Associated Press Media API MCP Server

An unofficial Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that transforms the Associated Press Media API into an AI-optimized content intelligence resource. With 26 powerful tools, this MCP server enables conversational AI applications to seamlessly access, analyze, and interact with AP's comprehensive news content through natural language interfaces.

Perfect for: Conversational AI assistants, news analysis applications, content research tools, and automated journalism workflows.

[!NOTE] For more info about the AP Media API, visit the AP developer documentation.

🔑 Key Features

🤖 Conversational AI Features

• Natural Language Query Processing: Convert conversational queries into optimized AP API searches
• Intelligent Prompt Templates: 17 pre-configured prompts for common workflows and use cases
• Intelligent Content Recommendations: AI-powered content discovery and related article suggestions
• Trend Analysis: Real-time trending topic detection and analysis
• Smart Query Optimization: Automatic query enhancement for better search results
• Plan Enforcement: Automatic content filtering to authorized plan items (configurable via AP_ENFORCE_PLAN)
• AI Error Recovery: Self-healing error hints with suggested actions and retry guidance
• Rate Limit Intelligence: Automatic rate limit detection and backoff with retry hints
• Query Suggestions: Intelligent query refinement suggestions for broad searches

📈 Performance & Scale

• Bulk Operations: Handle up to 2,000 search results and 50 items in single operations
• Intelligent Caching: TTL-based caching system for improved performance
• Auto-Pagination: Seamlessly handle large result sets with automatic pagination
• Production-Ready: Enterprise-grade performance and reliability

📰 Complete Content Intelligence

• 26 Comprehensive Tools: Full coverage of AP Media API functionality
• Live Content Feeds: Real-time access to AP's breaking news and updates
• Advanced Search: Multi-parameter search with flexible filtering and sorting
• Content Monitoring: Create and manage automated content alerts and monitors

🛡️ Enterprise-Grade Foundation

• Full Type Safety: Complete TypeScript implementation with OpenAPI-based types
• Robust Error Handling: Graceful handling of API errors, rate limits, and network issues
• Secure Configuration: Environment-based configuration with validation
• Comprehensive Testing: High test coverage with both unit and integration tests

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• An Associated Press API key (get one at api.ap.org)

Installation

Claude Code (CLI)

Add to your Claude Code MCP configuration:

{
	"mcpServers": {
		"ap-media": {
			"type": "stdio",
			"command": "npx",
			"args": ["-y", "ap-mcp-server@latest"],
			"env": {
				"AP_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
			}
		}
	}
}

Visual Studio Code et al.

For VS Code, Windsurf, Cursor, Void, and other VS Code-based editors:

Add the following server definition to your workspace MCP settings (.vscode/mcp.json):

{
	"servers": {
		"ap-media": {
			"type": "stdio",
			"command": "npx",
			"args": ["-y", "ap-mcp-server@latest"],
			"env": {
				"AP_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
			}
		}
	}
}

Generic MCP Client Configuration

Applies to Claude Desktop, ChatGPT Desktop, OpenAI Codex, etc.

For most MCP-compatible AI tools, use this standard configuration format:

{
	"mcpServers": {
		"ap-media": {
			"command": "npx",
			"args": ["-y", "ap-mcp-server@latest"],
			"env": {
				"AP_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
			}
		}
	}
}

🤖 AI & LLM Integration

The AP MCP Server is designed to be used directly by AI tools, chatbots, and LLM applications through the MCP protocol. AI assistants can access AP news content using natural language:

Natural Language AI Interactions

• "Find recent articles about artificial intelligence in healthcare"
• "Show me trending topics in technology this week"
• "Get the latest breaking news about climate change"
• "Find related articles to this story about renewable energy"

AI tools automatically convert these requests into the appropriate MCP tool calls.

Smart Content Discovery

• Trend Detection: Automatically identify what's trending in news
• Content Recommendations: Get AI-suggested related articles and topics
• Query Enhancement: Transform vague queries into precise, optimized searches
• Bulk Analysis: Process large amounts of content for pattern recognition

AI Application Types

• News Chatbots: AI assistants with conversational access to AP news
• Research Assistants: AI tools for journalists and researchers
• Analysis Systems: Automated news trend and pattern analysis
• Content Curation: AI-powered content discovery and recommendation engines

Configuration

Environment Variables

🎯 MCP Prompts (17 Available)

The AP MCP Server now includes intelligent prompt templates that simplify complex operations and optimize API usage. These prompts abstract away parameter complexity and provide natural language interfaces for common workflows.

🔍 Search & Discovery Prompts

breaking-news-search

Search for the latest breaking news with optimized parameters.

• Arguments: topic, hours_ago, location, max_results
• Example: "Get breaking news about technology from the last 2 hours"

topic-deep-dive

Comprehensive research on a specific topic with in-depth coverage.

• Arguments: topic, days_back, min_word_count, include_analysis, max_results
• Example: "Deep dive into climate change coverage from the past week"

multimedia-search

Find photos, videos, graphics, and audio content.

• Arguments: topic, media_type, days_back, high_quality_only, max_results
• Example: "Find high-quality photos of the Olympics from the last 7 days"

regional-coverage

Get comprehensive news coverage for specific regions or locations.

• Arguments: location, include_national, include_local, days_back, max_results
• Example: "Get all news from California including national and local stories"

smart-search

Intelligently search with natural language queries and auto-expansion.

• Arguments: query, search_mode, auto_expand
• Example: "Smart search for renewable energy innovations"

📊 Analysis & Insights Prompts

trend-analysis

Analyze trending topics and patterns in news coverage.

• Arguments: category, timeframe, location_filter, include_sentiment, max_topics
• Example: "Analyze technology trends from the past day"