[{"_1":2,"_3":-5,"_4":-5},"loaderData",{"_5":6,"_7":8,"_9":10},"actionData","errors","root",{"_118":119},"routes/modules.$creator.$moduleId",{"_14":15,"_16":17,"_18":19,"_20":21},"routes/modules.$creator.$moduleId.endpoints",{"_11":12,"_13":-5},"error","Module '@cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server' is not configured","tools","module",{"_20":22,"_23":24,"_25":26,"_27":28,"_29":30,"_31":32,"_33":26,"_34":-5,"_35":36,"_37":-5,"_38":-5,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":48,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":48,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":76,"_77":-5,"_78":-5,"_79":-5,"_80":48,"_81":-5,"_82":83,"_84":85,"_86":87,"_88":89,"_90":91,"_92":93,"_94":95},"apiUrl","https://odel.app/api","creator","cyanheads","moduleId","smithsonian-mcp-server","@cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server","displayName","smithsonian mcp server","tagline","Search 19.4M Smithsonian Open Access objects, get CC0 images, find cross-collection connections.","iconKey","https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/10339515?v=4","category","dev-tools","status","published","metaDescription","metaKeywords","deploymentType","external","workerName","bindingName","mcpConfig","{\"url\":\"https://smithsonian.caseyjhand.com/mcp\",\"transport\":\"streamable-http\",\"authType\":\"none\"}","pricingModel","free","creatorUserId","system:external-import","createdAt",1781363414000,"updatedAt",1781583623000,"sourceRegistry","official-mcp-registry","sourceUrl","https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0/servers?search=io.github.cyanheads%2Fsmithsonian-mcp-server","sourceVerified",true,"importedAt","upstreamStars",1,"upstreamUpdatedAt",1781575137000,"detectedTransport","streamable-http","detectedAuthType","none","probeStatus","ok","lastProbedAt","githubRepoUrl","https://github.com/cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server","githubRepoFullName","cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server","releaseId","ext-cyanheads-smithsonian-mcp-server","version","0.1.8","descriptionMarkdown","

@cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server

Search, explore, and retrieve CC0 media from 19.4 million Smithsonian Open Access objects across 20+ museums via MCP. STDIO or Streamable HTTP.\n

6 Tools

\n\n

\n\n[![Version](https://img.shields.io/badge/Version-0.1.8-blue.svg?style=flat-square)](./CHANGELOG.md) [![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-Apache%202.0-orange.svg?style=flat-square)](./LICENSE) [![Docker](https://img.shields.io/badge/Docker-ghcr.io-2496ED?style=flat-square&logo=docker&logoColor=white)](https://github.com/users/cyanheads/packages/container/package/smithsonian-mcp-server) [![MCP SDK](https://img.shields.io/badge/MCP%20SDK-^1.29.0-green.svg?style=flat-square)](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/) [![npm](https://img.shields.io/npm/v/@cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server?style=flat-square&logo=npm&logoColor=white)](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server) [![TypeScript](https://img.shields.io/badge/TypeScript-^6.0.3-3178C6.svg?style=flat-square)](https://www.typescriptlang.org/) [![Bun](https://img.shields.io/badge/Bun-v1.3.0-blueviolet.svg?style=flat-square)](https://bun.sh/)\n\n

\n\n

\n\n[![Install in Claude Desktop](https://img.shields.io/badge/Install_in-Claude_Desktop-D97757?style=for-the-badge&logo=anthropic&logoColor=white)](https://github.com/cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server/releases/latest/download/smithsonian-mcp-server.mcpb) [![Install in Cursor](https://cursor.com/deeplink/mcp-install-dark.svg)](https://cursor.com/en/install-mcp?name=smithsonian-mcp-server&config=eyJjb21tYW5kIjoibnB4IiwiYXJncyI6WyIteSIsIkBjeWFuaGVhZHMvc21pdGhzb25pYW4tbWNwLXNlcnZlciJdLCJlbnYiOnsiTUNQX1RSQU5TUE9SVF9UWVBFIjoic3RkaW8iLCJTTUlUSFNPTklBTl9BUElfS0VZIjoieW91ci1hcGkta2V5In19) [![Install in VS Code](https://img.shields.io/badge/VS_Code-Install_Server-0098FF?style=for-the-badge&logo=visualstudiocode&logoColor=white)](https://vscode.dev/redirect?url=vscode:mcp/install?%7B%22name%22%3A%22smithsonian-mcp-server%22%2C%22command%22%3A%22npx%22%2C%22args%22%3A%5B%22-y%22%2C%22%40cyanheads%2Fsmithsonian-mcp-server%22%5D%2C%22env%22%3A%7B%22MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE%22%3A%22stdio%22%2C%22SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY%22%3A%22your-api-key%22%7D%7D)\n\n[![Framework](https://img.shields.io/badge/Built%20on-@cyanheads/mcp--ts--core-67E8F9?style=flat-square)](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core)\n\n

