A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides access to the Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection through natural language interactions. This server allows AI models to search The Met's art collection and retrieve artwork details (including images) via tool results. - List Departments - Search Museum Objects - Get Museum Object - Open Met Explorer App - Prerequisites - Quick Start - Configur
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npx mdskills install mikechao/metmuseum-mcpWell-documented MCP server providing rich access to Met Museum's collection with clear tool descriptions and setup
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides access to the Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection through natural language interactions. This server allows AI models to search The Met's art collection and retrieve artwork details (including images) via tool results.
This server provides AI models the following tools to interact with the art collection of The Met:
Lists all the valid departments at The Met
Department ID: 1, Display Name: American Decorative Arts
Department ID: 3, Display Name: Ancient Near Eastern Art
...
Search for various objects in The Met based on the inputs.
Inputs:
q (string): The search term e.g. sunflowershasImages (boolean, optional, default: false): Only search for objects with imagestitle (boolean, optional, default: false): Returns objects that match the query, specifically searching against the title field for objects.departmentId (number, optional): Returns objects that are a part of a specific department.page (number, optional, default: 1): 1-based page number for results.pageSize (number, optional, default: 24): Number of Object IDs per page (max 100).Outputs:
Total objects found: 54
Page: 1/3
Object IDs: 436532, 789578, 436840, 438722,...
Get a specific object from The Met containing all open access data about that object, including its image (if the image is available under Open Access).
If there is an image and returnImage is true, it is returned as an image content block in the tool result (base64-encoded JPEG).
Use this tool when the user asks for deeper details on a specific artwork and you already have an objectId.
objectId (number): The id of the object to retrievereturnImage (boolean, optional, default: true): Whether to include the object's image (if available) in the tool resultTitle: Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat (obverse: The Potato Peeler)
Artist: Vincent van Gogh
Artist Bio: Dutch, Zundert 1853–1890 Auvers-sur-Oise
Department: European Paintings
Credit Line: Bequest of Miss Adelaide Milton de Groot (1876-1967), 1967
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 16 x 12 1/2 in. (40.6 x 31.8 cm)
Primary Image URL: https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ep/original/DT1502_cropped2.jpg
Tags: Men, Self-portraits
**base64 encoding of jpeg image**
Launches an interactive MCP App (ui://met/explorer.html) that can search, filter, and inspect objects from within MCP clients that support Apps.
Recommended flow:
Use open-met-explorer to launch and browse live search results (pass q to start searching immediately).
After creating a curated list from current results, use get-museum-object only for items the user wants to explore in depth.
Inputs (all optional):
q (string): Initial search term.hasImages (boolean, default: true): Prefer objects with images.title (boolean, default: false): Search titles only.departmentId (number): Pre-select a department filter.Output:
Opens the Met Explorer app in the client UI.
▶️ Click to watch the demo video
There are now MCP Apps in this MCP Server. There is a UI component for the Open Met Explorer App tool and the Get Museum Object tool.
Run the server directly with npx — no install required:
npx -y metmuseum-mcp
This starts the server using stdio transport, which is what most MCP desktop clients expect.
For client-specific setup, see:
The following environment variable applies to all transports:
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
MET_API_TIMEOUT_MS | 10000 | Timeout in milliseconds for outbound requests to the Met Collection API. |
MET_API_DEBUG | false | Enables debug logging to stderr for schema validation failures (accepted truthy values: 1, true, yes, on). |
This server supports two transports:
--http to expose an MCP endpoint at /mcp.Run with npx (recommended for end users):
npx -y metmuseum-mcp --http
Or run from a local clone:
pnpm run build
node dist/index.js --http
The server listens on:
http://localhost:3001/mcp
You can control HTTP server behavior with environment variables:
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
PORT | 3001 | HTTP port used by the Streamable HTTP server. |
HOST | 127.0.0.1 | Network interface the HTTP server binds to. |
ALLOWED_HOSTS | localhost,127.0.0.1 | Comma-separated host allowlist for host header validation (example: localhost,127.0.0.1,my-domain.com). |
Example:
HOST=127.0.0.1 PORT=8080 ALLOWED_HOSTS=localhost,127.0.0.1 npx -y metmuseum-mcp --http
The following steps allow you to use Met Museum MCP with the web UI of ChatGPT
Settings → Apps → Advanced settings → Developer mode
Additional instructions here
npx -y metmuseum-mcp --http
By default the server will be listening on http://127.0.0.1:3001/mcp
Sign up and configure ngrok, the free plan works.
ngrok http http://127.0.0.1:3001 --host-header=rewrite
Take note of the forwarding URL.
...
Forwarding https://john-joe-asdf.ngrok-free.dev -> http://localhost:3001
...
Click Apps
Click Create Apps
Fill out the form using the URL from step 3 as the MCP Server URL, but add /mcp.
https://john-joe-asdf.ngrok-free.dev/mcp
For Authentication, select 'No Auth'
Tick the checkbox for 'I understand and want to continue'
Then click Create.
In the prompt input field you can use @name-of-server-from-step3 or In the ChatGPT UI, click the '+' button, scroll to '...more', select the newly created Met app, and enter your query.
mcpb file from the ReleasesAdd this to your claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"met-museum": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"metmuseum-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Add the following in your librechat.yaml
mcpServers:
metmuseum:
command: npx
args:
- -y
- metmuseum-mcp
Here are some questions you can ask the AI model when this server is connected:
Can you help me explore the works of Vincent Van Gogh?
Can you help me explore the Met?
Can you show me a few paintings from the Asian Art department?
Can you find the painting titled "Corridor in the Asylum"?
Can you find any art that has "cat" in the title or features "cats"?
This project uses pnpm for local development and CI.
corepack enable
pnpm install
pnpm run build
pnpm run check
For non-interactive shells/CI runners, use CI=true pnpm install --frozen-lockfile.
Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.
This MCP server is licensed under the MIT License. This means you are free to use, modify, and distribute the software, subject to the terms and conditions of the MIT License. For more details, please see the LICENSE file in the project repository.
This library is not officially associated with The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It is a third-party implementation of the The Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection API with a MCP Server.
Install via CLI
npx mdskills install mikechao/metmuseum-mcpMet Museum MCP Server is a free, open-source AI agent skill. A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides access to the Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection through natural language interactions. This server allows AI models to search The Met's art collection and retrieve artwork details (including images) via tool results. - List Departments - Search Museum Objects - Get Museum Object - Open Met Explorer App - Prerequisites - Quick Start - Configur
Install Met Museum MCP Server with a single command:
npx mdskills install mikechao/metmuseum-mcpThis downloads the skill files into your project and your AI agent picks them up automatically.
Met Museum MCP Server works with Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Vscode Copilot, Windsurf, Continue Dev, Gemini Cli, Amp, Roo Code, Goose. Skills use the open SKILL.md format which is compatible with any AI coding agent that reads markdown instructions.