Open WebUI

Open WebUI is a self-hosted web interface for local LLMs with over 90,000 GitHub stars. It works with Ollama, any OpenAI-compatible API, and LiteLLM. Version 0.6.31 added native support for MCP servers over Streamable HTTP, including OAuth 2.1 sign-in. The Picsart MCP server is hosted by Picsart, so there is nothing to install.

Prerequisites

• Open WebUI 0.6.31 or later (upgrade guide)
• Admin access to your Open WebUI instance
• The WEBUI_SECRET_KEY environment variable set in your deployment. Without it, OAuth sign-ins break every time the container restarts.
• A model that supports tool/function calling (check your Ollama or OpenAI model's specifications)
• A Picsart account for each user who will generate. Users sign in when they first enable the tools.
• Outbound HTTPS access from your Open WebUI host to api.picsart.com on port 443

Setup

1. Log in to your Open WebUI instance as an admin.
2. Open Settings > Admin > Integrations.
3. Under External Tool Servers, click + Add Connection.
4. Fill in the following fields:
   • Type: MCP (Streamable HTTP) (not OpenAPI)
   • URL: https://api.picsart.com/gen-ai/mcp
   • Auth: OAuth 2.1
   • Name: Picsart Gen AI
5. Click Register Client. Open WebUI registers itself with Picsart automatically. Optionally click Check OAuth Discovery to confirm Picsart's sign-in server was found.
6. Click Save.
7. Open a chat with a tool-capable model and click + > Integrations > Tools. Enable Picsart Gen AI.
8. Open WebUI sends you to Picsart's sign-in page. Sign in and approve access. Each user does this once with their own Picsart account.
9. Send: List the available Picsart video models.

Do not set Picsart tools as default (pre-enabled) tools on a model. OAuth sign-in needs an interactive browser step, so each user enables the tools from the chat instead.

For the full MCP reference, see the Open WebUI MCP documentation.

Use it

With a tool-capable model and Picsart tools enabled, send prompts such as:

Generate a product image of a coffee cup on a marble surface using Nano Banana.

Animate this image into a 5-second video using Seedance 2.0.

What models does Picsart have for text-to-speech?

The model invokes the appropriate Picsart tool and returns the result, including a URL to the generated file, inline in the chat.

Troubleshooting

"External Tool Servers" has no MCP type

Upgrade Open WebUI to 0.6.31 or later. Native MCP support is not available in earlier versions.

Tools not available in chat

Enable Picsart from + > Integrations > Tools in the chat, and complete the sign-in if prompted. Also confirm the model you selected supports tool calling.

Sign-in does not complete

Finish the sign-in in the same browser, signed in to Open WebUI as the same user, at the address set in WEBUI_URL. If the flow is interrupted, enable the tool again to retry.

"Unauthorized" or "Error decrypting tokens"

Your Picsart sign-in has expired or can no longer be read. Enable the tool again from the chat to sign in again. If this happens after every restart, set a fixed WEBUI_SECRET_KEY.

"Insufficient credits"

Ask "What's my Picsart credit balance?" (the picsart_credits tool). Top up at picsart.com.

Outbound connection fails on self-hosted

Your Open WebUI server must be able to reach api.picsart.com on port 443. If it is behind a firewall or proxy, update the network rules or configure Open WebUI's proxy environment variables (HTTP_PROXY, HTTPS_PROXY) as appropriate for your deployment.

FAQ

Does this work with Ollama models?

Yes. Open WebUI routes tool calls through whichever model backend is active, whether Ollama, OpenAI, LiteLLM, or another provider. The only requirement is that the model you select supports tool/function calling.

Can regular users (non-admins) add MCP servers?

No. MCP server configuration is admin-only. An admin adds the Picsart server once, and each user who has access signs in with their own Picsart account.

Whose credits are used, and where are sign-ins stored?

Each user's own. Sign-in is per user, so generations spend credits from the account that signed in, and nobody else inherits that access. Open WebUI stores the sign-in in its database, encrypted with WEBUI_SECRET_KEY.

Can I restrict which users can call Picsart tools?

Yes. Use Access Control on the Picsart connection under Settings > Admin > Integrations to limit it to specific users or groups.

Start creating

The Picsart MCP server is now connected. Visit the documentation for examples, available models, and prompt ideas.

Ready to generate?

View documentation