Why is the key an empty string in the snippet?

Because Cline does not document environment-variable expansion in mcp.json, so a ${AURA_SECRET_KEY} here is not documented to resolve to anything. Leave the value empty and export AURA_SECRET_KEY in the shell that launches your editor, so the credential lives in your environment rather than in a JSON file.

What do disabled and autoApprove do?

Both ship in every config example Cline documents. disabled is the flag behind the wizard action the docs describe as toggling a server without deleting it — how you park this one while debugging. On autoApprove the docs give one instruction, "Limit autoApprove to safe tools", next to "Review tool calls before approval". An empty array is the conservative reading of that: nothing is pre-approved, so every AuraImage call comes back to you first.

Cline

Image CDN for Cline

Wire up AuraImage from one JSON file — or from the cline mcp wizard, if you would rather not touch it.

Start free See the config

$0 forever 20 GB bandwidth 3 GB storage hard stop at quota — never a surprise bill. Compare plans

Add AuraImage to Cline

Cline is UI-first. In the VS Code extension you reach this config through a panel, not a file:

Open the Cline panel and click the MCP Servers icon.
Choose Configure, then Configure MCP Servers.
Paste the JSON below.

The Cline CLI reads ~/.cline/mcp.json; the VS Code extension keeps the same JSON in cline_mcp_settings.json, which you open from the Cline panel: MCP Servers icon → Configure → Configure MCP Servers. Cline does not document environment-variable expansion in this JSON, so leave the value blank and put AURA_SECRET_KEY in the environment of whichever process you start, editor or CLI.

~/.cline/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "auraimage": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@auraimage/mcp-server@latest"],
      "env": {
        "AURA_SECRET_KEY": ""
      },
      "disabled": false,
      "autoApprove": []
    }
  }
}

Or from the terminal

bash

cline mcp

Verified against the vendor docs on 2026-08-09.

Optimize images with Cline

Each prompt is paired with the MCP tool it fires.

Audit this project for image LCP problems — report only, do not change anything yet.audit_lcp
Migrate everything under assets/ to AuraImage, and show me the diff before you write it.migrate_assets
Write alt text for the images in this folder, following the tone I set in .clinerules/.generate_alt
Swap this <img> for a responsive AuraImage tag and leave the original commented out.generate_responsive_tag
Show me thumbnail crops of every image in this folder — walk me through them one at a time so I can approve each call.smart_crop_preview

Prompt

“Migrate everything under assets/ to AuraImage, and show me the diff before you write it.”migrate_assets

Before

tsx

<img src="/hero.jpg" alt="" />

After Cline edits it

tsx

<AuraImage
  src='my-app/hero'
  alt='Golden Gate Bridge at sunset'
  width={1200}
  height={800}
/>

A Cloudinary alternative your agent can wire up itself

Capability	Cloudinary / Imgix	AuraImage with Cline
Pricing model	Metered per GB and per transform	Flat monthly price
Egress	Billed	$0
AVIF	Opt-in configuration	Served by default
BlurHash placeholders	Build it yourself	Bundled
Component	SDK import	Lands in your repo, yours to edit
Install	Manual wiring	One MCP config, then a prompt

Teach Cline your image conventions

Cline reads a .clinerules/ directory of .md and .txt files at the repo root, so image conventions can live in their own file instead of one long document.

Path.clinerules/

Verified against the vendor docs on 2026-08-09.

Questions, answered

The things developers ask before they ship. If something is missing, just email us.

Install it in your side project. Pay when you ship.