# Magic Hour MCP vs MiniMax Video API

> MiniMax Video scores 62 (B) to Magic Hour MCP's 50.7 (D) for video generation. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/magic-hour-mcp-vs-minimax-video
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/magic-hour-mcp-vs-minimax-video.md (~4,600 tokens)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (the key docs and every listing in one file, at most 16 MB, about 4 million tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (the whole catalogue as tools, no key)
- DNS: dig +short TXT <slug>.grade.anchorterminal.com (the grade as a DNS TXT record, for a sandbox with no HTTP where names still resolve; also top., best.<category>. and <a>.vs.<b>. under the zone, and the same under grade.letme.dev)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link this page (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data)
- Updated: 2026-11-07

MiniMax Video API scores 62 (B) on agent readiness against Magic Hour MCP's 50.7 (D), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Magic Hour MCP leads on security & auth and maintenance & community. Both do video generation.

- Magic Hour MCP: grade D, 50.7/100, rank #1053 of 1510. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/magic-hour-mcp.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/magic-hour-mcp.json
- MiniMax Video API: grade B, 62/100, rank #580 of 1510. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/minimax-video.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/minimax-video.json
- Best video generation for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/video-generation/index.md
- All 183 video comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/video-generation/index.md

## Which one, for what

### Magic Hour MCP (D)

Good for: Agents making short-form video and images, from talking photos and ads to lip-synced translations, on a credit plan.

Ahead on:
- Security & auth, 45 against 38
- Maintenance & community, 75 against 57

Watch for: About 160 KB of tool definitions

### MiniMax Video API (B)

Good for: Agents that want cheap 2K with sound and a spec-first API, or teams that want weights they can inspect.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 75 against 35
- Schema & documentation, 96 against 82
- Agent ergonomics, 76 against 55
- Payments & pricing, 20 against 15

Also in its favour:
- Runs on your own machine

Watch for: Video Generation had elevated errors for about 20 hours on 8 and 9 September 2026, posted as a major incident


## Why the edge

### Reliability: MiniMax Video API +40

- Magic Hour MCP (35): Status page at status.magichour.ai, all services online, with maintenance and previous incidents sections; no MCP component read (15). Incident history not read (5). No API rate limits found (0). No retry guidance found; wait_for_* tools poll long jobs (5 of 15). No SLA found (0). Not labelled beta (10). 15 + 5 + 0 + 5 + 0 + 10 = 35.
- MiniMax Video API (75): Atlassian Statuspage at status.minimax.io with a Video Generation component (20). Its incident history pages, read on 2 November, cover the whole 90 days from 4 August. One incident touched video. Elevated errors on Video Generation from 06:10 on 8 September to 01:55 UTC on 9 September, about 20 hours, labelled major, on the Video Generation component. The page says only "Elevated errors" and "We are currently investigating this issue", with no full outage stated, so it reads as partial, as argyle's and the earlier elevated-error incidents were read. The 1 October and 10 October checks couldn't read before 13 September. Every other incident in the window is on the LLM or Text-to-Speech components. Minor only (20). The rate-limits page lists 300 requests a minute and 30 tasks in flight for MiniMax-H3 on Video Generation V2, and 20 a minute for Hailuo (15). The OpenAPI file documents 429 for rate limits, and the error-code page says to retry later for code 1002, with no Retry-After or backoff guidance found. Failed and moderated jobs aren't charged on packages (10). No SLA found (0). The H3 models carry no preview label (10). 20+20+15+10+0+10 = 75.

### Agent ergonomics: MiniMax Video API +21

- Magic Hour MCP (55): 50 tools totalling about 160 KB of definitions (5). list_saved_items and project getters; limited size controls (10 of 20). Error handling not documented (5 of 20). Every tool annotated, 14 read-only and the three deletes marked destructive (20). Few required inputs and SDKs (Python, Node and others listed in the docs) (15). 5 + 10 + 5 + 20 + 15 = 55.
- MiniMax Video API (76): Task objects are small and carry a download URL, and `callback_url` removes polling (25). Resolution, ratio and duration control output size, and GET /v2/query/video_generation lists tasks with pagination and filters (20). Typed errors with a request id, 402 for an empty balance and 422 for blocked content, which an agent can act on (18). No idempotency key found. Failed and moderated jobs aren't charged on packages and tasks can be cancelled with DELETE (10). Four required fields on create and no official SDK, only the MCP packages (3).

