Local vs remote MCP for your photo library

The connection determines which library is searched

Local MCP connects an assistant on your computer to the running OwAI desktop app over stdio. Remote MCP connects over authenticated HTTPS to your account's synced index. Registering the remote URL does not install a local connector or give a cloud assistant filesystem access.

Both expose OwAI's library operations and folder-scoped organization rules. The difference is where reads execute and how writes are delivered, not a separate set of organization rules for agents.

Local MCP: this computer's library

OwAI must be running. Search and inspection use this computer's local library, and organization changes execute in the desktop app. Local MCP can use downloaded local models without syncing the index to the cloud; it still requires Cloud Access authorization.

The app's inference choices still apply. If hosted inference is selected, a semantic query can use the hosted model even though the catalog being searched is local. The assistant itself may also need an internet connection.

Remote MCP: the synced index across devices

Search, device and folder listings, collection and people inspection, and duplicate inspection read the synced account index directly. They do not need to wake the desktop. When a device is offline, results reflect its last completed sync, not changes made since then.

For local folders, remote mutations are queued for the owning device. That device applies the command through OwAI's library logic and syncs the changed rows back. Keep OwAI running with cloud sync enabled to receive commands. A pending or running status is not success; get_library_command returns the completion status and result.

OneDrive sources work differently: library edits execute on the server against the shared catalog and replicate to the app and CLI. Provider file operations go to OneDrive. They do not require a desktop executor; check the returned completion status and itemized results.

Apple Photos sources follow the owning-device route. The Mac must run OwAI with Photos authorization to execute changes. Linked collections update editable native albums, groups publish album membership, and favorites update Photos favorites. Deleting a linked collection or group requests deletion of its album container, not original media; out-of-source members block native album deletion. Explicitly approved original deletion separately uses Photos Recently Deleted. Inspect native synchronization status as well as the saved local change.

Reading images and streaming videos

Remote search returns media metadata, filenames, device information and paths. A path in a tool result is a locator, not permission or proof that the assistant can read that file. Index sync alone does not give the assistant original media bytes.

Local MCP has read_media for inline full images or video_stream resource links. Local video links are file URIs for clients running on this computer, pinned for 15 minutes; cloud-provider videos use the app’s existing playback/export cache. Consuming a returned media URI is allowed; inspecting private OwAI application data is not. Images that exceed the 5 MiB inline budget or need format conversion are adapted only as necessary; gallery thumbnails are never substituted. open_media opens a file in an application; it does not attach image bytes to the conversation.

For local-folder assets, remote read_media can return an image or video from any caller device. This requires a desktop build with Remote media access, that opt-in enabled in Settings → AI assistants, Cloud index sync, and the owning device online. It is off by default. The relay transfers requested bytes transiently without putting media in Turso or R2. It is not end-to-end encrypted: the relay and authorized assistant receive the requested content. A disconnected or disabled owner returns an unavailable response.

For OneDrive assets, read_media retrieves the original image when supported and within the inline limit, otherwise the largest practical uncropped rendition, or an authenticated video stream through the connected Microsoft account. No online desktop or desktop relay is required. The authorized assistant receives the image under its own data policies. This does not turn open_media into remote desktop control.

For Apple Photos, remote read_media requires the owning Mac online, full Photos access and Remote media access enabled. PhotoKit supplies current rendered JPEG or MP4 media, including supported Photos edits; these are not byte-for-byte originals. Uncached iCloud items also need internet access.

Videos default to a video_stream resource link, not a thumbnail. The remote client fetches content_url with its authentication header: Authorization: Bearer for OAuth tokens or OwAI developer keys, or legacy x-app-key. OAuth requires media:read permission; credentials never belong in URLs or prompts. GET and HEAD support byte ranges for seeking and files larger than 64 MiB. Pass the search result’s segment_start_ms as start_ms for a playback hint, not a clip. rendition=still explicitly requests an inline video_still thumbnail; it is not a frame at the requested time. A link is returned with delivery_status=not_fetched and does not prove playback or analysis. Client support for authenticated resources and the source codec is required; a plain unauthenticated browser visit returns 401. OneDrive streams directly; Apple Photos first prepares an uncached current MP4 on the owning Mac, which may take minutes. Nothing opens on another computer.

Remote open_media remains a separate local-window action. It requires the same-computer, device-specific connection from OwAI Settings. First call locate_media and proceed only when availability is local_device. The owning app checks that the path still exists before opening. Do not open different_device or device_unspecified results, or bind a cloud-only assistant to a computer merely to launch files there. Use read_media to read the image in the conversation instead.

What leaves the device?

Cloud index sync uploads searchable metadata, embeddings, organization relationships and device paths. It does not upload or store original photos, videos, thumbnails, previews or proxy clips in the remote index. OwAI is not a cloud media backup.

Hosted AI processing is a separate choice: resized images or selected video frames are sent for transient inference. Local models avoid that hosted processing. When you connect an assistant, tool results are shared with that assistant under its own data policies; local MCP is not a promise that the assistant keeps those results on your computer.

• Local-first features
• Cross-device index sync

Which connection should I use?

Use local MCP for a desktop assistant working with the library on the same computer. Use remote MCP for assistants that accept HTTPS connectors or need to search the synced catalog across devices; image reads and video streaming are available through the optional relay when the owner is online. You can configure both in a capable client; name them clearly and select the intended connection.

• MCP connection guide