Nypl vs Smithsonian
A side-by-side look at the Nypl and Smithsonian MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Nypl for art & culture work as a local process; choose Smithsonian 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 Nypl when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Art & Culture domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
search, item.
Choose Smithsonian when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Art & Culture domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
search, object.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Art & Culture | Art & Culture |
| Quality signal | 51/100 · Good | 47/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 1 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 2 | 2 |
| Full listing | View Nypl | View Smithsonian |
Tools & capabilities
Nypl tools 2
searchSearch the NYPL Digital Collections collection by keyword. Returns matching items with ids (pass an id to item), titles, creators/sources, dates and links.itemFetch full details for one NYPL Digital Collections item by id — an NYPL item uuid (from search).
Smithsonian tools 2
searchSearch the Smithsonian Open Access collection by keyword. Returns matching items with ids (pass an id to object), titles, creators, dates and image links.objectFetch full details for one Smithsonian Open Access item by id — a Smithsonian content id (the "id" field from search).
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.
Nypl
{
"mcpServers": {
"nypl": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pipeworx/mcp-nypl"
]
}
}
}
Smithsonian
{
"mcpServers": {
"smithsonian": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pipeworx/mcp-smithsonian"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Nypl is categorized under Art & Culture and uses a local stdio subprocess. Smithsonian belongs to Art & Culture and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Nypl for art & culture work and Smithsonian 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.
Nypl has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Smithsonian 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 nypl and smithsonian as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Nypl has a quality signal of 51/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 1 GitHub stars. Smithsonian has 47/100 (Fair) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.