MiniMax

When to Use

User wants to work with MiniMax as a real multimodal platform, not as a vague brand mention. Agent handles model routing, API selection, compatible SDK caveats, speech generation, queued media jobs, MCP boundaries, and production-safe retry patterns.

Use this when the blocker is operational: wrong interface, wrong model tier, ignored parameters, broken polling loop, unsafe media upload, or poor routing across text, speech, video, and music tasks.

Architecture

Memory lives in ~/minimax/. If ~/minimax/ does not exist, run setup.md. See memory-template.md for structure.

~/minimax/
|-- memory.md          # Durable context, activation boundaries, and approved defaults
|-- routing.md         # Model and interface choices that worked in practice
|-- text-defaults.md   # Text model pins, SDK compatibility notes, and parsing rules
|-- speech-defaults.md # Voice, format, latency, and consent-sensitive speech notes
|-- media-jobs.md      # Async video or music job patterns, polling, and output handling
|-- mcp-notes.md       # Approved MCP hosts, scopes, and rejection reasons
`-- incidents.md       # Rate limits, failed jobs, bad prompts, and recovery notes

Quick Reference

Load only the file needed for the current blocker.

Requirements

• MINIMAX_API_KEY for direct MiniMax API usage.
• A client surface of choice: raw HTTP, an approved SDK, or an existing Anthropic-compatible or OpenAI-compatible integration.
• Explicit user approval before uploading private media, cloning or imitating a real person's voice, enabling remote MCP servers, or launching long-running paid generation jobs.
• Current model names, compatibility limits, and endpoint behavior must be verified against official MiniMax docs when the task depends on exact product surface.

Operating Coverage

This skill treats MiniMax as an execution platform, not as a one-line provider swap. It covers:

• text generation through native MiniMax APIs and compatible SDK interfaces
• model routing across current text families such as MiniMax-M2.5, MiniMax-M2.5-highspeed, MiniMax-M2.1, MiniMax-M2.1-highspeed, and MiniMax-M2
• speech generation with synchronous HTTP and lower-latency endpoint choices
• queued media workflows for video and music where submit, poll, and fetch are separate phases
• MCP-aware workflows where tool access, host trust, and data scope must be explicit
• debugging around ignored parameters, malformed payloads, long queue times, rate limits, and output reproducibility

Data Storage

Keep only durable MiniMax operating context in ~/minimax/:

• which modalities the user actually uses: text, speech, video, music, or MCP-backed flows
• approved models, speed tiers, and compatibility interfaces that worked for real tasks
• output defaults such as JSON parsing rules, audio formats, polling intervals, and retry posture
• media safety rules, consent requirements, and budget boundaries the user explicitly approved
• repeated failures such as 401s, ignored params, queue stalls, or bad prompt templates

Core Rules

1. Lock the Modality and Deliverable First

• Start by naming the actual output: structured text, chat reply, narration audio, short video, song draft, or tool-augmented workflow.
• MiniMax is not one surface. The wrong modality choice creates wrong endpoints, wrong latency expectations, and wrong retry logic.

2. Choose Native Versus Compatible APIs Deliberately

• Use native MiniMax APIs when you need MiniMax-specific features or exact behavior.
• Use Anthropic-compatible or OpenAI-compatible interfaces only when the surrounding app already depends on those SDKs and the supported subset is good enough.
• Treat compatibility layers as narrower surfaces, not as feature-complete copies.

3. Pin the Exact Model Family and Speed Tier

• Choose quality-first, speed-first, or fallback models explicitly instead of saying "use MiniMax."
• Current text routing should start with MiniMax-M2.5 or MiniMax-M2.5-highspeed, then step down only if latency, cost, or compatibility requires it.
• Re-check live docs before shipping hardcoded model lists because MiniMax updates its public surface frequently.

4. Separate Sync From Async Media Work

• Synchronous text and speech flows can often return in one request.
• Video and music generation usually need submit, poll, timeout, and fetch logic.
• Do not design a blocking one-shot workflow for media jobs that are inherently queued.

5. Validate Media Rights, Inputs, and Formats Before Generation

• Confirm the user has rights to upload or transform any voice, lyrics, reference media, or branded assets.
• Validate format, duration, language, and output expectations before generating.
• Bad asset assumptions waste spend faster than bad prompts.

6. Make Cost and Trust Boundaries Explicit

• Multimodal runs can send prompts, media, and metadata off machine and can accumulate cost quickly.
• State which endpoint will receive which payload, and stop before remote MCP or large media uploads unless the user approved that path.
• Never normalize remote execution just because the API supports it.

7. Finish With a Reproducible Recipe

• A successful MiniMax run ends with the exact model, interface, key parameters, asset inputs, and polling behavior recorded clearly enough to rerun.
• If the output is fragile, capture the narrowest reproducible payload before changing prompts or models again.

MiniMax Traps

• Treating every MiniMax feature as available through every SDK shim -> parameters get ignored and debugging starts from a false premise.
• Saying "use the MiniMax model" without pinning family or speed tier -> latency, quality, and cost drift across runs.
• Building media flows as one request and one response -> queued jobs hang or fail without usable recovery.
• Uploading sensitive media before clarifying rights or consent -> the technical workflow succeeds but the usage is unsafe.
• Assuming text defaults work for speech, video, or music -> prompts, payload shape, and validation rules diverge quickly.
• Blaming the model before checking payload schema, queue state, or output fetch logic -> operational bugs get mislabeled as generation quality problems.
• Letting MCP servers touch broad data without host review -> tool convenience becomes a trust leak.

External Endpoints

Only these endpoint categories are allowed unless the user explicitly approves more:

No other data is sent externally unless the user explicitly approves additional hosts or provider routes.

Security & Privacy

Data that leaves your machine:

• prompts and parameters sent to MiniMax API endpoints
• approved media assets or reference files only for the generation workflow the user requested
• optional MCP payloads only for user-approved MCP hosts
• optional documentation lookups against official MiniMax docs

Data that stays local:

• durable operating notes under ~/minimax/
• local prompt drafts, routing choices, and incident notes unless the user exports them
• any rejected or unused assets that never get uploaded

This skill does NOT:

• treat compatible SDKs as exact feature matches without verification
• upload private media, voice references, or lyrics without explicit user intent
• enable remote MCP or broad tool access without explicit approval
• claim that every MiniMax modality is synchronous or instantly available
• modify its own skill files

Trust

By using this skill, prompts and approved media may be sent to MiniMax services, plus any optional user-approved MCP hosts.

Only install if you trust those services with that data.

Scope

This skill ONLY:

• helps operate MiniMax text, speech, video, music, and MCP-related workflows safely
• routes tasks to the right model family, interface, and job pattern
• keeps durable notes for approved defaults, budget boundaries, and recurring failures

This skill NEVER:

• treat MiniMax as a generic provider drop-in without checking interface limits
• suggest voice imitation or media transformation without rights and consent checks
• blur the line between local orchestration and remote MCP execution
• promise that queued media jobs behave like low-latency text calls

Related Skills

Install with clawhub install if user confirms:

• ai - Compare MiniMax against other model providers before locking the stack.
• api - Reuse structured HTTP, retry, and payload-debugging patterns around the MiniMax APIs.
• models - Choose the right model family and fallback chain for quality, latency, and cost.
• video-generation - Extend MiniMax video work into broader multi-provider video routing.
• music - Strengthen prompt and arrangement decisions when the task is specifically music-first.

Feedback

• If useful: clawhub star minimax
• Stay updated: clawhub sync