{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "abyssale", "name": "Abyssale", "vendor": "Abyssale SAS", "vendorUrl": "https://www.abyssale.com", "kind": "http-api", "category": "design-assets", "summary": "Abyssale is a creative automation platform from Paris that renders designs into images, MP4 video, GIFs, HTML5 banner ads and print PDFs, through a REST API, dynamic image URLs, webhooks, official SDKs and a remote MCP server.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/abyssale", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/abyssale.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/abyssale.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/abyssale.json", "dns": "abyssale.grade.anchorterminal.com", "license": "Closed service under the Abyssale terms of service (version 3, 21 July 2026)", "transports": [ "http", "streamable-http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://api.abyssale.com", "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "@abyssale/sdk" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "abyssale" } ], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "REST uses a workspace API key in the `x-api-key` header, created in Workspace settings; test it with `POST /auth`. The MCP server at mcp.abyssale.com uses OAuth through Auth0 with per-tool scopes (`read:design`, `write:design`, `delete:design`, `import:design`, `generate:banner` and others), checked together with the user's workspace role. The two credentials are separate.", "pricing": "paid", "pricingNotes": "API and MCP come with Pro at $45 a seat a month ($36 yearly) and above; Start at $15 a seat has neither. Suite $75 a seat adds HTML5 and CMYK print PDF. 14-day free trial with no card. Generation credits are charged per format, 1 per image, 1 per second of video, GIF or HTML5, print PDFs by pixel area. Failed generations cost nothing.", "priceSummary": "$45 / seat-mo", "where": "hosted", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "Seat subscriptions with credit balances. No x402, MPP or L402 in the OpenAPI, the developer docs or llms.txt (checked 2026-11-06). An empty balance returns 429 with an id, not a payment requirement.", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": 20, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-11-06" }, "docsUrl": "https://developers.abyssale.com/", "llmsTxt": "https://developers.abyssale.com/llms.txt", "openapi": "https://developers.abyssale.com/api.yaml", "registryName": "com.abyssale/mcp", "capabilities": [ "design.render", "design.templates", "design.brand", "image.edit", "pdf.generate", "video.generate" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "openapi", "llms-txt", "mcp", "remote-mcp", "mcp-registry", "oauth", "api-key", "webhooks", "sdk", "trial", "no-card", "eu" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-29", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 65.6, "grade": "B", "agentReady": false, "rank": 411, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 1486, "categoryRank": 3, "methodology": "0.7", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 85, "maintenance": 85, "payments": 35, "reliability": 41, "schema": 98, "security": 55, "transparency": 71 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-11-06" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "Abyssale publishes a full OpenAPI file, dated versions, tiered rate limits with Retry-After, one error envelope and per-tool OAuth scopes on its MCP server. API access starts at $45 a seat a month after a 14-day trial, and no status page or published SLA was found.", "bestFor": "Multi-format ad creative, video, HTML5 banners and print PDFs from one design, for marketing teams and agencies with an agent in the loop.", "strengths": [ "OpenAPI file, a detailed llms.txt and a dated changelog that lists breaking changes first", "Published rate-limit tiers with X-RateLimit headers, Retry-After and distinct 429 ids", "MCP scopes per tool group, so a client can read designs without spending credits or deleting", "Credit cost per output published to the format, and failed generations aren't charged", "Official Node.js and Python SDKs with retry and polling helpers, released October 2026" ], "weaknesses": [ "API and MCP need the Pro plan at $45 a seat a month", "No status page found, and the SLA is negotiated for Enterprise only", "AI training on anonymised customer content is on by default", "Design import, the JSON authoring route, is alpha and outside the deprecation policy", "No security.txt, disclosure policy or certification found" ], "agentNotes": [ "Branch on the error `id`, never the message; `request_rate_limited` means wait Retry-After seconds", "Multiply credits by formats before a batch, since 200 products in 6 formats cost 1,200 credits", "Ask the MCP user to approve only `read:design` unless the task must generate or change designs", "Use asynchronous generation for several formats and deduplicate webhooks on `X-Abyssale-Delivery-Id`", "Check `GET /credits` first; it costs nothing and shows both balances" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "B", "methodology": "0.7", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 65.6 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 85, "maintenance": 85, "payments": 35, "reliability": 41, "schema": 98, "security": 55, "transparency": 69 }, "provenanceScore": 72, "checked": { "categories": { "ergonomics": "2026-11-06", "maintenance": "2026-11-06", "payments": "2026-11-06", "reliability": "2026-11-06", "schema": "2026-11-06", "security": "2026-11-06", "transparency": "2026-11-06" }, "last": "2026-11-06", "oldest": "2026-11-06", "stale": false, "staleAfterDays": 90 } }, "connect": { "install": "npm install @abyssale/sdk", "http": "curl -X POST https://api.abyssale.com/auth -H \"x-api-key: $ABYSSALE_API_KEY\"", "claudeCode": "claude mcp add --transport http --client-id tpc_iJ7LWqVdzR7c7jf21gMqDQ --callback-port 3418 -s user abyssale_prod https://mcp.abyssale.com/mcp" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/design.render", "tool": "https://letme.dev/abyssale" }, "area": "design-diagrams", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Pro seat (API and MCP)", "unit": "seat-month", "usd": 45, "note": "$36 billed yearly; the Start plan at $15 has no API" }, { "item": "Suite seat", "unit": "seat-month", "usd": 75, "note": "$60 billed yearly; adds HTML5 ads and CMYK print PDF" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Abyssale SAS", "domain": "abyssale.com", "domainRegistered": "2018-07-10", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://www.abyssale.com/terms-of-service", "privacy": "https://www.abyssale.com/privacy-policy", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://developers.abyssale.com/rest-api/changelog", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-11-06", "notes": [ "The terms (version 3, 21 July 2026) and the legal notice name ABYSSALE, an SAS at 49 rue de Ponthieu, 75008 Paris, Paris RCS 878 526 573. The terms give share capital as €1,980.00 and the legal notice as €1,902.80.", "The terms forbid extracting, scraping or reusing the platform's databases, including the public template database. Public docs and policy pages were read as data.", "www.abyssale.com/robots.txt and developers.abyssale.com/robots.txt allow all paths.", "/.well-known/security.txt returns 404. No status page was linked from the site or the docs, and status.abyssale.com did not answer.", "RDAP gives abyssale.com a registration date of 10 July 2018." ], "score": 72 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/abyssale.json", "live": { "slug": "abyssale", "probe": { "target": "https://api.abyssale.com", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-11-07T18:20:08.122898698Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 404, "lastMs": 152, "authRequired": false, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 66, "p95ms24h": 171, "samples24h": 200, "samples30d": 200, "days": [ { "date": "2026-11-06", "probes": 13, "ok": 13 }, { "date": "2026-11-07", "probes": 187, "ok": 187 } ] }, "versions": [ { "registry": "mcp-registry", "name": "com.abyssale/mcp", "version": "1.0.1", "seenAt": "2026-11-07T18:16:28.95801333Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@abyssale/sdk", "version": "1.9.0", "seenAt": "2026-11-06T23:02:19.286863658Z" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "abyssale", "version": "1.7.0", "released": "2026-10-21", "seenAt": "2026-11-06T23:02:19.747808303Z" } ], "npmWeekly": 29, "pypiWeekly": 49, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://abyssale.com/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T16:00:33.168565397Z" }, "llmsTxt": { "url": "https://developers.abyssale.com/llms.txt", "ok": true, "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T15:31:04.477678741Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://developers.abyssale.com/rest-api/changelog", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:03:36.173334461Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "1c916e422299" }, { "url": "https://www.abyssale.com/privacy-policy", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:24:07.939253804Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "1756c40b8e19" }, { "url": "https://www.abyssale.com/terms-of-service", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:24:10.078462035Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "982f9b4f8587" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-11-07T18:20:08.122898698Z" } }, "answer": "Shotstack scores 67.3 (B) on agent readiness against Abyssale's 65.6 (B), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. Abyssale leads on schema \u0026 documentation, agent ergonomics, security \u0026 auth and maintenance \u0026 community.", "b": { "slug": "shotstack", "name": "Shotstack", "vendor": "ShotStack Pty Ltd", "vendorUrl": "https://shotstack.io", "kind": "http-api", "category": "design-assets", "summary": "Shotstack is a cloud video editor driven by JSON. It renders video, images and audio from edits and templates with merge fields. Agents reach it through the Edit API, a hosted MCP server or a CLI with an agent skill.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/shotstack", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/shotstack.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/shotstack.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/shotstack.json", "dns": "shotstack.grade.anchorterminal.com", "repo": "https://github.com/shotstack/shotstack-cli", "license": "Proprietary service under Shotstack's Terms and Conditions. The schemas package and SDKs are MIT and the Studio SDK is under PolyForm Shield 1.0.0. The CLI was Apache-2.0 up to its last public source (0.15.2, 22 October 2026); since 25 October 2026 its source isn't published and the shotstack-cli repository holds only the agent skill", "transports": [ "http", "streamable-http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://api.shotstack.io/edit/v1", "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "@shotstack/cli" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@shotstack/schemas" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "shotstack-sdk" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "shotstack-sdk" } ], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "REST calls and the CLI send an API key in the `x-api-key` header. A browser signup at app.shotstack.io gives one sandbox key and one production key, self-serve, with no scopes found in the docs. The same keys reach the Edit, Serve and Ingest APIs. The MCP server uses OAuth (authorisation code with PKCE S256, dynamic client registration, one scope, `mcp:tools`) or the API key in an `x-api-key` header for headless use.", "pricing": "usage", "pricingNotes": "10 free credits on signup, valid 30 days, with no card. Pay as you go is $10 for 50 credits, 20 cents a minute of rendered video. Monthly plans run from $39 for 250 minutes to $499 for 10,000. The `stage` sandbox renders free with a watermark, so an agent can start without a contract. AI generation is charged per model in credits (checked 2026-10-08).", "priceSummary": "$0.20 / credit", "where": "hosted", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "Prepaid credits and monthly plans. No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs, llms.txt, OpenAPI definition or pricing page (checked 2026-10-08).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": 15, "popularity": { "githubStars": 0, "npmWeekly": 1211, "pypiWeekly": 326, "asOf": "2026-10-08" }, "docsUrl": "https://shotstack.io/docs/guide/", "llmsTxt": "https://shotstack.io/llms.txt", "openapi": "https://shotstack.io/docs/api/api.edit.json", "capabilities": [ "design.templates", "design.render", "video.edit", "video.generate", "image.generate", "speech.tts", "audio.music" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "closed-source", "mcp", "oauth", "openapi", "llms-txt", "cli", "agent-skill", "async-jobs", "webhooks", "video", "images", "sandbox", "status-page", "sla" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-27", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 67.3, "grade": "B", "agentReady": false, "rank": 333, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 1486, "categoryRank": 2, "methodology": "0.7", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 63, "maintenance": 73, "payments": 45, "reliability": 95, "schema": 88, "security": 48, "transparency": 73 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-11-02" }, "negative": -3, "negativeNotes": [ "4 October 2026. Release 1.22.0 of the published API definition removed the `pricing` object from the `GET /models` response and replaced it with `POST /generate/quote`, in a minor release with no breaking-change mark and no notice found. We did not test whether the live response changed that day (https://github.com/shotstack/oas-api-definition/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md)" ], "verdict": "A public OpenAPI definition, Markdown docs, a hosted MCP server with OAuth and a free watermarked sandbox let an agent draft, check and render video with little setup. API keys have no scopes, webhooks are unsigned, no security contact or certification of Shotstack's own was found, and the npm Node SDK dates from July 2024.", "bestFor": "Teams that render video, images or audio from JSON or templates at volume and want an agent to draft edits that a person reviews in Studio.", "strengths": [ "OpenAPI 3.0.1 definition at `https://shotstack.io/docs/api/api.edit.json` with 122 schemas, plus llms.txt, llms-full.txt and a Markdown twin of every guide page", "Hosted MCP server at `https://mcp.shotstack.io/` with 15 tools, OAuth authorisation code with PKCE S256 and dynamic client registration, or an `x-api-key` header", "`shotstack validate` checks an edit offline and `shotstack studio` opens a preview link, both with no API key and no credits", "The `stage` environment renders free with a watermark, and `POST /generate/quote` returns the credit cost of an AI generation without charging", "Rate limits are published per API (Edit 300 requests per 60 seconds in production), no incident in the 90 days to 2 November 2026, and a 99.9 per cent SLA" ], "weaknesses": [ "API keys have no scopes. One production key and one sandbox key reach the Edit, Serve and Ingest APIs, and key rotation was not found in the docs", "Webhook callbacks are not signed, per the webhooks guide, which tells receivers to confirm a render by calling the API", "No security.txt, disclosure policy or certification of Shotstack's own was found. The DPA relies on AWS's SOC 2 and ISO 27001 reports", "The published API definition dropped the `pricing` object from `GET /models` in release 1.22.0 on 4 October 2026, a minor release with no breaking-change mark", "The npm `shotstack-sdk` package (0.2.9) was last published in July 2024, and since 25 October 2026 the CLI's source is no longer public" ], "agentNotes": [ "Fetch `https://shotstack.io/docs/api/api.edit.json` and the conventions guide before writing an edit. Track order is reversed, so the first track renders on top", "Render in `stage` first. It is free and watermarked, but AI generation there is charged from the production credit balance", "Call `POST /generate/quote` before `POST /generate`, and send an `Idempotency-Key` header on generation. `POST /render` has no idempotency key, so do not resubmit blindly", "Do not store the `url` from the render status response. It expires after 24 hours. Use the CDN address built from `owner` and the render id", "On a 429, wait for the 60-second window to reset and retry with backoff. Limits are per API key, 300 a minute on the Edit API in production" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 4, "avgRating": 3.5, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "B", "methodology": "0.7", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 67.3 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 63, "maintenance": 73, "payments": 45, "reliability": 95, "schema": 88, "security": 48, "transparency": 61 }, "provenanceScore": 85, "checked": { "categories": { "ergonomics": "2026-11-02", "maintenance": "2026-11-02", "payments": "2026-11-02", "reliability": "2026-11-02", "schema": "2026-11-02", "security": "2026-11-02", "transparency": "2026-11-02" }, "last": "2026-11-02", "lastMoved": "2026-11-02", "oldest": "2026-11-02", "stale": false, "staleAfterDays": 90 } }, "connect": { "install": "npm install -g @shotstack/cli", "http": "curl -X POST https://api.shotstack.io/edit/stage/render -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" -H \"x-api-key: $SHOTSTACK_API_KEY\" -d @edit.json", "claudeCode": "claude mcp add --transport http shotstack https://mcp.shotstack.io", "config": { "mcpServers": { "shotstack": { "url": "https://mcp.shotstack.io/" } } } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/design.templates", "tool": "https://letme.dev/shotstack" }, "area": "design-diagrams", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Pay as you go credit", "unit": "credit", "usd": 0.2, "note": "$10 for 50 credits, one credit renders one minute of video, valid 12 months" }, { "item": "Starter", "unit": "month", "usd": 39, "note": "250 minutes a month" }, { "item": "Pro", "unit": "month", "usd": 99, "note": "750 minutes a month" }, { "item": "Scale", "unit": "month", "usd": 199, "note": "2,000 minutes a month" }, { "item": "Volume", "unit": "month", "usd": 499, "note": "10,000 minutes a month" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "ShotStack Pty Ltd", "domain": "shotstack.io", "domainRegistered": "2017-06-30", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://shotstack.io/terms/", "privacy": "https://shotstack.io/privacy/", "statusPage": "https://status.shotstack.io", "changelog": "https://github.com/shotstack/oas-api-definition/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-11-02", "notes": [ "The terms name ShotStack Pty Ltd, ACN 632 863 024, and the privacy policy gives an address in Maroubra, New South Wales.", "The terms were last updated on 6 October 2026. They cover the APIs, Studio and AI generation, and include plans and an SLA as schedules.", "The privacy policy was last updated on 21 December 2021. A DPA and a sub-processor list, both updated 6 October 2026, are at shotstack.io/dpa/ and shotstack.io/sub-processors/.", "The API answers at api.shotstack.io, the MCP server at mcp.shotstack.io and hosted files at cdn.shotstack.io.", "shotstack.io/.well-known/security.txt returns 404 (re-read 2 November 2026).", "The status page runs on Kener and links an RSS feed of incidents and maintenance.", "The changelog is the CHANGELOG.md of the API definition repository. No changelog page was found on shotstack.io.", "RDAP for shotstack.io gives a registration date of 2017-06-30 and Gandi SAS as registrar." ], "score": 85 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/shotstack.json", "live": { "slug": "shotstack", "probe": { "target": "https://api.shotstack.io/edit/v1", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-11-07T18:20:54.288364838Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 200, "lastMs": 902, "authRequired": false, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 872, "p95ms24h": 1000, "samples24h": 239, "samples30d": 7289, "days": [ { "date": "2026-10-09", "probes": 169, "ok": 169 }, { "date": "2026-10-10", "probes": 247, "ok": 247 }, { "date": "2026-10-11", "probes": 247, "ok": 247 }, { "date": "2026-10-12", "probes": 247, "ok": 247 }, { "date": "2026-10-13", "probes": 248, "ok": 248 }, { "date": "2026-10-14", "probes": 249, "ok": 249 }, { "date": "2026-10-15", "probes": 253, "ok": 253 }, { "date": "2026-10-16", "probes": 252, "ok": 252 }, { "date": "2026-10-17", "probes": 253, "ok": 253 }, { "date": "2026-10-18", "probes": 256, "ok": 256 }, { "date": "2026-10-19", "probes": 255, "ok": 255 }, { "date": "2026-10-20", "probes": 252, "ok": 252 }, { "date": "2026-10-21", "probes": 253, "ok": 253 }, { "date": "2026-10-22", "probes": 253, "ok": 253 }, { "date": "2026-10-23", "probes": 248, "ok": 248 }, { "date": "2026-10-24", "probes": 251, "ok": 251 }, { "date": "2026-10-25", "probes": 250, "ok": 250 }, { "date": "2026-10-26", "probes": 252, "ok": 252 }, { "date": "2026-10-27", "probes": 249, "ok": 249 }, { "date": "2026-10-28", "probes": 250, "ok": 250 }, { "date": "2026-10-29", "probes": 249, "ok": 249 }, { "date": "2026-10-30", "probes": 249, "ok": 249 }, { "date": "2026-10-31", "probes": 251, "ok": 251 }, { "date": "2026-11-01", "probes": 249, "ok": 249 }, { "date": "2026-11-02", "probes": 250, "ok": 250 }, { "date": "2026-11-03", "probes": 248, "ok": 248 }, { "date": "2026-11-04", "probes": 246, "ok": 246 }, { "date": "2026-11-05", "probes": 185, "ok": 185 }, { "date": "2026-11-06", "probes": 241, "ok": 241 }, { "date": "2026-11-07", "probes": 187, "ok": 187 } ] }, "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.shotstack.io", "indicator": "unknown", "summary": "no machine-readable status found", "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T04:48:45.114558047Z" }, "versions": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "@shotstack/cli", "version": "0.17.0", "seenAt": "2026-11-07T00:05:41.083663572Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@shotstack/schemas", "version": "1.23.3", "seenAt": "2026-11-07T00:05:41.625150494Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "shotstack-sdk", "version": "0.2.9", "seenAt": "2026-11-07T00:05:43.32367796Z" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "shotstack-sdk", "version": "0.2.8", "released": "2024-07-19", "seenAt": "2026-11-07T00:05:45.311644882Z" } ], "githubStars": 0, "npmWeekly": 370, "pypiWeekly": 245, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://shotstack.io/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T16:00:10.982687762Z" }, "llmsTxt": { "url": "https://shotstack.io/llms.txt", "ok": true, "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T15:33:55.150019501Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "shotstack.io", "checkedAt": "2026-11-01T14:22:55.371274673Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/shotstack/oas-api-definition/main/CHANGELOG.md", "kind": "changelog", "status": 304, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:23:31.082600398Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-27T03:55:55.627870867Z", "fingerprint": "0b2656bd7b4a" }, { "url": "https://shotstack.io/privacy/", "kind": "privacy", "status": 304, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:19:46.779374273Z", "changedAt": "2026-11-04T08:32:42.350513445Z", "fingerprint": "e09c706eb4f5" }, { "url": "https://shotstack.io/terms/", "kind": "terms", "status": 304, "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T14:19:49.363330236Z", "changedAt": "2026-11-04T08:32:46.005681016Z", "fingerprint": "5e9074a6f69a" } ], "mcpTools": { "url": "https://mcp.shotstack.io", "checkedAt": "2026-11-07T01:48:01.653435881Z", "status": "auth", "note": "asks for credentials before listing its tools", "changedAt": "2026-11-07T01:48:01.653435881Z" }, "github": { "repo": "shotstack/shotstack-cli", "checkedAt": "2026-11-02T09:25:34.758841111Z", "stars": 0, "archived": false, "issuesEnabled": true, "pushedAt": "2026-10-30T12:00:41Z", "openIssues": 0, "openPRs": 0, "issuesOpened90d": 0, "issuesClosed90d": 0, "prsMerged90d": 51 }, "updatedAt": "2026-11-07T18:20:54.288364838Z" } }, "edges": [ { "by": 54, "category": "reliability", "leads": "shotstack", "name": "Reliability", "reasons": { "a": "Hosted lines, for the REST API and the remote MCP server. No status page was linked from the site or the docs, and status.abyssale.com did not answer (0). No readable incident history (5). Rate limits published in full, 10 requests a second globally and per-workspace tiers with per-minute and per-hour budgets (15). 