Metmuseum MCP vs Rijksmuseum
A side-by-side look at the Metmuseum MCP and Rijksmuseum MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Metmuseum MCP for art & culture work as a local process; choose Rijksmuseum for art & culture as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Metmuseum MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Art & Culture domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
- You want tools like
list-departments, search-museum-objects, get-museum-object.
Choose Rijksmuseum when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Art & Culture domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
rijks_search, rijks_object, rijks_object_image.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Art & Culture | Art & Culture |
| Quality signal | 64/100 · Good | 53/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | No auth required | Not declared |
| Pricing | Free | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 35 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 7 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 4 | 3 |
| Full listing | View Metmuseum MCP | View Rijksmuseum |
Tools & capabilities
Metmuseum MCP tools 4
list-departmentsList all departments in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met Museum)search-museum-objectsSearch for objects in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met Museum). Will return Total objects found, followed by a paginated list of Object Ids. If the Met Explorer app (open-met-explorer) is open and the user is referring to its existing results, prefer using those results from context instead of calling this tool. The parameter title should be set to true if you want to search for objects by title. The parameter hasImages is false by default, but can be set to true to return only objects with images. Additional optional filters are available for highlights, tags, on-view status, artist/culture match, medium, geographic location, and date range. Use page and pageSize to paginate results.get-museum-objectGet a museum object by its ID, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection. Use this when the user asks for deeper details on a specific object ID.open-met-explorerOpen the interactive Met Explorer app for browsing and filtering objects. For exploration intents, pass q so the app can run a live search on open. After opening, keep your chat handoff short and UI-focused. For deeper details on a specific object ID, prefer get-museum-object.
Rijksmuseum tools 3
rijks_searchSearch the Rijksmuseum's ~800,000-object collection — Dutch Golden Age paintings, prints, drawings, photographs, Delftware, Asian art — by title, maker, object type, material, technique or object number, and get back real records: title, maker, date, materials, curatorial description, rights and a IIIF image URL. AUTHORITATIVE for what the Dutch national museum holds and how it catalogues it. Keyless. There is no free-text `q`: filters are field-scoped, and titles are catalogued in Dutch. Example: rijks_search({ creator: "Rembrandt", type: "painting", limit: 5 }).rijks_objectOne Rijksmuseum object in full: title, maker, date, object type, materials, place, depicted subjects, the museum's own curatorial description, object number, rights statement and image URL. Accepts the numeric object id, its id.rijksmuseum.nl URI, or a museum object number such as "SK-C-5" (resolved for you). Keyless. Example: rijks_object({ id: "200107928" }) → The Night Watch.rijks_object_imageImage URLs for one Rijksmuseum object: the IIIF Image API 3 service, full-resolution pixel dimensions, a full-size JPEG, a scaled JPEG at a width you choose, a thumbnail, and the object's rights statement (most of the collection is public domain). Says plainly when an object has no published image rather than returning a broken link. Keyless. Example: rijks_object_image({ id: "200107928", width: 1200 }).
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Metmuseum MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"mikechao-metmuseum-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"metmuseum-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Rijksmuseum
{
"mcpServers": {
"rijksmuseum": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pipeworx/mcp-rijksmuseum"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Metmuseum MCP is categorized under Art & Culture and uses a local stdio subprocess. Rijksmuseum belongs to Art & Culture and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Metmuseum MCP for art & culture work and Rijksmuseum for art & culture.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
Metmuseum MCP is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. Rijksmuseum has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add mikechao-metmuseum-mcp and rijksmuseum as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Metmuseum MCP has a quality signal of 64/100 (Good) with 7 views, 0 installs and 35 GitHub stars. Rijksmuseum has 53/100 (Good) with 1 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.