\n\n

\n\n**Public Hosted Server:** [https://smithsonian.caseyjhand.com/mcp](https://smithsonian.caseyjhand.com/mcp)\n\n

\n\n---\n\n## Prerequisites\n\n> **A free `api.data.gov` API key is required.** Register at [https://api.data.gov/signup](https://api.data.gov/signup) — approval is instant. Set it as `SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY` in your MCP client config or `.env` file. The server will not start without it.\n>\n> **CC0 media gating:** `smithsonian_get_media` only returns CC0-licensed (open access) images. Use `smithsonian_search` with `filters.cc0_only: true` to find objects with downloadable media before calling it.\n\n---\n\n## Tools\n\nSix tools covering the full Smithsonian Open Access workflow — filter vocabulary discovery, search, detail retrieval, CC0 image access, and cross-collection exploration:\n\n| Tool | Description |\n|:---|:---|\n| `smithsonian_search` | Search across 19.4M objects by text query with optional filters (museum, type, decade, culture, place, online-only, CC0). Returns curated summaries with total count. |\n| `smithsonian_list_terms` | Enumerate the valid term vocabulary for an indexed filter field (unit_code, object_type, culture, place, date). Call before filtering to avoid empty results from invalid values. |\n| `smithsonian_get_object` | Fetch the full catalog record for an object by ID: title, dates, materials, dimensions, provenance, exhibition history, credit line, and identifiers. |\n| `smithsonian_get_media` | Return all CC0-licensed images for an object at multiple resolutions (thumbnail, screen, high-res JPEG/TIFF). Only CC0 images returned — throws when none exist. |\n| `smithsonian_explore` | Browse collections by category (museum, culture, period, medium) with total count, sample objects, and museum breakdown. Entry point for open-ended research. |\n| `smithsonian_find_related` | Discover cross-collection objects related to an anchor via parallel fan-out searches across culture, maker, topic, and period signals. |\n\n### `smithsonian_search`\n\nFull-text search with structured filters across the entire Smithsonian catalog.\n\n- Free-text search over 19.4M objects from 20+ museums\n- Filters: museum unit code, object type, decade (`1920s`), culture, geographic place, online-only, CC0-only\n- Returns curated summaries: title, museum, object type, thumbnail URL, CC0 flag, `record_id`\n- Use `start` + `rows` for standard pagination (offset-based, max 100 per page)\n\n---\n\n### `smithsonian_list_terms`\n\nEnumerate the valid term vocabulary for an indexed filter field before applying filters.\n\n- Supported fields: `unit_code`, `object_type`, `culture`, `place`, `date`, `media_usage`, `online_media_type`\n- Returns terms sorted by object count descending — most-populated terms first\n- Call this once per field to ground filter values; passing an invalid term to `smithsonian_search` produces empty results with no error\n- Paginate with `start` + `rows` (default 50 per page, max 100)\n\n---\n\n### `smithsonian_get_object`\n\nFull provenance metadata for a single object.\n\n- Input: `record_id` from `smithsonian_search` — do not construct IDs manually\n- Returns all available catalog fields: title, dates (all labeled), makers (with roles), materials, dimensions, place associations, culture terms, topic/subject terms, exhibition history, accession identifiers, credit line, rights statement\n- Media summary included — call `smithsonian_get_media` for full image URLs\n\n---\n\n### `smithsonian_get_media`\n\nCC0-gated image access at multiple resolutions.\n\n- Only CC0-licensed images are returned; throws `Forbidden` when an object has media but none is CC0\n- Each image entry includes thumbnail (~120px), screen-size (~800px), and high-resolution JPEG/TIFF URLs with pixel dimensions\n- Use `smithsonian_search` with `filters.cc0_only: true` before calling this tool\n\n---\n\n### `smithsonian_explore`\n\nCategory-constrained browse for open-ended collection discovery.\n\n- Four modes: `museum` (by unit code or full name), `culture` (e.g. `\"Aztec\"`), `period` (decade, e.g. `\"1940s\"`), `medium` (object type, e.g. `\"Painting\"`)\n- Returns total count, representative sample objects, and a museum breakdown showing which institutions hold matching items\n- Ideal entry point when the user wants to understand what the Smithsonian has about a topic\n\n---\n\n### `smithsonian_find_related`\n\nCross-collection discovery via parallel metadata fan-out.