About Sidearm
Sidearm is an MCP server for the Sidearm API, intended for people managing media rights and protection. It exposes tools for media protection, AI-content detection, provenance, and searches for similar or potentially reused work.
Key features
- 01Protect media from AI training
- 02Detect AI-generated media
- 03Search indexed media for similarities
- 04Inspect rights and provenance records
- 05Manage registered assets and share results
Use cases
- 01Apply protection to an image
- 02Check whether a photo is AI-generated
- 03Search a library for similar media
- 04Review provenance and rights information
MCP support
The server exposes Sidearm REST API capabilities as MCP tools for AI agents. It requires an API key and supports operations across protection, detection, search, and media management.
Configuration
Local server config is the same for every client. Copy it into your client’s MCP config file.
npx -y @sidearmdrm/mcpSDRM_API_KEYSecretYour Sidearm API key (sk_live_... or sk_test_...). Optional — documentation tools work without it.SDRM_BASE_URLOverride the API base URL (default: https://api.sdrm.io)Local servers need a runtime on your machine (e.g. Node.js 18+). Config file locations differ by client; see your client’s docs.
Tools
27Saved tool list · updated 2w ago
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| category | enum | No | Filter by algorithm categoryopen | proprietary |
| media_type | enum | No | Filter by supported media typeimage | video | audio | text | pdf | gif |
Details
From the project README@sidearmdrm/mcp
MCP server for the Sidearm API — protect media from AI training, detect AI-generated content, and search for stolen work.
This package exposes the Sidearm REST API as Model Context Protocol (MCP) tools that AI agents (Cursor, Claude Desktop, Windsurf, etc.) can call directly.
Quick Start
1. Get an API key
Sign up at sdrm.io and create an API key at sdrm.io/api-keys.
2. Configure your agent
Add to your MCP configuration file:
Cursor (.cursor/mcp.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"sdrm": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@sidearmdrm/mcp"],
"env": {
"SDRM_API_KEY": "sk_live_..."
}
}
}
}
Claude Desktop (claude_desktop_config.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"sdrm": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@sidearmdrm/mcp"],
"env": {
"SDRM_API_KEY": "sk_live_..."
}
}
}
}
Windsurf (~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"sdrm": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@sidearmdrm/mcp"],
"env": {
"SDRM_API_KEY": "sk_live_..."
}
}
}
}
That's it. Your agent can now call Sidearm tools.
Tools (27)
Discovery
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
list_algorithms | Browse available protection algorithms. Filter by category or media type. |
Protection & Extraction
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
run_algorithm | Run specific algorithms on media by ID. Returns a job for async processing. |
protect_media | Protect media with a preset level (standard/maximum). Auto-selects algorithms. |
extract_embeddings | Extract raw embedding vectors from media for downstream similarity search or ML pipelines. |
Jobs
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
check_job | Poll async job status. Returns progress and results when complete. |
Detection
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
detect_ai | Detect whether media was AI-generated. Supports image, video, audio, text. |
detect_fingerprint | Check if media has been previously registered using fingerprint matching. |
detect_membership | Test whether your content was used to train a suspect AI model. |
Search
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
search_media | Search for similar media across your indexed library. |
list_searches | List previous searches on your account. |
Media Management
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
register_media | Register and index media with optional protection mode (register, search_ready, standard, maximum). |
list_media | List media assets in your library (paginated, filterable). |
get_media | Get details of a specific media asset including protection status and algorithms applied. |
update_media | Update media metadata (e.g., original URL). |
delete_media | Permanently delete a media asset and all associated data. |
Account, Rights & Billing
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
get_account | Get your account details — ID, name, email, credit balance, and plan info. |
get_rights | Get C2PA, IPTC, and rights information for a media asset. |
get_billing | View credit balance, usage breakdown, per-algorithm costs, and billing portal link. |
Provenance & Identification
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
get_provenance | Get the full provenance chain for an asset — algorithms, C2PA manifest, membership results. |
identify_media | Identify media by its embedded Sidearm fingerprint and extract its C2PA provenance chain. |
Shares
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
create_share | Create a shareable link for a detection, search, or provenance result (starts private). |
get_share | Get a shared result by its share ID. |
publish_share | Make a shared result publicly accessible. |
Deletion Records
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
list_deletions | List deletion records documenting permanently deleted assets. |
get_deletion | Get details of a specific deletion record including purged algorithms and storage status. |
Documentation
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
search_docs | Search the Sidearm API documentation. Returns relevant sections from the full developer reference. |
navigate_ui | Look up how to perform actions in the Sidearm dashboard. Returns step-by-step instructions. |
Example Agent Conversations
"Protect this image from AI training"
Agent calls
protect_mediawith the image URL, thencheck_jobto get the protected file.
"What algorithms are available for audio?"
Agent calls
list_algorithmswithmedia_type: "audio".
"Run Nightshade and Glaze on my artwork"
Agent calls
run_algorithmwithalgorithms: ["nightshade", "glaze"].
"Is this photo AI-generated?"
Agent calls
detect_aiwith the image, thencheck_jobfor results.
"Was my artwork used to train Stable Diffusion?"
Agent calls
detect_membershipwith your media IDs and the model name.
"How do I upload files in the dashboard?"
Agent calls
navigate_uiwithquery: "upload files"for step-by-step instructions.
Environment Variables
| Variable | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
SDRM_API_KEY | Yes | Your Sidearm API key (sk_live_... or sk_test_...) |
SDRM_BASE_URL | No | Override the API base URL (default: https://api.sdrm.io) |
Development
git clone https://github.com/sidearmDRM/mcp-server.git
cd mcp-server
npm install
npm run build
Test locally with the MCP Inspector:
SDRM_API_KEY=sk_test_... npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node dist/index.js
License
MIT
Comments
New to MCP?
From what the protocol is to installing your first server, these answers cover most first questions.
An open protocol that defines how AI applications connect to external tools and data in a uniform way. Clients talk to the model; MCP servers provide tools, resources and prompt templates. They exchange standard messages, so one server can be reused by many clients.