Automating social media images: 4 real paths

The boundary: we generate the sizes, we do not publish

It is worth stating up front because it saves integration time: SocialCutter generates images, it does not post to social networks. It takes an image, crops it with a centered crop to the exact size of each destination and returns one URL per output. Whatever happens next — scheduling a post, uploading the media to a CMS, attaching it to a product record — belongs to the caller.

That boundary is exactly what lets the API fit so many different setups without specific integrations: it is an HTTP call, and all four paths below can make it.

Nor does it decide the framing: the image content is not analysed, so the crop is centered and predictable.

The 4 real paths

1. Direct REST API

The base path. A POST to https://api.socialcutter.theboomer.dev/api/v1/images/process with the X-API-Key header and a body carrying source and destinations. Everything else is a variation of this.

• When: you have a backend, a script or a cron job and want full control of the flow.
• Start here: Process images with the API from the terminal (curl).

2. MCP server for LLMs and agents

The MCP server exposes the same API as 28 tools. Instead of writing HTTP you describe what you want and the model calls process_image or process_upload_file with the parameters. There is a remote mode (a URL, no install) and a local one (npx).

• When: you work in Claude, Cursor, VS Code or Windsurf and want to generate sizes inside the conversation.
• Start here: Use SocialCutter from your LLM or editor with MCP.

3. No-code automation

n8n, Zapier or Make. A trigger detects a new image and an HTTP node calls the API; then the outputs are routed. There is no official SocialCutter node in any of the three, and you do not need one: the generic HTTP node is enough.

• When: you do not code, or you want the flow running within an afternoon.
• Start here: Automate image resizing with n8n, Automate image resizing with Zapier or Automate image resizing with Make.

4. CMS and ERP

Here the source is usually the catalogue or the website: a product record, a post, a blog entry. The API is called from a plugin, a theme, a function or a module of the system itself, and the resulting file is uploaded to its media library.

• When: the images live in your CMS or ERP and you want them to come out already correctly sized.
• Start here: the guide for your system in the table below.

When each path fits

Your situation	Recommended path	Why
I have a backend and want control of the flow	REST API	Full control of destinations, errors and retries from your code
I work with an LLM or an agent	MCP	The model calls the tools; you write no HTTP
I do not code, or I want it fast	No-code (n8n, Zapier, Make)	Ready-made triggers and a generic HTTP node
I publish on WordPress or WooCommerce	CMS	The plugin uploads the result to the media library
I manage a catalogue on Shopify	CMS	Generated per product and attached to the record
I design and publish on Webflow	CMS	Media API upload and use it in the design
I write on Ghost	CMS	Featured image and social cards at the right size
I run a catalogue on Odoo or ERPNext	ERP	Normalises product images on the item record
I process large batches	REST API or process_batch	A batch endpoint avoids hundreds of separate calls
First steps or a quick test	MCP or the web dashboard	You can try the 0 EUR plan with no setup

Comparing the paths

Criterion	REST API	MCP	No-code	CMS / ERP
Technical level	Medium	Low	Low	Medium
Language	Any	Natural language	Visual flow	Plugin, theme or module
Setup speed	Medium	Fast	Fast	Medium
Per-destination and error control	Full	The model	Medium	Medium
Handles batches	Yes (/images/batch)	Yes	Depends on the flow	Depends on the module
Where the key lives	Your server	MCP client config	Automation credential	CMS or ERP config
Ideal for	Backends and scripts	LLMs and agents	Marketing and ops	Catalogue and website
Starting guide	curl	mcp	n8n	wordpress

Whichever path you take, the flow has the same shape: a trigger, a call to the API and a routing of the outputs.

Every guide by language and by system

Path	File	Guide
Terminal	Bash and curl	Process images with the API from the terminal (curl)
LLMs and editors	MCP	Use SocialCutter from your LLM or editor with MCP
Python	Python	Process images with the SocialCutter API from Python
JavaScript	Node.js	Process images with the SocialCutter API from Node.js
PHP	PHP	Process images with the SocialCutter API from PHP
No-code	n8n	Automate image resizing with n8n
No-code	Zapier	Automate image resizing with Zapier
No-code	Make	Automate image resizing with Make
CMS	WordPress and WooCommerce	Integrate SocialCutter with WordPress and WooCommerce
CMS	WooCommerce	Attach catalogue images to WooCommerce with SocialCutter
CMS	Shopify	Integrate SocialCutter with the Shopify Admin API
CMS	PrestaShop	PrestaShop product images over the Webservice API
CMS	Magento 2	Product images in Magento 2 through the REST API
CMS	Strapi	Upload images to the Strapi media library with SocialCutter
CMS	Webflow	Upload images to Webflow and use SocialCutter
CMS	Ghost	Upload images to Ghost and publish the right post
ERP	Odoo	Normalize catalogue images in Odoo
ERP	ERPNext	Normalize catalogue images in ERPNext
Reference	Sizes	Social media image sizes: dimensions and ratios

Cost and limits

Item	Value
Cost per processing job	1 use per destination (platform and format)
Duplicate destinations in one request	Not charged twice
Failed processing jobs	Refunded
Maximum upload size	5 MB per file
Plans	0, 3, 9 and 29 EUR
API and MCP server	Included in every plan
Delivery	One URL per destination; publishing is not included

Next steps

• Full size table: Social media image sizes: dimensions and ratios
• API reference: https://docs.socialcutter.theboomer.dev
• Dashboard: https://dash.socialcutter.theboomer.dev