> Markdown copy of https://makernice.com/blog/how-to-use-minimax-h3-max-in-claude-code-and-cursor/ for AI tools. The HTML page is the canonical version. [← All posts](https://makernice.com/blog/) Guides # How to Use MiniMax H3 Max with Images and References in Claude Code? Makernice Team · 2026-11-11 · Updated 2026-11-12 Prices as of November 12, 2026 (price list v15). ## Key takeaways - MiniMax H3 Max runs from Claude Code and Cursor through Makernice MCP; a 5-second clip at the default 768p is $0.34 at price list v15 (November 12, 2026). - MiniMax H3 Max offers 480p, 768p, 1080p (refined from 768p). - Every input image for MiniMax H3 Max is checked when the job is created: shorter side at least 256 px, longer side at most 5760 px, width over height between 0.4 and 2.5. - Reference-to-video on MiniMax H3 Max takes up to 4 images and accepts adaptive among its aspect ratios; reference videos are not supported. - We found no official open-weights release of MiniMax H3 Max on MiniMax's Hugging Face page (checked 2026-11-12). 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To use MiniMax H3 Max in Claude Code or Cursor, connect the Makernice MCP server and ask for a clip from a still, a prompt or reference images: the agent gets a quote from `estimate_cost`, waits for your approval, then calls `generate` with a `max_cost_usd` cap. The default is 768p, and 5 seconds at that resolution is $0.34 (price list v15, November 12, 2026). ## Getting the Makernice tools into Claude Code or Cursor Open the [Claude Code page](https://makernice.com/mcp/connect/claude-code/), copy the `claude mcp add --transport http --scope user makernice` command with its server URL, and run it. Inside Claude Code, `/mcp` lists makernice; choose it and log in through the browser. For Cursor, the [Cursor page](https://makernice.com/mcp/connect/cursor/) has an install button plus the `~/.cursor/mcp.json` entry, and you log in from the makernice line in Cursor's MCP settings. Before the first clip, it helps to see the limits that apply. One call with no arguments returns them: ``` { "name": "get_balance", "arguments": {} } ``` The reply includes `available_usd`, `spent_today_usd` and `per_job_limit_usd`, plus this connection's daily limit when one is set. Any job priced above the per-job limit is refused, whatever you approve in chat. ## Using MiniMax H3 Max from Claude or ChatGPT chat The same server also works outside coding agents. In Claude, add it under Customize → Connectors → Add custom connector and sign in to Makernice; on Team and Enterprise plans an owner adds the connector first in Organization settings → Connectors. The [Claude connect page](https://makernice.com/mcp/connect/claude/) has the URL to paste. In ChatGPT on the web, add it from Plugins as a custom MCP server with OAuth, using the separate ChatGPT address on the [ChatGPT connect page](https://makernice.com/mcp/connect/chatgpt/); your plan or workspace has to allow custom MCP servers. From there a MiniMax H3 Max request runs the way it does in Claude Code and Cursor: `estimate_cost` prices it without holding that price, `generate` refuses a quote above your `max_cost_usd`, and `check_job` hands back the clip. ## How do I turn an image into a video with MiniMax H3 Max? MiniMax H3 Max turns an image into a video with `mode` i2v: the still goes in `image_url` as a public https link, the motion goes in `prompt`, and `duration` and `resolution` work as for text-to-video. Image-to-video on MiniMax H3 Max takes no `aspect_ratio`, so the clip keeps the shape of the still. Here is the flow in Claude Code, priced before it runs: **You:** Here's our garage photo at the public link. Animate it with MiniMax H3 Max: slow push-in, the headlight comes on. Price first. **Claude Code** passes the still and the motion to `estimate_cost`: ``` { "name": "estimate_cost", "arguments": { "input": { "model": "minimax-h3-max", "mode": "i2v", "prompt": "Dust drifts through a shaft of light as the camera pushes in on the vintage motorcycle, the headlight flickers on", "image_url": "https://example.com/stills/garage-motorcycle.jpg", "duration": 5, "resolution": "768p" } } } ``` **Claude Code:** $0.34 for 5 seconds at 768p with MiniMax H3 Max, price list v15. I haven't started anything. Go ahead? **You:** Please do. It then calls `generate` with the same input, your approved amount and a `request_id`: ``` { "name": "generate", "arguments": { "input": { "model": "minimax-h3-max", "mode": "i2v", "prompt": "Dust drifts through a shaft of light as the camera pushes in on the vintage motorcycle, the headlight flickers on", "image_url": "https://example.com/stills/garage-motorcycle.jpg", "duration": 5, "resolution": "768p" }, "max_cost_usd": "0.34272", "request_id": "garage-moto-i2v-768" } } ``` The price is worked out again when `generate` runs. If it stays within `max_cost_usd` and the per-job limit, the job is created and charged that amount, held until it finishes; if it doesn't, Makernice refuses and creates nothing. Repeating the call with the same `request_id` and input returns the existing job, which makes retries after a timeout safe. For the result, the agent calls `check_job` with the `job_id`; `wait_s` lets it wait up to 55 seconds per call. On success, `outputs[0].url` holds a signed MP4 link good for 24 hours, a later `check_job` issues a new one, and `console_url` opens the job in the Makernice console. ## How do I write a MiniMax H3 Max text-to-video request, and which settings matter? A MiniMax H3 Max text-to-video request is `mode` t2v with a `prompt` of up to 4,000 characters; the settings that matter are `resolution` (480p, 768p, 1080p, 768p by default), `duration` (5 to 15 whole seconds, 5 by default) and `aspect_ratio` (21:9, 16:9, 4:3, 1:1, 3:4, 9:16). Resolution and duration set the price; the prompt and ratio don't. A vertical 