canonical: https://jentic.com/apis/backgrounderase.com/backgrounderase # BackgroundErase API The BackgroundErase API removes the background from an image and returns either a transparent cutout or an alpha mask for compositing. In the same request it can replace the removed background with a solid color or a supplied background image, so a subject can be dropped onto a new backdrop in one call. Supporting operations validate an API key and report service health, which lets a pipeline confirm its credential and the service before pushing a batch of images. ## For AI agents Remove image backgrounds and return a transparent cutout or alpha mask, optionally replacing the background with a solid color or a new image, with operations to validate the API key and check service health. ## Scope Does not handle image hosting, resizing, or format conversion. Use for background removal and replacement only. ## Capabilities - Remove an image's background and return a transparent cutout - Return an alpha mask instead of a cutout for compositing pipelines - Replace a removed background with a solid color - Replace a removed background with a supplied background image - Validate an API key and check service health before a batch ## Use cases ### Agent Image Cutout An AI agent connected through Jentic cleans up an image on demand: it submits the photo and receives a transparent cutout, or an alpha mask when it needs to composite the subject itself. The agent gets back the processed image in one call, so a background-removal step slots into a larger media workflow without a separate editor. Example prompt: Submit a product photo and request a transparent cutout, then confirm the processed image was returned ### E-Commerce Product Photos An online store standardises its catalog by removing each product's background and replacing it with a clean white or branded backdrop. BackgroundErase does the removal and the replacement in a single request, so every listing image lands on a consistent background. Example prompt: Remove a product photo's background and replace it with a solid white background ### Batch Preflight Check Before a large run, a pipeline validates its API key and checks service health so it fails fast rather than mid-batch. BackgroundErase exposes both an account validation and a health check, which an agent calls first and then proceeds to process images only when both pass. Example prompt: Validate the API key and check service health, then process the first image only if both succeed ## Key endpoints | Method | Path | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | POST | `/v2` | Remove an image background | | GET | `/v2/account` | Validate an API key | | GET | `/v2/health` | Check service health | ## Key resources - **Images** — Remove a background and return a cutout or alpha mask, optionally replacing it with a color or image - **Account** — Validate an API key - **Health** — Report service health ## AI readiness This API is usable in Jentic One now. Its AI-readiness score against Jentic's framework shows where it stands today and where improvements would make it even easier for agents to use. - **Score:** 65 / 100 - **Maturity:** AI-Aware - **Dimensions:** - Foundational Compliance: 87 / 100 - Developer Experience & Jentic Compatibility: 65 / 100 - AI-Readiness & Agent Experience: 55 / 100 - Agent Usability: 94 / 100 - Security: 50 / 100 - AI Discoverability: 55 / 100 - **View full report:** https://jentic.com/apis/backgrounderase.com/backgrounderase/scorecard - **How the score is calculated:** https://docs.jentic.com/reference/api-readiness-framework/overview/ - **More about the dimensions:** https://docs.jentic.com/reference/api-readiness-framework/specification/#dimensional-model-overview ### Score it yourself Every API in the directory is allowlisted, so you can re-score it with no key required. - **Score your own API:** https://jentic.com/scorecard.md - **Scoring CLI agent skill:** https://github.com/jentic/jentic-api-scorecard/blob/main/skills/jentic-api-scorecard/SKILL.md ```sh npx @jentic/api-scorecard-cli score ``` ## Why Jentic - **Setup:** Wiring the BackgroundErase API by hand means managing an `x-api-key` credential, validating it against the account endpoint, and handling the health check before a batch yourself. Through Jentic you install once, import the BackgroundErase API from the API Directory, store the key once, and your agent calls it. - **Permission scoping:** BackgroundErase carries the image in the request body, so a rule bounds which operations your agent may call, not which image. You choose the operations it may call, so a rule can allow just the background-removal operation and leave the account operation out. - **Credential handling:** Your BackgroundErase API key is stored once, encrypted, by your own Jentic One instance and injected at execution time. It never enters the agent's prompt, logs, or context. - **Discovery method:** Agents search Jentic by intent such as 'remove an image background' or 'replace a background with white', and Jentic returns the matching BackgroundErase operation with its input schema so the agent calls the right endpoint without browsing the reference docs. ## Related APIs - **remove.bg** — remove.bg removes image backgrounds and returns cutouts, the same core function as BackgroundErase. - **PhotoRoom** — PhotoRoom removes and replaces backgrounds with template-driven editing, overlapping with BackgroundErase. - **Cloudinary Upload API** — Cloudinary stores and transforms images, a natural place to host the cutouts BackgroundErase produces. ## FAQ ### What authentication does the BackgroundErase API use? The BackgroundErase API authenticates with an API key sent in the `x-api-key` header, per its OpenAPI spec. The background-removal and account operations take that key, while the health-check endpoints need no credential. Through Jentic the key is stored encrypted by your own Jentic One instance and injected at call time, so it never enters the agent's prompt, logs, or context. ### Can I replace a background, not just remove it, with the BackgroundErase API? Yes. The same request that removes a background can replace it with a solid color or a supplied background image, so you get the subject on a new backdrop in one call. If you prefer to composite yourself, request an alpha mask instead of a finished cutout. ### What are the rate limits for the BackgroundErase API? The OpenAPI spec does not specify numeric rate limits for the BackgroundErase API. Check https://backgrounderase.com for the current limits and any per-plan concurrency before running a large batch. ### Is there a BackgroundErase MCP server? You don't need an MCP server to give your agent the BackgroundErase API. Jentic connects it directly from the API Directory: import it, store your key once, and your agent calls it. Operations are discovered on demand, so your agent's context stays lean instead of loading a separate server's tool definitions. ### Can I limit what my agent is allowed to do with the BackgroundErase API? Yes. Because the image travels in the request body, you write a rule that allows just the background-removal operation and leaves the account operation out, or the reverse. The agent can then process images but touch nothing else, and every call it makes is logged. ### How do I remove an image background through Jentic? Import the BackgroundErase API from the Jentic API Directory, store your API key once, and have your agent search Jentic for 'remove an image background'. Jentic returns the process-image operation with its input schema so the agent submits the image and reads back the cutout. To run it on your own infrastructure, install Jentic One from its GitHub repo.