justinmol/smithsonian-mcp repository overview

⁠Smithsonian Open Access MCP Server

Access 3+ million digitized collection objects from America's national museums via AI assistants.

⁠Quick Start

docker run -e SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY=your_api_key justinmol/smithsonian-mcp:latest

Requires a free API key from api.data.gov⁠.

⁠What is this?

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server enabling AI assistants to search, explore, and analyze Smithsonian Institution collections. Includes:

• 3+ million objects across 19 Smithsonian museums
• 16 MCP tools for searching, filtering, and retrieving collection metadata
• CC0 licensed content available for commercial use
• Exhibition data – find what's currently on display

⁠Integration

Use with Claude Desktop, MCP Orchestrators, or other MCP-compatible tools.

  "mcpServers": {
    "smithsonian_open_access": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["run", "--rm", "-e", "SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY=your_key", "justinmol/smithsonian-mcp:latest"]
    }
  }
}

⁠Features

• Smart collection search with museum filtering
• Object details, metadata, and provenance
• On-view status for current exhibitions
• Collection statistics with per-museum breakdowns
• URL validation and anti-guessing protection

⁠Environment Variables

• SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY (required) – Get free at api.data.gov⁠
• LOG_LEVEL (optional) – Control logging verbosity
• ENABLE_CACHE (optional) – Enable response caching

⁠Documentation

• Full setup guide: GitHub Repository⁠
• Troubleshooting: See repository for detailed docs

⁠Supported Architectures

• linux/amd64
• linux/arm64