@mcp/openverse

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that provides tools for searching and fetching openly-licensed images from Openverse.

Features

• 🔍 Search for CC-licensed and public domain images
• 🎨 Filter by license type, source, file format, and more
• 📊 Get detailed image information including attribution
• 🔗 Find related images
• 📝 Essay-specific image search for content illustration
• ⚡ Built with TypeScript and fastmcp for excellent performance

Installation

npm install -g @mcp/openverse

Or install from source:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/mcp-openverse.git
cd mcp-openverse
npm install
npm run build
npm link

Usage

As an MCP Server

Add to your Claude Desktop configuration (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openverse": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@mcp/openverse"]
    }
  }
}

Or if installed locally:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openverse": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/mcp-openverse/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

search_images

Search for openly-licensed images with various filters.

Parameters:

• query (required): Search terms
• page: Page number (default: 1)
• page_size: Results per page (default: 20, max: 500)
• license: License type (by, by-sa, by-nc, by-nd, cc0, etc.)
• license_type: commercial or modification
• creator: Filter by creator name
• source: Filter by source (flickr, wikimedia, met, etc.)
• extension: File type (jpg, png, gif, svg)
• aspect_ratio: tall, wide, or square
• size: small, medium, or large
• mature: Include mature content (default: false)

Example:

// Search for nature photos with commercial license
{
  "query": "forest landscape",
  "page_size": 10,
  "license_type": "commercial",
  "extension": "jpg",
  "aspect_ratio": "wide"
}

get_image_details

Get detailed information about a specific image.

Parameters:

• image_id (required): Openverse image ID (UUID format)

get_related_images

Find images related to a specific image.

Parameters:

• image_id (required): The image ID to find related images for
• page: Page number (default: 1)
• page_size: Results per page (default: 10)

get_image_stats

Get statistics about available images by source.

No parameters required.

search_images_for_essay

High-level tool for finding images to illustrate essays or articles.

Parameters:

• essay_topic (required): Main topic/title of the essay
• concepts (required): Array of key concepts to find images for
• style: photo, illustration, or any (default: any)
• max_images: Maximum images to return (default: 10)

Example:

{
  "essay_topic": "Climate Change",
  "concepts": ["global warming", "renewable energy", "carbon emissions"],
  "style": "photo",
  "max_images": 15
}

Image Attribution

All images from Openverse come with attribution requirements. The API provides:

• attribution: Pre-formatted attribution text
• license: License code (e.g., 'by-sa')
• license_url: Link to the license
• creator: Original creator/photographer
• creator_url: Link to creator's profile

Always include proper attribution when using images.

Rate Limits

The Openverse API has the following rate limits:

• Anonymous: 100 requests/day, 5 requests/hour
• Authenticated: 10,000 requests/day, 100 requests/minute

This MCP server currently uses anonymous access. For higher rate limits, consider implementing OAuth authentication.

Development

Building from Source

npm install
npm run build

Running in Development Mode

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... View full README on GitHub