Pexels

What pexels MCP server does

The pexels MCP server exposes Pexels media capabilities as tools that an MCP-compatible AI client can call from chat. It covers stock photos, videos, and collections, returning the underlying Pexels JSON together with rate-limit details.

Photo tools can search by query and apply orientation, size, color, and locale filters. They can also retrieve a specific photo by numeric ID or return Pexels' current curated photo feed. Video tools support query searches with orientation, size, and locale filters, plus popular-video results constrained by width, height, or duration. Collection tools list featured collections, list the authenticated user's collections, and retrieve the media belonging to a selected collection.

Typical uses include finding images for slides or blog posts, selecting video footage for editing research, creating mood boards, and supplying realistic media URLs to coding agents. Responses include photographer or videographer information when provided by Pexels.

How it works

The pexels MCP server is launched as a local stdio process. An MCP client starts it with npx -y mcp-pexels, passes PEXELS_API_KEY in the process environment, and exposes the resulting tools to the agent. No global npm installation is required.

Inputs are validated before requests are sent, and the service forwards Pexels results to the client. Each response adds a top-level _rateLimit object containing the request limit, remaining requests, and reset time as a UNIX timestamp. This lets an agent or host application account for the Pexels quota, including the documented free-tier limit of 200 requests per hour and 20,000 per month.

Setup and configuration

The pexels MCP server requires Node.js 20 or newer and a Pexels API key. Create a key through the Pexels API site, then add a server entry to the client configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pexels": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-pexels"],
      "env": { "PEXELS_API_KEY": "your_key_here" }
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop also supports installing a release .mcpb package and entering the key when prompted. Claude Code can add the server with claude mcp add; Cursor, Cline, and Continue provide their own MCP configuration locations. After changing configuration, restart the client where required. The MCP Inspector can be used to call the tools interactively for debugging.

Tools and capabilities

The nine available tools are:

• pexels_search_photos: Search photos with orientation, size, color, and locale filters.
• pexels_curated_photos: Retrieve the current curated photo feed.
• pexels_get_photo: Retrieve one photo by numeric ID.
• pexels_search_videos: Search videos with orientation, size, and locale filters.
• pexels_popular_videos: Retrieve popular videos with optional dimensions and duration constraints.
• pexels_get_video: Retrieve one video by numeric ID.
• pexels_featured_collections: List featured Pexels collections.
• pexels_my_collections: List collections belonging to the authenticated user.
• pexels_collection_media: Retrieve photos and videos from a specified collection.

Limitations and notes

The pexels MCP server depends on the Pexels API, so a valid API key and available request quota are required. Its documented transport is local stdio rather than a hosted HTTP endpoint. Pexels' free tier has request limits, which are exposed in each response for tracking. The server provides access to Pexels media and metadata; it does not describe separate editing, asset storage, or publishing functions.