Optimize images and alt text with Kimi Code
Fixing image SEO in Kimi Code means asking Moonshot AI's terminal agent to list the product, collection and article images StoreSEO still has work for, then run compression, alt text and file names one image per call after you agree the scope.
Last updated: October 2026
Set up Kimi Code for StoreSEO
Skip this if Kimi Code is already connected. The full guide, with the alternatives, is on the Kimi Code page.
- 1
Add StoreSEO to Kimi Code
Create or edit ~/.kimi-code/mcp.json so every project on your machine can use StoreSEO. For one repository only, use .kimi-code/mcp.json inside it. You can also run /mcp-config in Kimi Code and have it add the server for you.
json config{ "mcpServers": { "storeseo": { "url": "https://mcp.storeseo.com/mcp" } } } - 2
Sign in to your store
Start a new Kimi Code session (a server added mid-session registers in the next one), run this command, then follow the browser window: pick your Shopify store and approve access.
new message to Kimi Code/mcp-config login storeseo
Step-by-step guide in the docs: How to connect StoreSEO MCP to Kimi Code
How does this work in Kimi Code?
You ask for a slice of the catalog, such as the heaviest unoptimized product images or every image with no alt text, and Kimi Code calls storeseo_list_images with the matching filters. The listing shows each image's three axes, compression, alt text and file name, so the agent can tell you how many images need which kind of work before anything is spent. Reading the list is a plain read and runs without a prompt in Kimi Code's default Always Ask mode.
The writing step is storeseo_optimize_image, and it works on one image per call with every wanted axis passed together. Compression counts against the Image Optimizer quota and needs that add-on, while alt text and file names spend AI Content Optimizer credit. In a terminal this becomes a loop you can watch: the agent calls the tool, prints a one-line report per axis, and moves to the next image. Kimi Code shows an approval panel for each call, which is useful on the first few images because you see the real alt text before you let it continue.
A file name change gives the image a new storefront URL, so Kimi Code can grep the theme repository for the old file name before you rename. If something hard-codes the old URL, you find out in the same session. If you dislike a result, storeseo_restore_image reverts compression, alt text or the file name, and the agent can restore one image without touching the rest of the batch.
-
You: Which product images have no alt text? Fix the first one.
- storeseo_start read-only
- storeseo_list_images read-only
-
Kimi Code: Illustrative result: 14 images have no alt text, and the first is the front shot on Linen Shirt. Writing alt text spends AI Content Optimizer credit. Should I write it for that one image?
-
You: Yes, just that one.
- storeseo_optimize_image needs approval
-
Kimi Code: Alt text applied to that image. Shall I continue with the other 13, one call each?
What to ask Kimi Code
Tap a prompt to copy it, then paste it into Kimi Code.
What StoreSEO does: image seo and alt text
StoreSEO tracks three things per image: file-size compression, alt text and file name. The agent finds the heaviest or unlabelled images, optimizes them one call per image, and can restore any of the three if you do not like the result.
Requires: Compression needs the Image Optimizer add-on and counts against its monthly quota; alt text and file names spend AI Content Optimizer credit.
- 1
Find the images
The agent lists product, collection or article images, heaviest unoptimized first by default. It can filter to images with no alt text, or scope the list to one product by title.
- 2
Check what it found
A title search can also match image file names from other resources, so the agent checks each row belongs to the product you meant.
- 3
Agree the scope and cost
Compression uses image quota and alt text and file names use AI credit, so the agent confirms before working through many images.
- 4
Optimize one image per call
Each call takes the axes you want: compression, alt text, file name or all three. The axes always run compression, then file name, then alt text, and the response reports each one separately.
- 5
Report or restore
The agent reports what applied, what was already done and what was refused. If a result is wrong, the restore tool brings back the original file, alt text or name.
Image SEO and alt text reference
| Axes per image | Compression, alt text, file name |
|---|---|
| Image sources | Products, collections and articles (pages have no images) |
| Batching | One image per call; never two calls on the same image at once |
| Compression | Image Optimizer add-on and its monthly quota; an already compressed image is reported as already applied |
| Alt text and file name | AI Content Optimizer credit; both together are billed as one generation |
| File name change | Renames the file on Shopify and changes the image's storefront URL |
| Collection and article renames | Re-upload the image, so the call can take a couple of minutes |
| Restore | Reverts compression, alt text or file name per axis |
| Score impact | Alt text and file names count on products, collections and articles; compression counts on products |
Rules Kimi Code follows
- The agent confirms the number of images and the kind of spend before a bulk run.
- One image per call, all wanted axes together; never parallel calls on the same image.
- A renamed image has a new URL, so the agent tells you, because anything that hard-coded the old URL keeps serving the old file.
- If a response is lost, the agent re-lists the image instead of retrying, because a retry regenerates and spends again.
- A refused axis, for example compression without the add-on, is reported as such while the other axes still apply.
In Kimi Code
A bulk image run is where Kimi Code's session approval does the most damage if misused. Choosing Approve for this session on storeseo_optimize_image removes the panel for every remaining image, and each call can spend credit or quota. If a response is lost, for example a dropped connection, ask Kimi Code to re-list the image rather than retry the call, because a retry regenerates alt text and spends again. Agree the number of images before you let a loop start.
What runs without asking. Reads such as SEO scores, store listings, settings and Google reports run straight away. Generating a preview spends AI credit but writes nothing, and StoreSEO tells the agent to say what a generation will cost before it runs one. Applying content, optimizing images, changing settings, publishing llms.txt or agents.md, writing a product description and deleting anything wait for your yes in the conversation. That yes is an instruction the agent follows, not a lock on the server, so your client's own tool-approval setting is the hard stop.
Questions
Can Kimi Code compress images without the Image Optimizer add-on?
Compression needs the Image Optimizer add-on and counts against its monthly quota. Without it, StoreSEO reports that axis as refused while alt text and file names, which spend AI Content Optimizer credit, can still apply in the same call.
Why does Kimi Code optimize images one at a time?
The StoreSEO tool works on one image per call because the work is synchronous and the axes share a lock. Parallel calls on the same image can collide, so the agent passes every axis you want in a single call and then moves on.
Can the agent compress images without the Image Optimizer add-on?
No. Compression needs the Image Optimizer add-on and counts against its monthly quota. Alt text and file names work without it and spend AI Content Optimizer credit instead.
Can I undo an image optimization?
Yes. The restore tool reverts compression, alt text or file name for one image, per axis. Restoring compression brings back the original file.
Why did my image URL change?
Giving an image a new file name renames the file on Shopify and re-points its storefront URL. Pages that use the image through Shopify keep working, but anything that hard-coded the old URL keeps the old file.
Can I write my own file name or alt text through the agent?
No. StoreSEO writes the alt text and file name from the resource's own context. You can steer the language, and you can always edit alt text yourself in Shopify admin.
Keep going
Image SEO and alt text with other agents
More Kimi Code guides