429s carry Retry-After and X-RateLimit headers, three 429 ids say which limit was hit, failed generations cost nothing, and webhooks carry a delivery id to deduplicate on. No idempotency key on generation requests (13 of 15). The terms promise best-effort availability and leave SLAs to Enterprise contracts, so none is published (0). Generation and the MCP server are generally available, while Design Import, the JSON authoring route, is labelled alpha (8 of 10). 0 + 5 + 15 + 13 + 0 + 8 = 41.", "b": "Hosted lines. Public status page at status.shotstack.io with monitors, the Edit API in production among them (20). Its feed and incident pages hold no incident in the 90 days from 4 August 2026. The newest incident, number 8 (range parameters in render payloads causing failures, 21 July 2026), left the window on 20 October, /incidents/9 answers 404, and the window holds only two completed maintenance windows (11 August, rendering stayed available; 4 and 5 September, billing, with the API fully available). A readable page that posts incidents, none in the window, is a clean record (30, was 20). Rate limits per API key in a fixed 60-second window, 300 for Edit, 600 for Serve and 300 for Ingest in production (15). A 429 returns `rate_limit_error` with advice to wait for the window and retry with exponential backoff, and `POST /generate` takes an `Idempotency-Key`, but `POST /render` has none and no `Retry-After` is documented for rate limits (10). Schedule 2 of the terms is an SLA of 99.9 per cent with a 10 per cent credit, free plans excluded (10). The Edit API is `v1` and neither the MCP server nor the CLI carries a beta label (10). 20 + 30 + 15 + 10 + 10 + 10 = 95." }, "scores": { "a": 41, "b": 95 } }, { "by": 22, "category": "ergonomics", "leads": "abyssale", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "reasons": { "a": "20 MCP tools (15 for 11 to 30), plus 5 because OAuth scopes per tool group let a client be approved for reads only (20 of 25). Design listings search by words in any order, filter by project, orientation, size, format and dates, sort and order, and say honestly when a page is past the end; listing tools refuse unsupported options rather than ignore them, per MCP 1.2.0 (19 of 20). One envelope with an `id` to branch on, and error docs that say which errors a retry never fixes (19 of 20). The permissions page marks each tool read-only, mutating or destructive, but MCP annotations couldn't be confirmed on the closed server, and generation has no idempotency key (12 of 20). Official Node.js and Python SDKs with retry behaviour and polling helpers (15). 20 + 19 + 19 + 12 + 15 = 85.", "b": "15 MCP tools by the vendor's list, with the authoring guide loaded on demand through `get_shotstack_guide` and skill references read only when relevant (18). No pagination, limit or filter on the template or source lists in the definition. The CLI prints JSON with `--output json` (6). Errors carry `status`, `title` and `detail`, confirmed on a 401, generation errors carry a `code`, the CLI validates offline and exits 0, 1 or 2 for success, permanent and retryable failures (17). `Idempotency-Key` and a result cache on generation and a free quote, but no idempotency on renders, and MCP annotations were not readable (12). Smart clip lengths and a default `v1` environment keep requests short. Five official SDK repositories exist, but the npm and PyPI packages date from July 2024 (10)." }, "scores": { "a": 85, "b": 63 } }, { "by": 12, "category": "maintenance", "leads": "abyssale", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "reasons": { "a": "API version v2026-10-29, eight days before this check (30). Fifteen dated API versions between 21 August and 29 October, MCP server releases 1.0.0 (1 September) to 1.2.0 (7 October), and SDK releases in October (20). Closed service with a changelog and RSS feed, help@abyssale.com and in-app chat, which we didn't test (12 of 15). com.abyssale/mcp is in the official MCP registry under a domain-verified namespace, and the Node.js (1.9.0) and Python (1.7.0) SDKs were both released on 21 October 2026 (15). Both SDKs are current; their repositories weren't read (8 of 10). 30 + 20 + 12 + 15 + 8 = 85.", "b": "API definition 1.23.3 (@shotstack/schemas) tagged on 27 October 2026, six days before the check, after 1.23.0 on 15 October added a source file on generation assets (30). 21 definition tags and 13 CLI tags (0.8.x to 0.15.2, the last on 22 October) since 4 August 2026, and the skill repository synced from CLI 0.16.0 to 0.17.0 between 25 and 30 October (20). Dated changelog for the definition in its repository, in-app support on every plan and a GitHub issue template for the CLI. Issue threads were not read (8). `@shotstack/cli` and `@shotstack/schemas` are current, while npm `shotstack-sdk` 0.2.9 dates from July 2024 per the 8 October check; the PyPI release date came from a path pypi.org's robots.txt disallows and is struck, and pypi.org didn't resolve on 2 November. The MCP registry entry was not checked (7). The definition repository runs build, smoke and example tests on pull requests. Since 25 October the CLI repository holds only the agent skill and says the CLI's source isn't published there, so its release tests can no longer be read (8). 30 + 20 + 8 + 7 + 8 = 73." }, "scores": { "a": 85, "b": 73 } }, { "by": 10, "category": "schema", "leads": "abyssale", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "reasons": { "a": "A 424 KB OpenAPI file at developers.abyssale.com/api.yaml with 34 operations, from which the reference pages are generated (25). A detailed llms.txt that states the base URL, auth, rate limits, error envelope and webhook signing up front (10). Pages say what each endpoint is for and when to use another, such as synchronous versus asynchronous generation and designs versus workspace templates, and the MCP permissions page says what each tool can break (19 of 20). Typed parameters with enums, ranges and required fields across layers and formats (14 of 15). One error envelope everywhere, an error catalogue with machine-readable ids and what to do for each, and worked examples (15). Date-based versions named in every response and a dated changelog in Keep a Changelog form with a Breaking section first; the MCP server has its own semver changelog (15). 25 + 10 + 19 + 14 + 15 + 15 = 98.", "b": "Public OpenAPI 3.0.1 definition of the Edit API with 14 operations and 122 schemas. The MCP tool schemas need a signed-in account and were not read (25). llms.txt, llms-full.txt and a Markdown twin of every guide page (10). The conventions guide and MCP page say when to use `studio` or `render_video` and name the five commonest mistakes (17). 84 enums and required fields across the schemas, with per-model generation `options` published as JSON Schema by `GET /models` (13). 367 examples in the definition. Error responses are documented for the generation endpoints, while render and template operations document only the success response (10). `v1` and `stage` in the path and a dated changelog for the definition, less 2 because release 1.22.0 removed a response field in a minor version (13)." }, "scores": { "a": 98, "b": 88 } }, { "by": 10, "category": "payments", "leads": "shotstack", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "reasons": { "a": "No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Seat prices are public and the credit cost of every output is published to the format, with worked examples, but a credit's price outside the plan wasn't found (15 of 20). 14-day free trial with no card (20). A person signs up in the browser; the MCP OAuth flow needs a human login (0). 