What is Wikipedia Mcp Image Crawler

wikipedia-mcp-image-crawler is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server designed for searching and retrieving images from Wikipedia Commons, ensuring compliance with Creative Commons licenses for images used in projects.

Use cases

Use cases include academic projects needing images with proper attribution, content creation for blogs or websites, and developers integrating image search functionality into applications.

How to use

To use wikipedia-mcp-image-crawler, clone the repository, install dependencies using pnpm, build the server, and configure it in the Claude Desktop or Cline VSCode extension as per the provided instructions.

Key features

Key features include the ‘wiki_image_search’ tool for customizable image searches on Wikipedia Commons, and the ‘wiki_image_info’ tool for retrieving detailed metadata about specific images, including license and author information.

Where to use

wikipedia-mcp-image-crawler can be used in various fields such as education, research, content creation, and any project requiring licensed images from Wikipedia Commons.

Wikipedia MCP Image Crawler

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for searching and retrieving images from Wikipedia Commons. This server provides tools to search for images and fetch detailed metadata through the Wikipedia API.

I created this tool because i needed images of Greek philosopher’s. I needed to mak sure i had full attribution and licenses. This will search wikipedia only and download images that are in the public domain and free to use.

Features

Tools

• wiki_image_search - Search for images on Wikipedia Commons

  • Search by query with customizable result limits (1-50)
  • Returns image URLs, dimensions, MIME types, and sizes

• wiki_image_info - Get detailed information about specific images

  • Fetches comprehensive metadata including license and author
  • Returns full resolution URLs and description links

Installation

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18 or higher
• npm or pnpm package manager

Local Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/dazeb/wikipedia-mcp-image-crawler.git
   cd wikipedia-mcp-image-crawler
   

2. Install dependencies:

   pnpm install
   

3. Build the server:

   pnpm run build
   

Integration with Claude

Claude Desktop App

Add the server configuration to your Claude config file:

MacOS:

nano ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Linux:

nano ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Windows:

notepad %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Add this configuration (adjust the path to where you cloned the repository):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "wikipedia-mcp-server": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/absolute/path/to/wikipedia-mcp-image-crawler/build/index.js"
      ],
      "disabled": false,
      "autoApprove": []
    }
  }
}

VSCode Extensions

Cline VSCode Extension

For the Cline VSCode extension, add to:

MacOS:

~/Library/Application\ Support/Code/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json

Linux:

~/.config/Code/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json

Windows:

%APPDATA%\Code\User\globalStorage\saoudrizwan.claude-dev\settings\cline_mcp_settings.json

For VS Code Insiders, replace Code with Code - Insiders in the paths above.

Add this configuration to the JSON file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "wikipedia-mcp-server": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/absolute/path/to/wikipedia-mcp-image-crawler/build/index.js"
      ],
      "disabled": false,
      "autoApprove": []
    }
  }
}

If the file already contains other MCP servers, add this entry to the existing mcpServers object.

Usage

Once installed, the server provides two main tools:

Image Search

Search for images matching a query:

{
  "name": "wiki_image_search",
  "arguments": {
    "query": "golden gate bridge",
    "limit": 5
  }
}

Image Information

Get detailed metadata for a specific image:

{
  "name": "wiki_image_info",
  "arguments": {
    "title": "File:Golden Gate Bridge.jpg"
  }
}

Development

Running in Watch Mode

For development with auto-rebuild:

pnpm run watch

Debugging

Since MCP servers communicate over stdio, use the MCP Inspector for debugging:

pnpm run inspector

This will provide a URL to access the debugging interface in your browser.