simple_exploreLABSCO SUMMARY
Search is easy; getting a correct object URL is the part it insists on doing for you.
Record URLs are case-sensitive and cannot be assembled by hand, so get_object_url is the only supported route and search_and_get_first_url does the search and the lookup in one step. Know one limitation going in: the Open Access API is not currently returning image URLs, so objects come back showing zero images even when you filter for image content — the rest of the metadata is intact.
What it is
An MCP server for the Smithsonian Institution's Open Access collections, giving an assistant search, object detail, exhibition status and per-museum statistics.
What you get
- Search across 3+ million objects, with filters and museum-specific queries — search_collections, search_by_unit
- Diverse sampling across museums and object types, and a way to go deeper without repeats — simple_explore, continue_explore
- Object detail and validated URLs — get_object_details, get_object_url, search_and_get_first_url
- What is currently on physical exhibit — get_objects_on_view, check_object_on_view
- What each museum actually holds — get_museum_collection_types, check_museum_has_object_type
- Museum lists and collection statistics with per-museum breakdowns — get_smithsonian_units, get_collection_statistics
Requirements
A free API key from api.data.gov, set as SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY. Run it with npx -y @molanojustin/smithsonian-mcp, or install globally with npm; a Python entry point exists as well. Version 1.2.9.
Setup effort
One command plus a key — npm install -g @molanojustin/smithsonian-mcp, then supply credentials
USE CASES
01
Finding objects for a lesson or an article
Search the collections, or sample broadly across museums when you do not know what you are looking for.
02
Linking to a record without guessing the URL
Search and retrieve the validated link in one step.
03
Planning a visit around what is actually on display
Ask for objects currently on view, or check one object you already care about.
04
Checking whether a museum holds what you are after
Look up that museum's object types before running searches that will come back empty.
18 tools
Listed in project docs. Your client may show a different list.
continue_exploresearch_collectionssearch_and_get_first_urlget_object_detailsget_object_urlsearch_by_unitget_objects_on_viewcheck_object_on_viewget_museum_collection_typescheck_museum_has_object_typeget_smithsonian_unitsget_collection_statisticsget_search_contextget_object_contextget_units_contextget_stats_contextget_on_view_contextBEFORE YOU INSTALL
What to know first
Tools you get
18 tools named in the project's documentation.
Requires
- npx on PATH
- Node.js 16.0 or later
- Python 3.10 or later
- SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY in your environment
Where it runs
All 3 documented setups run the server on your machine.
INSTALLATION
Connect your client
Server setup
TERMINAL
npm install -g @molanojustin/smithsonian-mcpMCP Clients
Claude Desktop — npx
CLAUDE DESKTOP — NPX · JSON
{
"mcpServers": {
"smithsonian_open_access": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@molanojustin/smithsonian-mcp"
],
"env": {
"SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY": "<YOUR_SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY>"
}
}
}
}Claude Desktop — Python
CLAUDE DESKTOP — PYTHON · JSON
{
"mcpServers": {
"smithsonian_open_access": {
"command": "python",
"args": [
"-m",
"smithsonian_mcp.server"
],
"env": {
"SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY": "<YOUR_SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY>"
}
}
}
}mcpo
MCPO · JSON
{
"mcpServers": {
"smithsonian_open_access": {
"command": "python",
"args": [
"-m",
"smithsonian_mcp.main"
],
"env": {
"SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY": "<YOUR_SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY>"
}
}
}
}