1080p night shot, priced first: ``` { "name": "estimate_cost", "arguments": { "input": { "model": "minimax-h3-max", "mode": "t2v", "prompt": "Night market street in heavy rain, a rider on a vintage motorcycle weaves between stalls, neon reflections on wet asphalt, low tracking shot", "duration": 10, "resolution": "1080p", "aspect_ratio": "9:16" } } } ``` Write the camera move, the subject's action and the lighting into the prompt, because MiniMax H3 Max has no separate camera or style fields on Makernice. Test the motion at 480p with the same prompt before paying for 1080p. ## How do I use reference images with MiniMax H3 Max? MiniMax H3 Max uses reference images in `mode` r2v: pass 1 to 4 public https links in `reference_images` and describe in the prompt what each one shows. Reference videos are not supported, since the Makernice request has no video field for MiniMax H3 Max. MiniMax H3 Max checks every input image when the job is created, in image-to-video, first and last frame and reference-to-video alike. Each must be a public https link to a JPEG, PNG or WebP under 10 MB, with a shorter side of 256 px or more, a longer side of 5760 px or less, and a width-to-height ratio from 0.4 to 2.5. A very tall phone screenshot or a wide panorama falls outside that range and is refused before anything is held, so crop it first. Local files can't be sent over MCP. Reference-to-video on MiniMax H3 Max accepts these ratios: adaptive, 21:9, 16:9, 4:3, 1:1, 3:4, 9:16; adaptive lets the output follow the shape of the references. Here is the agent pricing an 4-reference shot at 1080p: ``` { "name": "estimate_cost", "arguments": { "input": { "model": "minimax-h3-max", "mode": "r2v", "prompt": "The rider from the references wheels the motorcycle out of the garage into a rainy street at night", "reference_images": [ "https://example.com/refs/rider-face.jpg", "https://example.com/refs/rider-jacket.jpg", "https://example.com/refs/motorcycle-side.jpg", "https://example.com/refs/garage-door.jpg" ], "duration": 8, "resolution": "1080p", "aspect_ratio": "adaptive" } } } ``` On price list v15 (November 12, 2026) MiniMax H3 Max costs $0.0452 per second at 480p, $0.0685 at 768p and $0.1536 at 1080p; the 1080p tier is refined from 768p. Clips last 5 to 15 seconds, 5 by default, and the output includes audio. Specifications are on the [MiniMax H3 Max model page](https://makernice.com/models/minimax-h3-max/); if you need 2K or 4K, those tiers belong to [MiniMax H3](https://makernice.com/models/minimax-h3/). | Ask the agent for | What goes in the request | | --- | --- | | Animate this photo | `mode` i2v and `image_url` | | Start here, end there | `mode` flf with `image_url` and `last_image_url` | | Same rider and bike in a new scene | `mode` r2v with up to 4 `reference_images` | | Match the shape of my references | `aspect_ratio` adaptive | | The 1080p version | `resolution` 1080p | | A quick look before committing | `resolution` 480p | ## What MiniMax H3 Max refusals mean in practice A refused call creates no job and costs nothing; Makernice explains the reason in readable text rather than an error code. The first column is the refusal's internal name on the server and the second is the start of the message the agent sees. | Refusal | What the tool returns | What to do | | --- | --- | --- | | `invalid_request` | "Invalid parameters" | Often an image outside the size or ratio limits, or a fifth reference image; crop the image or keep 4 references at most | | `price_exceeds_max_cost` | "which exceeds max\_cost\_usd" | The request changed after the estimate (1080p, more seconds); re-estimate and approve | | `per_job_limit_exceeded` | "which exceeds this connection's per-job limit" | Pick 768p or a shorter clip, or raise the connection's per-job limit | | `key_spend_limit_reached` | "This connection has reached its spend limit." | The connection's total budget is used up; raise it in Makernice | | `task_not_found` | "Job not found. Check the job\_id returned by generate." | The agent passed a wrong job\_id to check\_job; use the one generate returned | A job that fails after it has started, for example because the still was rejected by moderation, shows `status` failed and `billing` released in `check_job`, and the held amount goes back to your balance. ## Is MiniMax H3 Max open source, and can I run it locally? MiniMax H3 Max has no official open-weights release that we could find: the [MiniMaxAI page on Hugging Face](https://huggingface.co/MiniMaxAI) lists MiniMax H3 and MiniMax H3-Image repositories but no H3 Max (checked 2026-11-12). Makernice runs MiniMax H3 Max as a hosted API only, so it can't run on your own machine through Makernice. If self-hosting matters, the [MiniMax H3 guide](https://makernice.com/blog/how-to-use-minimax-h3-in-claude-code-and-cursor/) covers the weights MiniMax did publish for the base model. ## Frequently asked questions #### Why did MiniMax H3 Max reject my image from Claude Code? Most often the size: the shorter side must be at least 256 px, the longer side at most 5760 px, and width over height between 0.4 and 2.5. The image also has to be a public https link, not a local file. #### Is MiniMax H3 Max 1080p rendered natively? It is refined from 768p. 480p and 768p are native, and 768p is the default when the request names no resolution. #### How many reference images can Cursor pass to MiniMax H3 Max? Up to 4. A request with more is refused as invalid parameters before anything is charged. #### Can I generate 4K with MiniMax H3 Max? No. MiniMax H3 Max tops out at 1080p; MiniMax H3 is the variant with 2K and 4K tiers. ## Models in this post Video ### MiniMax H3 Max \-9% Draft at 480p, finish at 1080p: H3 Max gives you three resolution tiers, 5–15 second clips and up to 4 reference images. By MiniMaxFrom $0.0452/s https://makernice.com/models/minimax-h3-max/