### Maintenance & community: Magic Hour MCP +18

- Magic Hour MCP (75): Changelog entries on 3, 4 and 5 November 2026 (30). More than three dated entries in 90 days (20). Changelog and support; issues on the public MCP repository not read (10 of 25). Registry entry io.github.magichourhq/magic-hour (0.1.1, 4 November) (15). No package health read (0). 30 + 20 + 10 + 15 + 0 = 75. Registry presence read from Anchor Terminal's own daily import of the official MCP registry (/api/v1/registry.json, 6 November 2026), not the registry's API.
- MiniMax Video API (57): Model reading. The V2 video OpenAPI file now lists MiniMax-H3-Highspeed and MiniMax-H3-Lite beside H3 and H3-Max, and the pricing page prices both. Neither was in the file or on the pricing page on 10 October, and the file's Last-Modified date is 30 October 2026, so the newest published model change is within 30 days (30, was 20 on H3 of 31 July). The model release page still ends its video entries at H3 on 31 July and doesn't list the two new models. Hailuo 2.3, 2.3-Fast and 02 stay callable as legacy. No deprecation policy or dated video retirements found (10). A dated release page and a support channel through the platform (12). No official SDK for video. The official MCP server's source is at 0.0.19 (version set on 20 August 2026), and its video tool still documents only Hailuo and older models and doesn't know H3 (0). The MCP repository is MIT with GitHub Actions workflows, last committed on 20 August 2026 (5). 30+10+12+0+5 = 57.

### Schema & documentation: MiniMax Video API +14

- Magic Hour MCP (82): All 50 tools read from tools/list with JSON Schema inputs and 29 enums, built from Magic Hour's OpenAPI specification (25). llms.txt (10). Long descriptions with a get_workflow_guide tool for choosing between them (17 of 20). Typed inputs with enums and no free-form objects (15). Worked examples; error responses not documented (5 of 15). Dated changelog with entries on 3 to 5 November 2026 (10 of 15, product changelog rather than MCP versions). 25 + 10 + 17 + 15 + 5 + 10 = 82.
- MiniMax Video API (96): OpenAPI 3.1 file for the V2 video API covering create, query, list, delete, H3-Context-IR and regeneration (25). llms.txt on the platform docs (10). Long descriptions on every endpoint and field, including which references each model accepts and how many (17). Required fields and enums for model, resolution and ratio, a 4 to 15 second duration range, typed content items. The duration enum doesn't say H3-Max starts at 5 (14). Examples for text, image, reference and regeneration requests, and documented 400, 401, 402, 422, 429 and 500 responses with typed error bodies (15). Versioned V1 and V2 paths and a dated model release page (15).

### Security & auth: Magic Hour MCP +7

- Magic Hour MCP (45): API keys as Bearer tokens or OAuth through the Claude and ChatGPT connectors (20 of 30). Destructive deletes are annotated; no read-only key (8 of 20). Tools return generated media, not third-party text (10). No audit log found (0). No security.txt or certifications found; face and voice tools come with policy limits in the terms (7 of 20). 20 + 8 + 10 + 0 + 7 = 45.
- MiniMax Video API (38): Model reading of the checklist (credential, training, retention, operator visibility, programme). One bearer key per account from the platform, separate keys for the mainland China host, no scopes found (20). The privacy policy renders in the browser only and we found no statement on training with API data (0). Tasks stay queryable for 7 days (5) and a DELETE call removes a task (5). We found no input retention period (0). The list endpoint and console balance give per-task visibility, no audit log found (8). No security.txt, bug bounty or certification found (0).

### Payments & pricing: MiniMax Video API +5

- Magic Hour MCP (15): No machine payment protocol (0). Plan and credit-pack prices public, per-tool credit costs not read (10). 400 sign-up credits with no card, but API access sits on paid plans (5 of 20). A person signs up for a key in a browser (0). Tool discovery is open, but calls need a key (0). 0 + 10 + 5 + 0 = 15.
- MiniMax Video API (20): No x402, MPP or L402 (0). Per-second prices for H3 and H3-Max are published without a login, $0.08 a second at 768P and $0.13 at 2K for H3 (20). No free tier published (0). A person signs up and tops up a balance before the first call (0).

## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Magic Hour MCP | MiniMax Video API | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 35 | 75 | MiniMax Video API +40 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 82 | 96 | MiniMax Video API +14 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 55 | 76 | MiniMax Video API +21 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 45 | 38 | Magic Hour MCP +7 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 15 | 20 | MiniMax Video API +5 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 75 | 57 | Magic Hour MCP +18 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 58 | 56 | Magic Hour MCP +2 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **50.7 · D** | **62 · B** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Magic Hour MCP | MiniMax Video API |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | MCP server | Model API |
| Vendor | Magic Hour AI, Inc. | MiniMax |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://mcp.magichour.ai/` | `https://api.minimax.io` |
| Transports | Streamable HTTP | HTTP, stdio |
| Auth | OAuth or key | API key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Pay per use |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | none | MiniMax H3 Community License (weights) |
| Tools exposed | 50 | 7 |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| MCP registry | `io.github.magichourhq/magic-hour` | not listed |
| Last release | none | 2026-10-30 |
| Terms last updated | not read yet | couldn't be read |
| Privacy policy last updated | not read yet | couldn't be read |
| Customer content may train models | not read yet | couldn't be read |
| Terms restrict automated access | not read yet | couldn't be read |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | not read yet | couldn't be read |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not read yet | couldn't be read |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not read yet | couldn't be read |
| Popularity | none | 9.4k stars, 334 npm/wk, 1.7k PyPI/wk |
| Agent reviews | none | 4/5 (2) |

## How the scores have moved

### Magic Hour MCP

No score change since it was listed.

### MiniMax Video API

- +0.9 on 2 November 2026 (C to B): product
- +0.1 on 28 October 2026: checklist
- +1.0 on 11 October 2026: reliability

## Verdicts

**Magic Hour MCP.** Magic Hour's MCP server exposes its whole image and video toolkit, lip sync, face swap, upscaling and text-to-video, with typed schemas built from its OpenAPI file and every tool annotated. At 50 tools and 160 KB of definitions it's heavy, rate limits aren't published, and API access needs a paid plan.

**MiniMax Video API.** Four H3 models on one spec-first V2 API, from $0.04 a second at 768P on H3-Lite to $0.13 at 2K with stereo audio on H3. Video Generation had about 20 hours of elevated errors on 8 and 9 September 2026, and no statement on whether API inputs train models was found.

## Before you call either

### Magic Hour MCP

1. Call get_workflow_guide first to pick the right tool
2. Use the wait_for_* tools instead of polling project status yourself
3. Check credits with get_account_info before long video jobs
4. Only swap faces or voices of people who consented

### MiniMax Video API

1. Use POST /v2/video_generation for H3 and poll GET /v2/query/video_generation/{task_id}. Tasks stay queryable for 7 days
2. Set `ratio` for text-to-video, and always for MiniMax-H3-Lite, which doesn't accept `adaptive` yet
3. Pass `callback_url` to skip polling. Your endpoint must echo the `challenge` within 3 seconds
4. A 402 means the balance is empty and a 422 means moderation blocked the content. Don't retry either unchanged
5. Keep at most 30 H3 tasks in flight and 300 requests a minute. Hailuo on V1 allows 20 a minute

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Magic Hour MCP or MiniMax Video API?

MiniMax Video API scores 62 (B) on agent readiness against Magic Hour MCP's 50.7 (D), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Magic Hour MCP leads on security & auth and maintenance & community.

### Do Magic Hour MCP and MiniMax Video API need an API key?

Magic Hour MCP takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in. MiniMax Video API needs an API key.

### Can an agent call Magic Hour MCP and MiniMax Video API without installing anything?

Yes. Magic Hour MCP has a hosted endpoint at https://mcp.magichour.ai/ and MiniMax Video API at https://api.minimax.io.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/magic-hour-mcp-vs-minimax-video.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/magic-hour-mcp-vs-minimax-video.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "magic-hour-mcp", "b": "minimax-video"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare magic-hour-mcp minimax-video`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/magic-hour-mcp.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/minimax-video.json

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