What is Upsplash Mcp Server

upsplash-mcp-server is a server that implements the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to facilitate interaction with the Unsplash API, enabling users to search for and download photos.

Use cases

Use cases include developing applications that require image search functionality, creating content management systems that integrate Unsplash photos, and building tools for designers and developers to easily access and download images.

How to use

To use upsplash-mcp-server, set up your environment with an Unsplash Access Key, then utilize the provided tools such as ‘search_photos’ to find images and ‘download_photo’ to save them to your local workspace.

Key features

Key features include the ability to search for photos based on various parameters (queries, pagination, orientation) and download them in different resolutions (raw, full, regular, small).

Where to use

upsplash-mcp-server can be used in web applications, mobile apps, and any software that requires access to a large database of high-quality images from Unsplash.

Unsplash MCP Server

This project implements a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides tools for interacting with the Unsplash API, allowing users to search for and download photos.

(Note: Replace @shariqriazz with the correct username/namespace if needed)

Git Repository: https://github.com/shariqriazz/upsplash-mcp-server (Please update if this is not the correct URL)

Features

• Provides MCP tools to interact with the Unsplash API.
• Search for photos based on queries, pagination, and orientation.
• Download photos at specified resolutions (raw, full, regular, small).
• Requires an Unsplash Access Key configured via environment variables.
• Downloads photos to a local unsplash/ directory within the workspace.

Tools Provided

• search_photos: Searches for photos on Unsplash.

  • Input Schema:

    {
      "type": "object",
      "properties": {
        "query": {
          "type": "string",
          "description": "The search term(s)."
        },
        "page": {
          "type": "number",
          "description": "Page number (default: 1).",
          "default": 1
        },
        "per_page": {
          "type": "number",
          "description": "Items per page (default: 10, max: 30).",
          "default": 10,
          "maximum": 30
        },
        "orientation": {
          "type": "string",
          "enum": [
            "landscape",
            "portrait",
            "squarish"
          ],
          "description": "Filter by orientation."
        }
      },
      "required": [
        "query"
      ]
    }
    

  • Output: Returns JSON data containing search results and a formatted text summary with image links.

• download_photo: Downloads an Unsplash photo to the workspace’s unsplash/ folder after triggering the download tracking event.

  • Input Schema:

    {
      "type": "object",
      "properties": {
        "photo_id": {
          "type": "string",
          "description": "The ID of the photo to download."
        },
        "resolution": {
          "type": "string",
          "enum": [
            "raw",
            "full",
            "regular",
            "small"
          ],
          "description": "Desired resolution (default: raw).",
          "default": "raw"
        },
        "filename": {
          "type": "string",
          "description": "Optional filename (e.g., my-image.jpg). Defaults to sanitized description or {photo_id}.jpg."
        }
      },
      "required": [
        "photo_id"
      ]
    }
    

  • Output: Returns a success message with the path to the downloaded file.

(Note: Schemas are illustrative. The server exposes the exact schemas via MCP.)

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18+ recommended)
• Bun (npm install -g bun)
• Unsplash Account and API Access Key (https://unsplash.com/developers)

Setup & Installation

1. Clone the Repository:

   git clone https://github.com/shariqriazz/upsplash-mcp-server.git # Update URL if needed
   cd upsplash-mcp-server
   

2. Install Dependencies:

   bun install
   

3. Configure Environment:
   • Create a .env file in the project root (or copy .env.example if provided).
   • Add your Unsplash Access Key:

     UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY="YOUR_UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY"
     

4. Build the Server:

   bun run build
   

   This compiles the TypeScript code to build/index.js.

Usage (Standalone / NPX)

Standalone (Local Build):

You can run the compiled server directly using bun or node. Ensure the UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY environment variable is set in your shell or .env file.

# Ensure UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY is set
bun run build/index.js
# OR
node build/index.js

Using NPX (If Published to npm):

If this package is published to npm (e.g., as unsplash-mcp-server), you could run it directly using npx.

# Ensure UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY is set in your environment
npx -y unsplash-mcp-server

Note: This requires the package to be published on npm under the specified name.

Running with Cline

1. Configure MCP Settings: Add or update the configuration in your Cline MCP settings file (e.g., .roo/mcp.json or global settings). You have two primary options:

   Option A: Using Bun/Node (Direct Path - Recommended for Local Development)

   This method uses bun (or node) to run the compiled script directly from your local project directory.

   • Important: Replace /path/to/your/upsplash-mcp-server/build/index.js with the correct absolute path on your system.
   • Replace "YOUR_UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY" with your actual key. Remove comments from the actual JSON file.

   Option B: Using NPX (Requires Package Published to npm)

   This method uses npx to automatically download and run the server package from the npm registry. This is convenient if you don’t want to clone the repository locally or prefer using the published version.

   • Ensure the env block contains the necessary UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY.
   • Update "unsplash-mcp-server" in args if the published npm package name is different.

2. Restart/Reload Cline: Cline should detect the configuration change and start the server based on your chosen method.

3. Use Tools: You can now use the search_photos and download_photo tools via Cline.

Development

• Watch Mode: bun run watch (Typically starts the server and restarts on file changes)
• Linting: bun run lint (Checks code for style and potential errors)
• Formatting: bun run format (Formats code according to project standards)

(Note: Assumes standard package.json scripts like watch, lint, format. Update if your scripts differ.)

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.