Smithsonian MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides access to the Smithsonian Institution's Open Access API. Search and explore millions of items from the Smithsonian's collections including artifacts, artworks, specimens, photographs, and more.

Features

• Search Collections: Search across millions of items from 19 Smithsonian museums and research centers
• Get Item Details: Retrieve comprehensive metadata about specific items
• Browse Categories: Discover available terms and filters for refining searches
• Online Media: Filter for items with images and other online media

Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10 or higher
• A Smithsonian API key (free) - Get one at https://api.data.gov/signup/

Setup

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/AlexLin1234/smithsonian-mcp-server.git
cd smithsonian-mcp-server

2. Install the package:

pip install -e .

3. Set up your API key:

cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env and add your API key

Or set the environment variable directly:

export SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

Configuration for Claude Desktop

Add this to your Claude Desktop configuration file:

MacOS

Location: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Windows

Location: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "smithsonian": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": [
        "-m",
        "smithsonian_mcp_server.server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY": "api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Alternatively, if you installed it in a virtual environment:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "smithsonian": {
      "command": "/path/to/venv/bin/python",
      "args": [
        "-m",
        "smithsonian_mcp_server.server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

search_collection

Search the Smithsonian collections with flexible query options.

Parameters:

• query (required): Search query string (supports keywords, phrases in quotes, AND/OR operators)
• rows (optional): Number of results to return (default: 10, max: 1000)
• start (optional): Starting offset for pagination (default: 0)
• online_media_only (optional): Only return items with online media/images (default: false)

Example:

Search for "space shuttle" items with images

get_item

Get detailed information about a specific item.

Parameters:

• item_id (required): The Smithsonian item ID (obtained from search results)

Example:

Get details for item "edanmdm-NASM_A19600093000"

get_category_terms

Get available terms for a specific category or facet.

Parameters:

• category (required): Category name (e.g., 'online_media_type', 'data_source', 'topic', 'place')
• starts_with (optional): Filter terms that start with this string

Example:

Get available topics starting with "Art"

Example Usage

Once configured in Claude Desktop, you can ask Claude questions like:

• "Search the Smithsonian for information about the Wright Brothers"
• "Find items related to ancient Egypt with images"
• "Show me artifacts from the Air and Space Museum"
• "Get details about item edanmdm-NASM_A19600093000"
• "What data sources are available in the Smithsonian API?"

API Information

This server uses the Smithsonian Open Access API v1.0:

• Base URL: https://api.si.edu/openaccess/api/v1.0
• Documentation: https://www.si.edu/openaccess/devtools
• Collections: 2.8+ million open access items
• Coverage: 19 Smithsonian museums, research centers, and libraries

Development

Install Development Dependencies

pip install -e ".[dev]"

Run Tests

pytest

Code Formatting

black src/
ruff check src/

License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

Support

For issues related to:

• This MCP server: Open an issue on GitHub
• The Smithsonian API: Visit https://www.si.edu/openaccess/faq
• Claude Desktop: Visit https://docs.claude.com