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trace.moe
What it is
trace.moe searches anime scenes from screenshots and identifies the anime, episode, and exact timestamp, then provides a short preview for checking the result. It is a source-finding service rather than an anime viewer, and access to original video is limited to a few seconds. Its content-based image retrieval compares colors and patterns instead of using neural-network image understanding. Searches work best with almost-exact matches from its index of officially published TV, web, DVD, and Blu-ray anime. Most Japanese anime since 2000 are indexed, although some series have incomplete coverage. Crops, flips, rotations, strong filters, dark scenes, large text, and low-detail images can cause failures; the FAQ recommends at least 320×180 pixels. The free service has no ads, and uploaded search images are deleted immediately according to its terms. trace.moe is available on the web, through an API, browser extensions, a Telegram bot, and an MCP server.
For and against
For
- Identifies anime, episode, and timestamp
- Provides a short verification preview
- Free service with no ads
- Browser extensions for four browsers
- Uploaded images deleted immediately
Against
- Not intended for watching anime
- Searches can fail on altered screenshots
- Some series have incomplete index coverage
- Original-video preview lasts only a few seconds
The verdict
trace.moe is focused on locating anime sources from screenshots, with web, API, extension, Telegram, and MCP access. Results depend on close visual matches and indexed content.
Who it suits
trace.moe suits viewers and developers trying to identify an anime scene from a close screenshot. It is less suitable for altered, dark, cropped, or low-detail images.
Plans and prices
Free
Free service · no ads · operational costs funded by donations
Read 7 Oct 2026 · trace.moe
GitHub Sponsors — $1/month
1,000 API search quota per day · medium search priority
Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
GitHub Sponsors — $5/month
5,000 API search quota per day · medium search priority
Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
GitHub Sponsors — $10/month
10,000 API search quota per day · higher search priority
Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
GitHub Sponsors — $20/month
20,000 API search quota per day · higher search priority · 2 concurrent search
Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
GitHub Sponsors — $50/month
50,000 API search quota per day · higher search priority · 3 concurrent search
Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
GitHub Sponsors — $100/month
100,000 API search quota per day · highest search priority · 4 concurrent search
Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
On the record
- Browser integrations
- Official screenshot-search extensions are listed for Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Opera.trace.moe · read 7 Oct 2026
- Indexed content
- The index covers officially published TV, web, DVD, and Blu-ray anime; most Japanese anime since 2000 are indexed, with incomplete coverage for some series.trace.moe · read 7 Oct 2026
- Legal policy
- The terms describe a process for reporting copyright infringement and say repeat infringers' accounts may be disabled or terminated.trace.moe · read 7 Oct 2026
- MCP capabilities
- The MCP server supports searches by image URL, local image file, base64 image, vector, or anime name, and can report account quota.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Minimum image guidance
- The FAQ recommends images of at least 320×180 pixels for effective searching.trace.moe · read 7 Oct 2026
- Not for streaming
- The site says it is not for watching anime and limits access to the original video to a few seconds of preview.trace.moe · read 7 Oct 2026
- Other integrations
- Official apps include a Telegram bot and an MCP server; the API documentation and source code are also linked for developers.trace.moe · read 7 Oct 2026
- Privacy
- The terms page states that images uploaded to the search engine are deleted immediately.trace.moe · read 7 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- trace.moe searches anime scenes from screenshots and can identify the anime, episode, and exact timestamp, with a short preview to verify results.trace.moe · read 7 Oct 2026
- Search limitations
- Search is designed for almost-exact matches, and crops, flips, rotations, strong filters, dark scenes, large text, or low-detail images can cause failures.trace.moe · read 7 Oct 2026
- Search method
- The service uses content-based image retrieval that compares image colors and patterns rather than neural-network image understanding.trace.moe · read 7 Oct 2026
- Support
- The maker directs users with questions or feedback to its Discord or Telegram communities.trace.moe · read 7 Oct 2026
