Pixabay MCP Server
About
Search and retrieve royalty-free images and videos using the Pixabay API.
Details
- Author
- unlock-mcp
- Categories
- Search, Media, Other, API
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Setup
Install Pixabay MCP Server in your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, and others).
Repository: https://github.com/unlock-mcp/pixabay-mcp-server
Follow the installation instructions in the repository README, then restart your MCP client.
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides access to the Pixabay API for searching and retrieving royalty-free images and videos.
📖Complete Setup and Usage Guide- Step-by-step tutorial with examples and troubleshooting
- Image Search: Search through millions of royalty-free images
- Video Search: Find high-quality stock videos
- Advanced Filtering: Filter by category, orientation, color, size, and more
- Individual Lookup: Get specific images or videos by ID
- Multiple Formats: Access different image sizes and video qualities
git clone <your-repo-url> cd pixabay-mcp-server
You'll need a Pixabay API key to use this server:
- Sign up atPixabay
- Go toPixabay API page
- Get your API key
- Set the system environment variable(recommended for security):
For bash/zsh(add to ~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, or ~/.bash_profile):
export PIXABAY_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"
For fish(add to ~/.config/fish/config.fish):
set -gx PIXABAY_API_KEY "your-api-key-here"
setx PIXABAY_API_KEY "your-api-key-here"
After setting the environment variable, restart your terminal or run:
source ~/.zshrc # or your shell's config file
Add the server to your Claude Desktop configuration file:
macOS:~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.jsonWindows:%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Recommended (using system environment variable):
{ "mcpServers": { "pixabay": { "command": "node", "args": ["/path/to/pixabay-mcp-server/dist/index.js"] } } }
Alternative (less secure - API key in config file):
{ "mcpServers": { "pixabay": { "command": "node", "args": ["/path/to/pixabay-mcp-server/dist/index.js"], "env": { "PIXABAY_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here" } } } }
Security Note: The recommended approach uses your system environment variable, keeping the API key out of configuration files.
Search for royalty-free images with various filters:
- q: Search term (max 100 characters)
- lang: Language code (default: "en")
- image_type: "all", "photo", "illustration", "vector"
- orientation: "all", "horizontal", "vertical"
- category: Category filter (nature, business, etc.)
- min_width/min_height: Minimum dimensions
- colors: Color filter (red, blue, grayscale, etc.)
- editors_choice: Editor's Choice awards only
- safesearch: Safe for all ages
- order: "popular" or "latest"
- page: Page number (default: 1)
- per_page: Results per page (3-200, default: 20)
Search for royalty-free videos with similar filtering options:
- q: Search term
- video_type: "all", "film", "animation"
- All other parameters similar to image search
Retrieve a specific image by its Pixabay ID:
Retrieve a specific video by its Pixabay ID:
Search for "mountain landscape" photos
Search for horizontal nature photos with minimum width 1920px, editors choice only
Find animation videos about "space exploration"
- 100 requests per 60 seconds by default
- Responses must be cached for 24 hours
- Systematic mass downloads are not allowed
The server returns JSON responses with image/video metadata including:
- URLs for different sizes
- Dimensions and file sizes
- View/download/like counts
- User information
- Tags and categories
- Fork the repository
- Create a feature branch
- Make your changes
- Add tests if applicable
- Submit a pull request
Created byUnlockMCP- Your guide to mastering Model Context Protocol implementations.
MIT License - see LICENSE file for details
This server provides access to Pixabay's API. Please comply with:
- Pixabay's Terms of Service
- Content License requirements
- Attribution requirements when displaying search results
- Rate limiting and caching requirements
Images and videos are subject to Pixabay's Content License. Always check individual image/video licenses before use.
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