Skip to main content

Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.metabind.ai/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Assets are the media files an MCP App’s components reference: photos, videos, 3D models, audio, and PDFs. In Metabind they are a platform capability rather than a fourth Tool type — there’s no separate DAM, encoding pipeline, or vector database to integrate. Drag files into MCP App Studio and the platform encodes them, indexes them for semantic search, and exposes them to the AI through an auto-registered tool.

​
What the asset pipeline does

When you upload an asset, the platform handles the work that would otherwise require multiple separate products:
StepWhat happens
UploadDrag-and-drop or programmatic upload to S3-backed storage
EncodingVideo transcoded to HLS at multiple resolutions; images optimized for delivery
Format negotiation3D models stored as USDZ (iOS) and GLB (Android, web); served per platform
IndexingAsset metadata, name, tags, and content embedded for semantic search
DeliveryGlobal CDN with automatic image format negotiation, resolution serving, and caching
The output: an asset that components can reference, that the AI can search by description, and that renders natively on every platform.

​
The search_assets tool

Every project gets an auto-registered MCP tool called search_assets. The tool takes a natural-language query and returns matching assets from the project’s library, with semantic relevance ranking. The AI can call it whenever it needs a relevant image, video, or 3D model for a tool response.
The AI calls search_assets with a natural-language query and receives a list of asset metadata: id, name, description, URL, and type.
search_assets doesn’t appear in your project’s UI Tools or Data Tools list — it’s a platform capability that’s always available on every published MCP App.

​
How components reference assets

Components declare asset properties on their input schema: 
properties: {
  asset: {
    type: "asset",
    title: "Product Image",
    description: "The main product image",
    assetTypes: ["image", "video"]
  }
}
When the AI fills in the property, it provides an asset object containing a CDN URL. The component receives the URL and renders the right primitive — Image for images, Video for videos, Model3D for 3D models. Platform-specific format selection (USDZ vs. GLB, HLS vs. progressive video) happens at render time without component code branching.

​
Asset types

TypeFormatsNative rendering
ImageJPEG, PNG, WebP, AVIFNative image views with format negotiation
VideoMP4 source → HLS adaptive bitratePlatform-native video players, autoplay, looping, controls
3D modelUSDZ (Apple), GLB (everything else)RealityKit / SceneKit on Apple, Filament on Android, model-viewer on web
AudioMP3, M4A, AACNative audio playback
DocumentPDFNative PDF viewers
3D models render with full lighting, materials, and AR Quick Look on iOS — not as web-embedded models. Video plays through the platform’s video stack with adaptive bitrate.

​
Asset organization

Assets live under Assets in the project sidebar. The library supports:
  • Grid and list views with filter by type, tags, or name.
  • Tags for organizing by collection, campaign, or category.
  • Folders for hierarchical organization.
  • Asset metadata — name, description, alt text — used by search_assets and improves AI matching quality.
Good asset metadata is the difference between an AI that finds the right image and one that doesn’t. Spending time on names and descriptions pays off in tool quality.
The Assets surface in MCP App Studio — All Assets grid on the left, search and sort controls along the top, and a detail panel on the right showing the selected asset's preview, dimensions, type, size, and tags

​
When to use assets vs. external URLs

Components can reference any URL in image and video properties — not only Metabind-hosted assets. Use external URLs when:
  • The asset is hosted on a CDN you control.
  • The asset belongs to a third party and shouldn’t be copied into Metabind.
  • The asset changes faster than a publish cycle (e.g., a daily-rotating banner).
Use Metabind-hosted assets when:
  • You want semantic search via search_assets.
  • You need adaptive video, 3D model rendering, or platform-specific format selection.
  • You want CDN delivery and edge caching as part of the platform.
  • The asset is part of the design system and should be versioned with the project.

Components and Packages

How asset references appear inside component property schemas.

Tools and Types

How search_assets fits alongside Interactive Tools and Data Tools.

Manage assets

How-to: upload, tag, and organize assets in MCP App Studio.

Native rendering

How videos and 3D models render across platforms.