Pexels MCP Server
MCP server for the Pexels API: search & fetch stock photos, videos, and collections.
2 stars58 downloads/wk
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Pexels MCP Server tools (9)
write = sends, deletes, buys or postsRead from the package source without running it. The installed server may list more.
pexels_curated_photosList Pexels' hand-curated photo picks, refreshed hourly (paginated). Returns compact photo objects. Read-only.
pexels_get_collection_mediaGet the photos and/or videos inside a Pexels collection by its ID (paginated, optionally filtered to just photos or just videos). Each item is returned in the same compact shape its own domain tool would use, tagged with `media_type`. Read-only.
pexels_get_photoGet a single Pexels photo by its numeric ID, with full detail, pre-sized URLs, and a courtesy credit. Read-only.
pexels_get_videoGet a single Pexels video by its numeric ID, with full detail and every available rendition (unlike the search/popular tools, this returns the complete video_files list, not just the top few). Read-only.
pexels_list_featured_collectionsList Pexels' featured collections (paginated). Returns collection metadata only \u2014 call pexels_get_collection_media for the photos/videos inside one. Read-only.
pexels_list_my_collectionsList the collections belonging to the Pexels account that owns the configured API key (paginated). Since Pexels has no per-conversation OAuth login, this always reflects the API key's own account, not the person chatting \u2014 it will be empty unless that account has created collections on pexels.com. Read-only.
pexels_popular_videosList currently popular Pexels videos, optionally filtered by minimum width/height and duration range. Returns compact video objects. Read-only.
pexels_search_photosSearch Pexels for photos matching a query, with optional orientation/size/color/locale filters. Returns compact photo objects with pre-sized URLs and a courtesy credit (attribution is appreciated but not required by the Pexels license). Read-only.
pexels_search_videosSearch Pexels for videos matching a query, with optional orientation/size/locale filters. Returns compact video objects with rendition links. Read-only.
Public scan report
scanner v0.1.9 · 2026-09-23 · same rubric, same numbers if you re-run it
- Code scan3 source files scanned25/25
- –Live reliabilityno gateway calls yet and no remote to proben/a
- –Tool poisoningtools not inspected (local package is not executed); not countedn/a
- Auth qualitystatic API keys via environment variables6/15
- Maintenancelast push 22 days ago15/15
- Maintainer identityregistry namespace matches repository owner; GitHub account older than a year8/10
What the publisher says
From the Pexels MCP Server repository's README, as published. We do not edit it. Read it on GitHub
pexels-mcp-server
A production-ready Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for the Pexels API. It gives AI assistants — Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, and any MCP client — tools to search and fetch Pexels photos, videos, and collections, covering every endpoint the Pexels API documents.
[!IMPORTANT]
Unofficial project. This is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Pexels. "Pexels" is a trademark of its respective owner. You use it under your own Pexels API account and are responsible for complying with the Pexels License.
Table of contents
- Features
- Quick start
- Example interaction
- Configuration
- Tools
- Tool reference
- Output shape
- Resources & prompts
- Example prompts
- License & compliance
- Rate limits
- Handling of Pexels text
Features
- 9 tools covering every documented Pexels endpoint — photos (search, curated, get), videos (search, popular, get), and collections (featured, media, mine). Pexels has a single API-key auth tier and no write endpoints, so there's no partial "read-only v1" — this is the whole surface.
- License-aware by design — Pexels doesn't require attribution, but every photo still returns a ready-to-use courtesy credit (text + HTML), and the server's instructions steer the model around the license restrictions that do apply (no resale of unaltered content, no redistribution to other stock platforms, no trademark/logo use, no implied endorsement).
- Real image & video URLs — each photo returns Pexels' own pre-sized src URLs (original/large2x/large/medium/small/portrait/landscape/tiny); each video returns its video_files renditions (trimmed to the highest-resolution few in list results, complete on a single-item lookup).
- Token-efficient output — full Pexels responses are trimmed to a compact shape (URLs + metadata as text, never base64 blobs) to keep model context small.
- Robust — typed failures returned as MCP isError results the model can recover from, plus retries/backoff, timeouts, and rate-limit-aware quota short-circuiting (Pexels omits its rate-limit headers on a 429, so the client caches the last-known reset time instead of guessing).
- Safe — API-key redaction in all error output, and untrusted-text handling guidance for indirect prompt-injection defence.
- Lean & modern — ESM, Node 20+, zero-install via npx, no telemetry.
Quick start
1. Get a Pexels API key
Create a free account at pexels.com/api and you'll receive an API key instantly — no app review, no approval wait.
2. Add the server to your MCP client
Shortened. The full README is on GitHub.
Nothing above is checked by us. What we check is on the safety report.
Install directly
Runs npx -y @hanoak/pexels-mcp-server on your machine. Read the scan report first; the gateway never runs local packages.
claude mcp add pexels-mcp-server -- npx -y @hanoak/pexels-mcp-server
Pexels MCP Server: common questions
- Is Pexels MCP Server safe?
- Mostly: it is graded B (83/100). Read the Pexels MCP Server safety report
- How do I install Pexels MCP Server?
- It runs on your machine. Copy the Claude Code, Claude Desktop or Cursor config from the install section.
- Does Pexels MCP Server need an API key?
- Yes. The registry entry asks for
PEXELS_API_KEY. - Is Pexels MCP Server maintained?
- The last commit was 23 days ago (2026-09-01). The latest release is v1.0.1.
- What can I use instead of Pexels MCP Server?
- Servers from other publishers that do the same job: Tradingview MCP server, Yahoo Finance MCP server and Tapetide — Indian Stock Market (NSE & BSE) MCP server. Compare all Pexels MCP Server alternatives.
Alternatives to Pexels MCP Server
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