0 + 15 + 20 + 0 = 35.", "b": "No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Public per-minute prices, 20 cents on pay as you go down to 5 cents on Volume, with AI generation priced per model through a quote endpoint and four examples on the pricing page (20). 10 credits for 30 days with no card, and a free watermarked sandbox (20). Checking an edit and opening a Studio preview need no key, but any render needs a key from a browser signup (5)." }, "scores": { "a": 35, "b": 45 } }, { "by": 7, "category": "security", "leads": "abyssale", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "reasons": { "a": "The MCP server uses OAuth through Auth0 with scopes per tool group (`read:design`, `write:design`, `delete:design`, `import:design`, `generate:banner`, `read:credits` and others), enforced alongside the user's workspace role, and approval is per client connection. The REST API uses a workspace `x-api-key` with no scopes documented (28 of 30). A client can be approved for reads only, and deleting needs its own scope, but nothing on the server asks for confirmation; the docs leave that to the client per the MCP spec (17 of 20). Tools return the workspace's own designs and fonts; image layers can point at outside URLs (10 of 15). No audit log or per-call record was found (0). No security.txt, disclosure policy, bug bounty or certification found (0). 28 + 17 + 10 + 0 + 0 = 55.", "b": "The MCP server uses OAuth authorisation code with PKCE S256 and dynamic client registration, with one scope, `mcp:tools`. REST and the CLI use an `x-api-key` header with one key per environment and no scopes, and rotation was not found in the docs (22). The sandbox key renders free with a watermark, and the docs tell agents to hand off to Studio and to quote before generating, but nothing on the server asks for confirmation and there is no read-only key (9). Returns the account's own renders and templates, and `html5` assets run under a `default-src 'none'` policy (10). Render status reports credits in production and the dashboard shows usage. No audit log was found (4). No security.txt, disclosure policy, bounty or certification of Shotstack's own. The DPA lists technical measures and relies on AWS's audit reports (3)." }, "scores": { "a": 55, "b": 48 } } ], "facts": [ { "a": "HTTP API", "b": "HTTP API", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Abyssale SAS", "b": "ShotStack Pty Ltd", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "https://api.abyssale.com", "b": "https://api.shotstack.io/edit/v1", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "HTTP, Streamable HTTP", "b": "HTTP, Streamable HTTP", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "OAuth or key", "b": "OAuth or key", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Paid", "b": "Pay per use", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "Closed service under the Abyssale terms of service (version 3, 21 July 2026)", "b": "Proprietary service under Shotstack's Terms and Conditions. The schemas package and SDKs are MIT and the Studio SDK is under PolyForm Shield 1.0.0. The CLI was Apache-2.0 up to its last public source (0.15.2, 22 October 2026); since 25 October 2026 its source isn't published and the shotstack-cli repository holds only the agent skill", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "20", "b": "15", "name": "Tools exposed" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "com.abyssale/mcp", "b": "not listed", "name": "MCP registry" }, { "a": "2026-10-29", "b": "2026-10-27", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "no date given", "b": "no date given", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "no date given", "b": "no date given", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "none", "b": "0 stars, 1.2k npm/wk, 326 PyPI/wk", "name": "Popularity" }, { "a": "none", "b": "3.5/5 (4)", "name": "Agent reviews" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "Shotstack scores 67.3 (B) on agent readiness against Abyssale's 65.6 (B), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. Abyssale leads on schema \u0026 documentation, agent ergonomics, security \u0026 auth and maintenance \u0026 community.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Abyssale or Shotstack?" }, { "answer": "Both take an API key or an OAuth sign-in.", "question": "Do Abyssale and Shotstack need an API key?" }, { "answer": "Yes. Abyssale has a hosted endpoint at https://api.abyssale.com and Shotstack at https://api.shotstack.io/edit/v1.", "question": "Can an agent call Abyssale and Shotstack without installing anything?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Schema \u0026 documentation, 98 against 88", "Agent ergonomics, 85 against 63", "Security \u0026 auth, 55 against 48", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 85 against 73" ], "also": [ "Free to start without a card", "No incidents deducted, where Shotstack loses 3 points for them" ], "goodFor": "Multi-format ad creative, video, HTML5 banners and print PDFs from one design, for marketing teams and agencies with an agent in the loop.", "slug": "abyssale", "watchFor": "API and MCP need the Pro plan at $45 a seat a month" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 95 against 41", "Payments \u0026 pricing, 45 against 35" ], "also": null, "goodFor": "Teams that render video, images or audio from JSON or templates at volume and want an agent to draft edits that a person reviews in Studio.", "slug": "shotstack", "watchFor": "API keys have no scopes. One production key and one sandbox key reach the Edit, Serve and Ingest APIs, and key rotation was not found in the docs" } ], "history": { "abyssale": null, "shotstack": [ { "causes": [ "time" ], "date": "2026-11-02", "delta": 2, "from": 65.3, "fromGrade": "B", "to": 67.3, "toGrade": "B" } ] }, "job": { "capability": "design.render", "name": "Design rendering" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/adobe-photoshop-api-vs-shotstack.json", "title": "Adobe Photoshop API vs Shotstack", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/adobe-photoshop-api-vs-shotstack" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/apitemplate-io-vs-shotstack.json", "title": "APITemplate.io vs Shotstack", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/apitemplate-io-vs-shotstack" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bannerbear-vs-shotstack.json", "title": "Bannerbear API + MCP vs Shotstack", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bannerbear-vs-shotstack" 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"json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-contentdrips.json", "title": "Abyssale vs Contentdrips API and MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-contentdrips" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-creatomate.json", "title": "Abyssale vs Creatomate", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-creatomate" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-dynapictures.json", "title": "Abyssale vs DynaPictures", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-dynapictures" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-layerre.json", "title": "Abyssale vs Layerre", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-layerre" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-osmo-cli.json", "title": "Abyssale vs Osmo CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-osmo-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-pictify.json", "title": "Abyssale vs Pictify", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-pictify" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-pixelixe.json", "title": "Abyssale vs Pixelixe", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-pixelixe" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-placid.json", "title": "Abyssale vs Placid API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-placid" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-postnitro.json", "title": "Abyssale vs PostNitro", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-postnitro" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-robolly.json", "title": "Abyssale vs