What is the key difference between Rijksmuseum MCP and Metmuseum MCP?

Rijksmuseum MCP belongs to the Art & Culture category with local stdio execution, while Metmuseum MCP belongs to the Art & Culture category with local stdio execution.

How do I install Rijksmuseum MCP or Metmuseum MCP in Claude Desktop or Cursor?

Copy the mcpServers JSON configuration snippet provided on this page into your claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json file and restart your AI client.

Are Rijksmuseum MCP and Metmuseum MCP free or paid?

Rijksmuseum MCP operates under a BYOK (Pay Provider Direct) model (API Key required). Metmuseum MCP operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Rijksmuseum MCP lists 5 tools with 1 views and 72 GitHub stars. Metmuseum MCP lists 4 tools with 5 views and 35 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Rijksmuseum MCP and Metmuseum MCP together in the same MCP host?

Yes! MCP hosts like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and VS Code support configuring multiple servers under the mcpServers object simultaneously.

Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison

Rijksmuseum MCP vs Metmuseum MCP

In-depth architectural comparison of the Rijksmuseum MCP and Metmuseum MCP MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.

At a Glance & Executive Verdict

Rijksmuseum MCP

Art & Culture · Local stdio

Quality: 43/100 (Fair) | Auth: API Key required

Metmuseum MCP

Art & Culture · Local stdio

Quality: 64/100 (Good) | Auth: No auth required

Verdict Summary: Choose Rijksmuseum MCP if you need specialized Art & Culture tools running via a local process. Choose Metmuseum MCP if your workspace requires Art & Culture integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Rijksmuseum MCP when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Art & Culture domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: API Key required (BYOK (Pay Provider Direct)).
You have access to required keys: RIJKSMUSEUM_API_KEY, PORT, LOG_LEVEL.
Primary tools included: Text and attribute-based artwork search, Comprehensive artwork metadata retrieval, High-resolution image access with deep zoom.

Explore Rijksmuseum MCP Details

Choose Metmuseum MCP when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Art & Culture domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
Primary tools included: list-departments, search-museum-objects, get-museum-object.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Rijksmuseum MCP r-huijts Art & Culture	Metmuseum MCP mikechao Art & Culture
Summary	Rijksmuseum API integration for artwork search, details, and collections	Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection API integration to search and display artworks in the collection.
Category & Scope	Art & Culture

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Rijksmuseum MCP Tools (5)

Text and attribute-based artwork search

Comprehensive artwork metadata retrieval

High-resolution image access with deep zoom

User collection browsing and details

Artist timeline generation

Metmuseum MCP Tools (4)

list-departments

List all departments in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met Museum)

Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations

Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).

Rijksmuseum MCP Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "r-huijts-rijksmuseum-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-server-rijksmuseum"
      ],
      "env": {
        "RIJKSMUSEUM_API_KEY": "YOUR_RIJKSMUSEUM_API_KEY_HERE",
        "PORT": "YOUR_PORT_HERE",
        "LOG_LEVEL": "YOUR_LOG_LEVEL_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Metmuseum MCP Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mikechao-metmuseum-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "metmuseum-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Rijksmuseum MCP is categorized under Art & Culture and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Metmuseum MCP belongs to Art & Culture using local stdio subprocess. Select Rijksmuseum MCP when you need capabilities focused on art & culture and Metmuseum MCP when you require tools for art & culture.

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