Optimize images and alt text with Manus
Fixing Shopify image SEO with Manus means giving a task agent the StoreSEO server and a scope, such as the heaviest ten product images with no alt text, so it works through them one call at a time and reports each result.
Last updated: October 2026
Set up Manus for StoreSEO
Skip this if Manus is already connected. The full guide, with the alternatives, is on the Manus page.
- 1
Create an access token in StoreSEO
In the StoreSEO app, open Settings, then AI Toolkit, and generate a named personal access token. Copy it now and keep it out of any chat.
new message to ManusStoreSEO → Settings → AI Toolkit → generate a token
- 2
Add StoreSEO as a custom MCP server
In Manus, open Settings, then Integrations, then Custom MCP Servers, and choose Add Server. Give it a name, paste this URL as the server URL and enter your token as the authentication, as a Bearer token.
server URLhttps://mcp.storeseo.com/mcp
- 3
Check it and use it
Manus verifies it can reach the server and read its tools. Then start a task that names StoreSEO, so Manus uses the connector.
new message to ManusUse StoreSEO to show me my store's SEO score breakdown.
Step-by-step guide in the docs: How to connect StoreSEO MCP to Manus
How does this work in Manus?
Image work is a loop, which is why it suits an agent that carries a task from start to finish. You name StoreSEO and the scope in one request, for example find my heaviest product images with no alt text and fix the first ten. Manus calls storeseo_start and then storeseo_list_images, which sorts by file size by default and shows the status of compression, alt text and file name for every image. That listing only reads, so the first thing you get back is a shortlist with a count, before any quota or credit is spent.
The writing step is storeseo_optimize_image, one image per call with every axis you want in the same call. Compression uses your Image Optimizer add-on quota, while alt text and file names spend AI Content Optimizer credit, and asking for alt text and file name together counts as one generation. Each response is a per-axis report, so Manus can tell you that compression applied, alt text applied and the file name was left alone, or that compression was refused because the add-on is missing while the other axes went through.
Where Manus helps is the summary at the end of a batch. You get one list of what changed per image, including any new file names, which matters because a rename changes the storefront URL and anything that hard-coded the old address keeps serving the old file. If you dislike a result, the same task can call storeseo_restore_image for that image and axis. Say the scope up front, such as product images only, alt text and compression but no renaming, so the batch ends where you meant it to.
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You: Use StoreSEO to find my heaviest product images with no alt text and fix the first ten.
- storeseo_start read-only
- storeseo_list_images read-only
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Manus: Illustrative result: 10 of the heaviest images have no alt text. Compression uses your Image Optimizer quota and alt text spends AI credit. Should I optimize them one at a time with both?
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You: Yes, compression and alt text, no renaming.
- storeseo_optimize_image needs approval
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Manus: The first image compressed and got alt text. Shall I continue with the other nine?
What to ask Manus
Tap a prompt to copy it, then paste it into Manus.
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 Manus 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 Manus
Manus can run a long list without you watching it, so state the number of images in the request and keep a stop point after the first one. The tool takes one image per call and a retry after a lost response regenerates and spends again, so if a call times out ask Manus to list the image again and check its status instead of repeating the call. Keep image optimization out of scheduled tasks. A scheduled run could count unlabelled images and report the number, but it should not write.
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 Manus optimize images on a schedule?
It can run a scheduled task, but keep that task to listing and counting images that need work. Each storeseo_optimize_image call writes to your store and spends quota or credit, and a scheduled run has nobody to say yes.
What if Manus renames an image I wanted to keep?
Ask it to call storeseo_restore_image for that image and name the axis, which can be compression, alt text or file name. Restoring the file name points the storefront URL back to the original.
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 Manus guides