the MCP server

Claude (web and desktop): Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector, then paste the address above.

Claude Code:

claude mcp add --transport http picsart-gen-ai https://api.picsart.com/gen-ai/mcp

Then run /mcp in Claude Code and choose Authenticate.

Codex:

codex mcp add picsart-gen-ai --url https://api.picsart.com/gen-ai/mcp
codex mcp login picsart-gen-ai

Cursor / Windsurf / VS Code: add the address above as a remote (HTTP) MCP server in the agent's MCP config file. See the individual integration guides for the exact config block.

Official page: picsart.com/gen-ai-mcp. The canonical, always-current connection details live here. The MCP Quickstart documents the agent-facing tools (picsart_generate, picsart_preflight, …) and example calls. The picsart_media_* tools for building video and images from existing material are documented under Picsart Media Studio, which is also available as its own connector.

---

FAQ

Do I need to install the CLI to use MCP?

No. The MCP server is hosted by Picsart and your agent connects to it over HTTPS. You sign in to Picsart inside the agent. Nothing is installed on your machine.

Do I need to install the CLI to use Skills?

Yes. Skills run the gen-ai binary to do the work. Install the CLI and run gen-ai login once before adding a skill.

Which install method should I use — curl, PowerShell, or npm?

Use the curl script on macOS/Linux and the PowerShell script on Windows unless you are already managing a Node.js project. The curl script installs a self-contained binary and does not require Node.js. The PowerShell script and the npm path both install the npm package, which runs on Node.js 22+ (the PowerShell script installs Node.js for you if it is missing).

What does GEN_AI_INSTALL_DIR do?

It overrides where the binary is placed. By default the script installs to ~/.local/bin. Set GEN_AI_INSTALL_DIR=/usr/local/bin if you want a system-wide install (requires write access to that directory).

The CLI installed but gen-ai is not found.

Your shell's PATH may not have updated. Run source ~/.zshrc (or .bashrc, .profile) in the same terminal window, or open a new terminal.

Can I use the npm package and the curl binary on the same machine?

Yes, but only one should be on your PATH. Having both is not harmful, but it can cause version mismatches. Prefer one install method per machine.

Is the CLI free?

The CLI itself costs nothing to install or run. Generations consume Picsart credits drawn from your account balance. Run gen-ai pricing <model> to see the cost of a specific model before generating.