\n\n- Fetches anchor object metadata, then fans out up to 4 parallel searches using culture, maker, topic, and period+type signals\n- Deduplicates against the anchor and merges results ranked by number of matching signals\n- Cross-museum discovery is the differentiator — an NASM aerospace anchor may surface related objects from NMNH, SAAM, and NMAH\n- `similarity_signals` on each result show which metadata terms connected it to the anchor\n\n---\n\n## Features\n\nBuilt on [`@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core`](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core):\n\n- Declarative tool definitions — single file per tool, framework handles registration and validation\n- Unified error handling — handlers throw, framework catches, classifies, and formats\n- Pluggable auth: `none`, `jwt`, `oauth`\n- Swappable storage backends: `in-memory`, `filesystem`, `Supabase`, `Cloudflare KV/R2/D1`\n- Structured logging with optional OpenTelemetry tracing\n- STDIO and Streamable HTTP transports\n\nSmithsonian-specific:\n\n- Wraps the [Smithsonian Open Access API](https://edan.si.edu/openaccess/apidocs/) (19.4M objects across 20+ museums) with a free `api.data.gov` key\n- CC0 gating on `smithsonian_get_media` — only open-access images returned, never restricted content\n- Parallel fan-out in `smithsonian_find_related` with graceful degradation (partial failures don't abort)\n- Response normalization across heterogeneous museum metadata schemas\n\nAgent-friendly output:\n\n- CC0 flags on every object summary — agents can gate image download calls without an extra lookup\n- Typed error reasons (`no_results`, `not_found`, `not_cc0`, `no_media`, `invalid_id`) with recovery hints for each case\n- `similarity_signals` on related-object results let agents explain why objects were surfaced\n- `total_count` on all search responses enables agents to communicate result scope before paginating\n\n---\n\n## Getting started\n\n### Public Hosted Instance\n\nA public instance is available at `https://smithsonian.caseyjhand.com/mcp` — no installation required. Point any MCP client at it via Streamable HTTP:\n\n```json\n{\n \"mcpServers\": {\n \"smithsonian-mcp-server\": {\n \"type\": \"streamable-http\",\n \"url\": \"https://smithsonian.caseyjhand.com/mcp\"\n }\n }\n}\n```\n\n### Self-Hosted / Local\n\n> **Requires a free `api.data.gov` API key** — register at [https://api.data.gov/signup](https://api.data.gov/signup) and set `SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY` in your config.\n\nAdd the following to your MCP client configuration file:\n\n```json\n{\n \"mcpServers\": {\n \"smithsonian-mcp-server\": {\n \"type\": \"stdio\",\n \"command\": \"bunx\",\n \"args\": [\"@cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server@latest\"],\n \"env\": {\n \"MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE\": \"stdio\",\n \"MCP_LOG_LEVEL\": \"info\",\n \"SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY\": \"your-api-key\"\n }\n }\n }\n}\n```\n\nOr with npx (no Bun required):\n\n```json\n{\n \"mcpServers\": {\n \"smithsonian-mcp-server\": {\n \"type\": \"stdio\",\n \"command\": \"npx\",\n \"args\": [\"-y\", \"@cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server@latest\"],\n \"env\": {\n \"MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE\": \"stdio\",\n \"MCP_LOG_LEVEL\": \"info\",\n \"SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY\": \"your-api-key\"\n }\n }\n }\n}\n```\n\nOr with Docker:\n\n```json\n{\n \"mcpServers\": {\n \"smithsonian-mcp-server\": {\n \"type\": \"stdio\",\n \"command\": \"docker\",\n \"args\": [\n \"run\", \"-i\", \"--rm\",\n \"-e\", \"MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE=stdio\",\n \"-e\", \"SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY=your-api-key\",\n \"ghcr.io/cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server:latest\"\n ]\n }\n }\n}\n```\n\nFor Streamable HTTP, set the transport and start the server:\n\n```sh\nMCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE=http MCP_HTTP_PORT=3010 SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY=your-api-key bun run start:http\n# Server listens at http://localhost:3010/mcp\n```\n\n### Prerequisites\n\n- [Bun v1.3.0](https://bun.sh/) or higher (or Node.js v24+).\n- A free `api.data.gov` API key — register at [https://api.data.gov/signup](https://api.data.gov/signup). Approval is instant.\n\n### Installation\n\n1. **Clone the repository:**\n\n```sh\ngit clone https://github.com/cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server.git\n```\n\n2. **Navigate into the directory:**\n\n```sh\ncd smithsonian-mcp-server\n```\n\n3. **Install dependencies:**\n\n```sh\nbun install\n```\n\n4. **Configure environment:**\n\n```sh\ncp .env.example .env\n# Edit .env and set SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY\n```\n\n---\n\n## Configuration\n\n| Variable | Description | Default |\n|:---------|:------------|:--------|\n| `SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY` | **Required.