unsplash-mcp-server

MCP.Pizza Chef: hellokaton

Ask for a picture in plain words and your assistant comes back with matching photos from Unsplash, each with its description, exact pixel size, and a link in several sizes. You can narrow results to eleven colours, to landscape, portrait or square, and to newest or most relevant. It only finds photos — it never downloads, saves, edits, or uploads them, and it will not tell you the photographer's name. You need a free Unsplash developer key, and that free tier limits how many searches you can run per hour.

Images/Design
Web/Research

Use This MCP server To

Find a free landscape photo for my blog header Search photos by colour to match my slide deck Pull ten vertical shots of coffee shops for a mood board Check a photo's pixel size before dropping it into a design Grab image links to paste straight into a draft

README

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Unsplash MCP Server

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A simple MCP server for seamless Unsplash image integration and search capabilities.

Python 3.9+ License: MIT

Trust Score smithery badge

📋 Overview

Unsplash MCP Server is used for searching rich, high-quality images. It's ideal for developers who want to integrate Unsplash functionality into their own applications.

✨ Features

  • Advanced Image Search: Search Unsplash's extensive photo library with filters for:
    • Keyword relevance
    • Color schemes
    • Orientation options
    • Custom sorting and pagination

🔑 Obtaining Unsplash Access Key

Before installing this server, you'll need to obtain an Unsplash API Access Key:

  1. Create a developer account at Unsplash
  2. Register a new application
  3. Get your Access Key from the application details page
  4. Use this key in the configuration steps below

For more details, refer to the official Unsplash API documentation.

🚀 Installation

To install Unsplash Image Integration Server for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:

IDE Setup

Cursor IDE

npx -y @smithery/cli@latest install @hellokaton/unsplash-mcp-server --client cursor --key 7558c683-****-****

Windsurf

npx -y @smithery/cli@latest install @hellokaton/unsplash-mcp-server --client windsurf --key 7558c683-****-****

Cline

npx -y @smithery/cli@latest install @hellokaton/unsplash-mcp-server --client cline --key 7558c683-****-****

Manual Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/hellokaton/unsplash-mcp-server.git

# Navigate to project directory
cd unsplash-mcp-server

# Create virtual environment
uv venv

# Install dependencies
uv pip install .

Cursor Editor Integration

Add the following configuration to your Cursor editor's settings.json:

⚠️ Note: Please adjust the following configuration according to your actual installation:

  • If uv is not in your system PATH, use an absolute path (e.g., /path/to/uv)
  • ./server.py should be modified to the actual location of your server script (can use absolute path or path relative to workspace)

Cursor Configuration Screenshot

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "unsplash": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["run", "--with", "fastmcp", "fastmcp", "run", "./server.py"],
      "env": {
        "UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY": "${YOUR_ACCESS_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Using in Cursor

Unsplash MCP in Cursor

🛠️ Available Tools

Search Photos

{
  "tool": "search_photos",
  "query": "mountain",
  "per_page": 5,
  "orientation": "landscape"
}

🔄 Other Implementations

📄 License

MIT License

📬 Contact

unsplash-mcp-server FAQ

Do I need an Unsplash account?
Yes. Sign up as a developer on Unsplash, register an app, and paste the access key it gives you into the setup once.
Can I use this to download photos onto my computer?
No. It hands back web links to each photo, and you save the ones you want yourself.
Which apps does it work in?
The instructions cover Claude Desktop, Cursor, Cline, and Windsurf, and it will work in any app that lets you add MCP servers.
Does it cost money?
No. Unsplash photos are free to use, though the free developer key caps how many searches you can run in an hour.
Can I ask for a specific colour or shape?
Yes. You can filter by eleven colours and by landscape, portrait, or square, and sort by newest or most relevant.
Does it tell me who took the photo?
No. Results include only the description, the dimensions, and the image links, so open the photo on Unsplash if you need to credit the photographer.
How much does it actually add?
One tool, photo search. There is no uploading, no collections, and no image editing.