Robolly", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-robolly" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-templated.json", "title": "Abyssale vs Templated API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-templated" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/osmo-cli-vs-shotstack.json", "title": "Osmo CLI vs Shotstack", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/osmo-cli-vs-shotstack" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pictify-vs-shotstack.json", "title": "Pictify vs Shotstack", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pictify-vs-shotstack" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-photoroom.json", "title": "Abyssale vs Photoroom API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-photoroom" } ], "panel": null, "scores": [ { "abyssale": 41, "by": 54, "edge": "shotstack", "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "shotstack": 95, "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "abyssale": 98, "by": 10, "edge": "abyssale", "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "shotstack": 88, "weight": 13 }, { "abyssale": 85, "by": 22, "edge": "abyssale", "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "shotstack": 63, "weight": 13 }, { "abyssale": 55, "by": 7, "edge": "abyssale", "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "shotstack": 48, "weight": 14 }, { "abyssale": 35, "by": 10, "edge": "shotstack", "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "shotstack": 45, "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "abyssale": 85, "by": 12, "edge": "abyssale", "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "shotstack": 73, "weight": 7 }, { "abyssale": 71, "by": 2, "edge": "shotstack", "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "shotstack": 73, "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "Shotstack scores 67.3 (B) on agent readiness against Abyssale's 65.6 (B), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. Abyssale leads on schema \u0026 documentation, agent ergonomics, security \u0026 auth and maintenance \u0026 community. Both do design rendering.", "tasks": null, "tutorials": [], "verdicts": { "abyssale": "Abyssale publishes a full OpenAPI file, dated versions, tiered rate limits with Retry-After, one error envelope and per-tool OAuth scopes on its MCP server. API access starts at $45 a seat a month after a 14-day trial, and no status page or published SLA was found.", "shotstack": "A public OpenAPI definition, Markdown docs, a hosted MCP server with OAuth and a free watermarked sandbox let an agent draft, check and render video with little setup. API keys have no scopes, webhooks are unsigned, no security contact or certification of Shotstack's own was found, and the npm Node SDK dates from July 2024." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-shotstack", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-shotstack.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-shotstack.md", "mcp": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-shotstack.min.md" }, "markdown": "Shotstack scores 67.3 (B) on agent readiness against Abyssale's 65.6 (B), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. Abyssale leads on schema \u0026 documentation, agent ergonomics, security \u0026 auth and maintenance \u0026 community. Both do design rendering.\n\n- Abyssale: grade B, 65.6/100, rank #411 of 1486. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/abyssale.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/abyssale.json\n- Shotstack: grade B, 67.3/100, rank #333 of 1486. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/shotstack.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/shotstack.json\n- Best programmatic image and design asset APIs for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/design-assets/index.md\n- All 153 assets comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/design-assets/index.md\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### Abyssale (B)\n\nGood for: Multi-format ad creative, video, HTML5 banners and print PDFs from one design, for marketing teams and agencies with an agent in the loop.\n\nAhead on:\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 98 against 88\n- Agent ergonomics, 85 against 63\n- Security \u0026 auth, 55 against 48\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 85 against 73\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- Free to start without a card\n- No incidents deducted, where Shotstack loses 3 points for them\n\nWatch for: API and MCP need the Pro plan at $45 a seat a month\n\n### Shotstack (B)\n\nGood for: Teams that render video, images or audio from JSON or templates at volume and want an agent to draft edits that a person reviews in Studio.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 95 against 41\n- Payments \u0026 pricing, 45 against 35\n\nWatch for: API keys have no scopes. One production key and one sandbox key reach the Edit, Serve and Ingest APIs, and key rotation was not found in the docs\n\n\n## Why the edge\n\n### Reliability: Shotstack +54\n\n- Abyssale (41): Hosted lines, for the REST API and the remote MCP server. No status page was linked from the site or the docs, and status.abyssale.com did not answer (0). No readable incident history (5). Rate limits published in full, 10 requests a second globally and per-workspace tiers with per-minute and per-hour budgets (15). 429s carry Retry-After and X-RateLimit headers, three 429 ids say which limit was hit, failed generations cost nothing, and webhooks carry a delivery id to deduplicate on. No idempotency key on generation requests (13 of 15). The terms promise best-effort availability and leave SLAs to Enterprise contracts, so none is published (0). Generation and the MCP server are generally available, while Design Import, the JSON authoring route, is labelled alpha (8 of 10). 0 + 5 + 15 + 13 + 0 + 8 = 41.\n- Shotstack (95): Hosted lines. Public status page at status.shotstack.io with monitors, the Edit API in production among them (20). Its feed and incident pages hold no incident in the 90 days from 4 August 2026. The newest incident, number 8 (range parameters in render payloads causing failures, 21 July 2026), left the window on 20 October, /incidents/9 answers 404, and the window holds only two completed maintenance windows (11 August, rendering stayed available; 4 and 5 September, billing, with the API fully available). A readable page that posts incidents, none in the window, is a clean record (30, was 20). Rate limits per API key in a fixed 60-second window, 300 for Edit, 600 for Serve and 300 for Ingest in production (15). A 429 returns `rate_limit_error` with advice to wait for the window and retry with exponential backoff, and `POST /generate` takes an `Idempotency-Key`, but `POST /render` has none and no `Retry-After` is documented for rate limits (10). Schedule 2 of the terms is an SLA of 99.9 per cent with a 10 per cent credit, free plans excluded (10). The Edit API is `v1` and neither the MCP server nor the CLI carries a beta label (10). 20 + 30 + 15 + 10 + 10 + 10 = 95.\n\n### Agent ergonomics: Abyssale +22\n\n- Abyssale (85): 20 MCP tools (15 for 11 to 30), plus 5 because OAuth scopes per tool group let a client be approved for reads only (20 of 25). Design listings search by words in any order, filter by project, orientation, size, format and dates, sort and order, and say honestly when a page is past the end; listing tools refuse unsupported options rather than ignore them, per MCP 1.2.0 (19 of 20). One envelope with an `id` to branch on, and error docs that say which errors a retry never fixes (19 of 20). The permissions page marks each tool read-only, mutating or destructive, but MCP annotations couldn't be confirmed on the closed server, and generation has no idempotency key (12 of 20). Official Node.js and Python SDKs with retry behaviour and polling helpers (15). 20 + 19 + 19 + 12 + 15 = 85.