** Free API key from [api.data.gov/signup](https://api.data.gov/signup). | — |\n| `SMITHSONIAN_BASE_URL` | Smithsonian Open Access API base URL. | `https://api.si.edu/openaccess/api/v1.0` |\n| `SMITHSONIAN_MAX_ROWS` | Default page size for search results (1–100). | `20` |\n| `MCP_TRANSPORT_TYPE` | Transport: `stdio` or `http`. | `stdio` |\n| `MCP_HTTP_PORT` | Port for HTTP server. | `3010` |\n| `MCP_AUTH_MODE` | Auth mode: `none`, `jwt`, or `oauth`. | `none` |\n| `MCP_LOG_LEVEL` | Log level (RFC 5424). | `info` |\n| `LOGS_DIR` | Directory for log files (Node.js only). | `/logs` |\n| `STORAGE_PROVIDER_TYPE` | Storage backend. | `in-memory` |\n| `OTEL_ENABLED` | Enable [OpenTelemetry instrumentation](https://github.com/cyanheads/mcp-ts-core/tree/main/docs/telemetry). | `false` |\n\nSee [`.env.example`](https://github.com/cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server/blob/main/.env.example) for the full list of optional overrides.\n\n---\n\n## Running the server\n\n### Local development\n\n- **Build and run:**\n\n ```sh\n # One-time build\n bun run rebuild\n\n # Run the built server\n bun run start:stdio\n # or\n bun run start:http\n ```\n\n- **Run checks and tests:**\n\n ```sh\n bun run devcheck # Lint, format, typecheck, security\n bun run test # Vitest test suite\n bun run lint:mcp # Validate MCP definitions against spec\n ```\n\n### Docker\n\n```sh\ndocker build -t smithsonian-mcp-server .\ndocker run --rm -e SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY=your-api-key -p 3010:3010 smithsonian-mcp-server\n```\n\nThe Dockerfile defaults to HTTP transport, stateless session mode, and logs to `/var/log/smithsonian-mcp-server`. OpenTelemetry peer dependencies are installed by default — build with `--build-arg OTEL_ENABLED=false` to omit them.\n\n---\n\n## Project structure\n\n| Directory | Purpose |\n|:----------|:--------|\n| `src/index.ts` | `createApp()` entry point — registers tools and initializes the Smithsonian service. |\n| `src/config` | Server-specific environment variable parsing (`SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY`, `SMITHSONIAN_BASE_URL`, `SMITHSONIAN_MAX_ROWS`). |\n| `src/mcp-server/tools` | Tool definitions (`*.tool.ts`). |\n| `src/services/smithsonian` | Smithsonian Open Access API client, normalization, and type definitions. |\n| `tests/` | Unit and integration tests. |\n| `docs/` | Design document and directory tree. |\n\n---\n\n## Development guide\n\nSee [`CLAUDE.md`](https://github.com/cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server/blob/main/CLAUDE.md) / [`AGENTS.md`](https://github.com/cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server/blob/main/AGENTS.md) for development guidelines and architectural rules. The short version:\n\n- Handlers throw, framework catches — no `try/catch` in tool logic\n- Use `ctx.log` for request-scoped logging, `ctx.state` for tenant-scoped storage\n- Register new tools via the barrel in `src/mcp-server/tools/definitions/index.ts`\n- Wrap external API calls: validate raw → normalize to domain type → return output schema; never fabricate missing fields\n\n---\n\n## Contributing\n\nIssues and pull requests are welcome. Run checks and tests before submitting:\n\n```sh\nbun run devcheck\nbun run test\n```\n\n---\n\n## License\n\nApache-2.0 — see [LICENSE](https://github.com/cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server/blob/main/LICENSE) for details.\n","changelogMarkdown","videoKey","requiredSecretsJson","publishedAt","priceCents","trialDays",0,"categoryDisplayName","Developer Tools","upstream",{"_98":99,"_100":101,"_102":103,"_104":105,"_106":107},"requiredSecrets",[],"tags",[],"assets",[],"stats",{"_96":83,"_97":83},"ratingAvg","reviewCount","topics",[108,109,110,19,111,112,113,114,115,116,117],"license","Apache-2.0","language","TypeScript","registryName","io.github.cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server","homepage","https://www.npmjs.com/package/@cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server","ai-agents","ai-tools","art","mcp","mcp-server","model-context-protocol","museum","open-access","smithsonian","typescript","ENV",{"_120":121,"_122":123,"_124":125},"ENVIRONMENT","production","TURNSTILE_SITE_KEY","0x4AAAAAAB8-rEI2gNDf_QhU","SENTRY_DSN","https://45fd1229f78089d5c3ee78be128030e1@o4510583261757440.ingest.de.sentry.io/4510584253448272"]