Koskamo

Smithsonian MCP

An MCP server that provides tools to search the Smithsonian's Open Access catalog of 14.5 million objects across 20+ museums. It supports free-text search, browsing by category, fetching object metadata, retrieving CC0-licensed images, and discovering cross-collection connections based on shared attributes like culture and topic.

Package and access

Local package with source-attributed installation metadata. Koskamo does not execute packages during review.

Smithsonian MCP logo, by cyanheadsCommunity listingLocal stdioSource reviewed; not executedPublished by cyanheads
Vendor documentation

What you can do with it

  • Search for objects by text query with filters
  • Retrieve CC0-licensed images for specific objects
  • Browse objects by museum, culture, or topic
  • Find related objects across different collections

Source and maintenance

Community listingRegistry 0.3.9
mcp-registry: io.github.cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server@0.3.9Source repository
Maintenance checked

Packages and installation

Source-provided package data. Koskamo has not executed or live-probed this package.

@cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server 0.3.9

npmnpx
@cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server package definition
{
  "version": "0.3.9",
  "transport": "stdio",
  "identifier": "@cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server",
  "runtimeHint": "npx",
  "registryType": "npm",
  "registryBaseUrl": "https://registry.npmjs.org",
  "environmentVariables": [
    {
      "name": "SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY",
      "format": "string",
      "isRequired": true,
      "description": "Required. Free API key from https://api.data.gov/signup — approval is instant."
    },
    {
      "name": "MCP_LOG_LEVEL",
      "format": "string",
      "default": "info",
      "description": "Sets the minimum log level for output (e.g., 'debug', 'info', 'warn')."
    }
  ]
}

Tools

Reported by the attributed source; not independently observed by Koskamo.

No tool definitions available.

Connect from your client

Each snippet configures the same source-provided package; replace placeholders before use.

This server is operated by the named third party. Listing and endpoint checks are not an endorsement or a security audit. Review the operator's permissions, terms, and data handling before connecting. How listings are checked and corrected.

Cursor

Merge this local stdio configuration, replace every placeholder environment value, and restart Cursor. Koskamo has not executed this package.
Cursor configuration
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "smithsonian-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server@0.3.9"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY": "<YOUR_SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY>",
        "MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "<YOUR_MCP_LOG_LEVEL>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cline

Merge this local stdio configuration, replace every placeholder environment value, and restart Cline. Koskamo has not executed this package.
Cline configuration
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "smithsonian-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server@0.3.9"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY": "<YOUR_SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY>",
        "MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "<YOUR_MCP_LOG_LEVEL>"
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Code

Merge this local stdio configuration, replace every placeholder environment value, and restart VS Code. Koskamo has not executed this package.
VS Code configuration
{
  "servers": {
    "smithsonian-mcp": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server@0.3.9"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY": "<YOUR_SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY>",
        "MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "<YOUR_MCP_LOG_LEVEL>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop

Merge this local stdio configuration, replace every placeholder environment value, and restart Claude Desktop. Koskamo has not executed this package.
Claude Desktop configuration
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "smithsonian-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server@0.3.9"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY": "<YOUR_SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY>",
        "MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "<YOUR_MCP_LOG_LEVEL>"
      }
    }
  }
}

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