Unsplash Mcp
About
An MCP server for Unsplash photo search with proper attribution built-in. Key differentiator: Returns ready-to-use attribution_text and attribution_html for each photo, making it trivial for LLMs to build content pages with properly credited images (as required by Unsplash API g
Details
- License
- MIT
Explore
- Search Photos - Find photos by keyword with filters (color, orientation)
- Random Photos - Get random photos for variety in content
- Download Tracking - Compliant with Unsplash API guidelines
- Full Attribution - Every photo includes ready-to-use attribution text and HTML
- LLM-Optimized - Pre-formatted attribution strings for easy embedding
Setting up with Highlight
This MCP is not yet compatible with Highlight’s one-click setup. However, you can still use it with Highlight by following these steps:
- Download and install Highlight from highlightai.com/download
- Navigate to the plugins tab and select "Add Custom Plugin"
-
Configure the plugin with the settings below
Plugin Name
Unsplash McpCommand (node, npx, python, etc.)Please refer to the README for specific instructions on how to obtain API keys or other required environment variables.
- Enable "Start Automatically" if you want the plugin to start when Highlight launches
From the repository
- Python 3.11+
- An Unsplash API access key (Get one here)
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install fastmcp httpx python-dotenv
When an LLM builds a content page:
1. Search for relevant images:
photos = search_photos("coffee shop interior", per_page=5)
2. Select a photo and use it:
<p class="attribution">{photo.attribution_html}</p>
3. If offering download, track it:
download_url = track_download(photo.id)
Claude Desktop / Cursor
Paste into your MCP client config file to install this server.
{
"mcpServers": {
"unsplash mcp": {
"unsplash": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "/path/to/unsplash-mcp/.venv/bin/fastmcp",
"args": [
"run",
"/path/to/unsplash-mcp/server.py"
],
"env": {
"UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY": "your_access_key_here"
}
}
}
}
}McpServers
{
"unsplash": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "/path/to/unsplash-mcp/.venv/bin/fastmcp",
"args": [
"run",
"/path/to/unsplash-mcp/server.py"
],
"env": {
"UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY": "your_access_key_here"
}
}
}An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for fetching photos from Unsplash with proper attribution. Designed for LLMs building content pages that need properly credited images.
Features
- Search Photos - Find photos by keyword with filters (color, orientation)
- Random Photos - Get random photos for variety in content
- Download Tracking - Compliant with Unsplash API guidelines
- Full Attribution - Every photo includes ready-to-use attribution text and HTML
- LLM-Optimized - Pre-formatted attribution strings for easy embedding
Why This Server?
Unsplash requires proper attribution when using their photos. This server makes it easy by including:
- attribution_text: Plain text like "Photo by John Doe on Unsplash"
- attribution_html: Full HTML with proper links for web pages
Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@johndoe">John Doe</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com">Unsplash</a>
Installation
Prerequisites
- Python 3.11+
- An Unsplash API access key (Get one here)
Quick Start
```bash
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