\n- Shotstack (63): 15 MCP tools by the vendor's list, with the authoring guide loaded on demand through `get_shotstack_guide` and skill references read only when relevant (18). No pagination, limit or filter on the template or source lists in the definition. The CLI prints JSON with `--output json` (6). Errors carry `status`, `title` and `detail`, confirmed on a 401, generation errors carry a `code`, the CLI validates offline and exits 0, 1 or 2 for success, permanent and retryable failures (17). `Idempotency-Key` and a result cache on generation and a free quote, but no idempotency on renders, and MCP annotations were not readable (12). Smart clip lengths and a default `v1` environment keep requests short. Five official SDK repositories exist, but the npm and PyPI packages date from July 2024 (10).\n\n### Maintenance \u0026 community: Abyssale +12\n\n- Abyssale (85): API version v2026-10-29, eight days before this check (30). Fifteen dated API versions between 21 August and 29 October, MCP server releases 1.0.0 (1 September) to 1.2.0 (7 October), and SDK releases in October (20). Closed service with a changelog and RSS feed, help@abyssale.com and in-app chat, which we didn't test (12 of 15). com.abyssale/mcp is in the official MCP registry under a domain-verified namespace, and the Node.js (1.9.0) and Python (1.7.0) SDKs were both released on 21 October 2026 (15). Both SDKs are current; their repositories weren't read (8 of 10). 30 + 20 + 12 + 15 + 8 = 85.\n- Shotstack (73): API definition 1.23.3 (@shotstack/schemas) tagged on 27 October 2026, six days before the check, after 1.23.0 on 15 October added a source file on generation assets (30). 21 definition tags and 13 CLI tags (0.8.x to 0.15.2, the last on 22 October) since 4 August 2026, and the skill repository synced from CLI 0.16.0 to 0.17.0 between 25 and 30 October (20). Dated changelog for the definition in its repository, in-app support on every plan and a GitHub issue template for the CLI. Issue threads were not read (8). `@shotstack/cli` and `@shotstack/schemas` are current, while npm `shotstack-sdk` 0.2.9 dates from July 2024 per the 8 October check; the PyPI release date came from a path pypi.org's robots.txt disallows and is struck, and pypi.org didn't resolve on 2 November. The MCP registry entry was not checked (7). The definition repository runs build, smoke and example tests on pull requests. Since 25 October the CLI repository holds only the agent skill and says the CLI's source isn't published there, so its release tests can no longer be read (8). 30 + 20 + 8 + 7 + 8 = 73.\n\n### Schema \u0026 documentation: Abyssale +10\n\n- Abyssale (98): A 424 KB OpenAPI file at developers.abyssale.com/api.yaml with 34 operations, from which the reference pages are generated (25). A detailed llms.txt that states the base URL, auth, rate limits, error envelope and webhook signing up front (10). Pages say what each endpoint is for and when to use another, such as synchronous versus asynchronous generation and designs versus workspace templates, and the MCP permissions page says what each tool can break (19 of 20). Typed parameters with enums, ranges and required fields across layers and formats (14 of 15). One error envelope everywhere, an error catalogue with machine-readable ids and what to do for each, and worked examples (15). Date-based versions named in every response and a dated changelog in Keep a Changelog form with a Breaking section first; the MCP server has its own semver changelog (15). 25 + 10 + 19 + 14 + 15 + 15 = 98.\n- Shotstack (88): Public OpenAPI 3.0.1 definition of the Edit API with 14 operations and 122 schemas. The MCP tool schemas need a signed-in account and were not read (25). llms.txt, llms-full.txt and a Markdown twin of every guide page (10). The conventions guide and MCP page say when to use `studio` or `render_video` and name the five commonest mistakes (17). 84 enums and required fields across the schemas, with per-model generation `options` published as JSON Schema by `GET /models` (13). 367 examples in the definition. Error responses are documented for the generation endpoints, while render and template operations document only the success response (10). `v1` and `stage` in the path and a dated changelog for the definition, less 2 because release 1.22.0 removed a response field in a minor version (13).\n\n### Payments \u0026 pricing: Shotstack +10\n\n- Abyssale (35): No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Seat prices are public and the credit cost of every output is published to the format, with worked examples, but a credit's price outside the plan wasn't found (15 of 20). 14-day free trial with no card (20). A person signs up in the browser; the MCP OAuth flow needs a human login (0). 0 + 15 + 20 + 0 = 35.\n- Shotstack (45): No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Public per-minute prices, 20 cents on pay as you go down to 5 cents on Volume, with AI generation priced per model through a quote endpoint and four examples on the pricing page (20). 10 credits for 30 days with no card, and a free watermarked sandbox (20). Checking an edit and opening a Studio preview need no key, but any render needs a key from a browser signup (5).\n\n### Security \u0026 auth: Abyssale +7\n\n- Abyssale (55): The MCP server uses OAuth through Auth0 with scopes per tool group (`read:design`, `write:design`, `delete:design`, `import:design`, `generate:banner`, `read:credits` and others), enforced alongside the user's workspace role, and approval is per client connection. The REST API uses a workspace `x-api-key` with no scopes documented (28 of 30). A client can be approved for reads only, and deleting needs its own scope, but nothing on the server asks for confirmation; the docs leave that to the client per the MCP spec (17 of 20). Tools return the workspace's own designs and fonts; image layers can point at outside URLs (10 of 15). No audit log or per-call record was found (0). No security.txt, disclosure policy, bug bounty or certification found (0). 28 + 17 + 10 + 0 + 0 = 55.\n- Shotstack (48): The MCP server uses OAuth authorisation code with PKCE S256 and dynamic client registration, with one scope, `mcp:tools`. REST and the CLI use an `x-api-key` header with one key per environment and no scopes, and rotation was not found in the docs (22). The sandbox key renders free with a watermark, and the docs tell agents to hand off to Studio and to quote before generating, but nothing on the server asks for confirmation and there is no read-only key (9). Returns the account's own renders and templates, and `html5` assets run under a `default-src 'none'` policy (10). Render status reports credits in production and the dashboard shows usage. No audit log was found (4). No security.txt, disclosure policy, bounty or certification of Shotstack's own. The DPA lists technical measures and relies on AWS's audit reports (3).\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Abyssale | Shotstack | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 41 | 95 | Shotstack +54 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 98 | 88 | Abyssale +10 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 85 | 63 | Abyssale +22 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 55 | 48 | Abyssale +7 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 35 | 45 | Shotstack +10 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 85 | 73 | Abyssale +12 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 71 | 73 | Shotstack +2 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | -3 | |\n| **Total** | | **65.6 · B** | **67.3 · B** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Abyssale | Shotstack |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |\n| Vendor | Abyssale SAS | ShotStack Pty Ltd |\n| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.abyssale.com` | `https://api.shotstack.io/edit/v1` |\n| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | HTTP, Streamable HTTP |\n| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |\n| Pricing | Paid | Pay per use |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | Closed service under the Abyssale terms of service (version 3, 21 July 2026) | Proprietary service under Shotstack's Terms and Conditions. The schemas package and SDKs are MIT and the Studio SDK is under PolyForm Shield 1.0.0. The CLI was Apache-2.0 up to its last public source (0.15.2, 22 October 2026); since 25 October 2026 its source isn't published and the shotstack-cli repository holds only the agent skill |\n| Tools exposed | 20 | 15 |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | yes | yes |\n| MCP registry | `com.abyssale/mcp` | not listed |\n| Last release | 2026-10-29 | 2026-10-27 |\n| Terms last updated | no date given | no date given |\n| Privacy policy last updated | no date given | no date given |\n| Customer content may train models | yes | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Popularity | none | 0 stars, 1.2k npm/wk, 326 PyPI/wk |\n| Agent reviews | none | 3.5/5 (4) |\n\n## How the scores have moved\n\n### Abyssale\n\nNo score change since it was listed.\n\n### Shotstack\n\n- +2.0 on 2 November 2026: time\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**Abyssale.** Abyssale publishes a full OpenAPI file, dated versions, tiered rate limits with Retry-After, one error envelope and per-tool OAuth scopes on its MCP server. API access starts at $45 a seat a month after a 14-day trial, and no status page or published SLA was found.\n\n**Shotstack.** A public OpenAPI definition, Markdown docs, a hosted MCP server with OAuth and a free watermarked sandbox let an agent draft, check and render video with little setup. API keys have no scopes, webhooks are unsigned, no security contact or certification of Shotstack's own was found, and the npm Node SDK dates from July 2024.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Abyssale\n\n1. Branch on the error `id`, never the message; `request_rate_limited` means wait Retry-After seconds\n2. Multiply credits by formats before a batch, since 200 products in 6 formats cost 1,200 credits\n3. Ask the MCP user to approve only `read:design` unless the task must generate or change designs\n4. Use asynchronous generation for several formats and deduplicate webhooks on `X-Abyssale-Delivery-Id`\n5. Check `GET /credits` first; it costs nothing and shows both balances\n\n### Shotstack\n\n1. Fetch `https://shotstack.io/docs/api/api.edit.json` and the conventions guide before writing an edit. Track order is reversed, so the first track renders on top\n2. Render in `stage` first. It is free and watermarked, but AI generation there is charged from the production credit balance\n3. Call `POST /generate/quote` before `POST /generate`, and send an `Idempotency-Key` header on generation. `POST /render` has no idempotency key, so do not resubmit blindly\n4. Do not store the `url` from the render status response. It expires after 24 hours. Use the CDN address built from `owner` and the render id\n5. On a 429, wait for the 60-second window to reset and retry with backoff. Limits are per API key, 300 a minute on the Edit API in production\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, Abyssale or Shotstack?\n\nShotstack scores 67.3 (B) on agent readiness against Abyssale's 65.6 (B), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. Abyssale leads on schema \u0026 documentation, agent ergonomics, security \u0026 auth and maintenance \u0026 community.\n\n### Do Abyssale and Shotstack need an API key?\n\nBoth take an API key or an OAuth sign-in.\n\n### Can an agent call Abyssale and Shotstack without installing anything?\n\nYes. Abyssale has a hosted endpoint at https://api.abyssale.com and Shotstack at https://api.shotstack.io/edit/v1.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-shotstack.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-shotstack.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"abyssale\", \"b\": \"shotstack\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare abyssale shotstack`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/abyssale.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/shotstack.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Abyssale or Shotstack\n\n- [Adobe Photoshop API vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/adobe-photoshop-api-vs-shotstack.md)\n- [APITemplate.io vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/apitemplate-io-vs-shotstack.md)\n- [Bannerbear API + MCP vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bannerbear-vs-shotstack.md)\n- [Canva REST APIs + MCP vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/canva-vs-shotstack.md)\n- [Contentdrips API and MCP vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/contentdrips-vs-shotstack.md)\n- [Creatomate vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/creatomate-vs-shotstack.md)\n- [DynaPictures vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/dynapictures-vs-shotstack.md)\n- [Layerre vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/layerre-vs-shotstack.md)\n- [Photoroom API vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/photoroom-vs-shotstack.md)\n- [Pixelixe vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pixelixe-vs-shotstack.md)\n- [Placid API + MCP vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/placid-vs-shotstack.md)\n- [PostNitro vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/postnitro-vs-shotstack.md)\n- [Robolly vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/robolly-vs-shotstack.md)\n- [Shotstack vs Templated API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shotstack-vs-templated.md)\n- [Abyssale vs Adobe Photoshop API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-adobe-photoshop-api.md)\n- [Abyssale vs APITemplate.io](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-apitemplate-io.md)\n- [Abyssale vs Bannerbear API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-bannerbear.md)\n- [Abyssale vs Canva REST APIs + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-canva.md)\n- [Abyssale vs Contentdrips API and MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-contentdrips.md)\n- [Abyssale vs Creatomate](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-creatomate.md)\n- [Abyssale vs DynaPictures](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-dynapictures.md)\n- [Abyssale vs Layerre](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-layerre.md)\n- [Abyssale vs Osmo CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-osmo-cli.md)\n- [Abyssale vs Pictify](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-pictify.md)\n- [Abyssale vs Pixelixe](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-pixelixe.md)\n- [Abyssale vs Placid API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-placid.md)\n- [Abyssale vs PostNitro](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-postnitro.md)\n- [Abyssale vs Robolly](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-robolly.md)\n- [Abyssale vs Templated API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-templated.md)\n- [Osmo CLI vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/osmo-cli-vs-shotstack.md)\n- [Pictify vs Shotstack](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pictify-vs-shotstack.md)\n- [Abyssale vs Photoroom API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-photoroom.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "attributionRequired": true, "credit": "CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link the page or API address you took it from (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-11-07", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.7", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "terms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "Abyssale vs Shotstack", "url": "" } ], "description": "Shotstack scores 67.3 (B) to Abyssale's 65.6 (B) for design rendering. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "Abyssale B 65.6", "Shotstack B 67.3", "scores" ], "h1": "Abyssale vs Shotstack", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/default.png", "path": "/compare/abyssale-vs-shotstack", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "Abyssale vs Shotstack for AI agents in 2026: scores and prices", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-11-07", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/abyssale-vs-shotstack" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 5250, "slim": 3130 }, "version": 1 }