Pixabay MCP server

The Pixabay MCP server provides a Model Context Protocol (MCP) interface for searching and retrieving images from Pixabay. It allows AI assistants to search for images based on keywords and retrieve formatted results with image URLs and metadata.

Installation

Getting a Pixabay API Key

Before installing the server, you'll need to obtain a Pixabay API key:

1. Visit Pixabay API Documentation
2. Create an account if you don't have one
3. Request an API key through the Pixabay website

Installation with npx (Recommended)

The easiest way to install the Pixabay MCP server is using npx. You'll need to configure your Claude Desktop configuration file:

On MacOS: Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

On Windows: Add to %APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pixabay-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["pixabay-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "PIXABAY_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Local Installation

You can also install the server locally:

1. Clone the repository and build the project:

git clone https://github.com/zym9863/pixabay-mcp.git
cd pixabay-mcp
npm install
npm run build

2. Configure your Claude Desktop configuration file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pixabay-mcp": {
      "command": "/path/to/pixabay-mcp/build/index.js",
      "env": {
        "PIXABAY_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Usage

Searching for Images

The Pixabay MCP server provides a tool called search_pixabay_images which allows you to search for images on Pixabay.

Parameters

• query (required): The search term for finding images
• image_type (optional): Filter results by image type (all, photo, illustration, vector)
• orientation (optional): Filter by image orientation (all, horizontal, vertical)
• per_page (optional): Number of results to return (default: 10, max: 200)

Example Usage

To search for beach images:

Use the search_pixabay_images tool with the query parameter set to "beach"

To search for vertical illustrations of mountains:

Use the search_pixabay_images tool with the following parameters:
- query: "mountains"
- image_type: "illustration"
- orientation: "vertical"
- per_page: 15

Understanding Results

The search results will include:

• Image URLs (regular size and preview)
• Image dimensions
• Number of downloads, likes, and comments
• Tags associated with the image
• Username of the photographer/creator

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues with the server:

• Verify your API key is correctly set in the configuration
• Check that the server is properly configured in your Claude Desktop settings
• Ensure you have the required permissions to execute the server

Debugging

For advanced debugging, you can use the MCP Inspector:

npm run inspector

This will provide a URL to access debugging tools in your browser, which can help identify communication issues between Claude and the MCP server.

How to install this MCP server

For Claude Code

To add this MCP server to Claude Code, run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add-json "pixabay-mcp" '{"command":"/path/to/pixabay-mcp/build/index.js","env":{"PIXABAY_API_KEY":"your_api_key_here"}}'

See the official Claude Code MCP documentation for more details.

For Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > Tools & Integrations and click "New MCP Server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "pixabay-mcp": {
            "command": "/path/to/pixabay-mcp/build/index.js",
            "env": {
                "PIXABAY_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
            }
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explicitly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.

For Claude Desktop

To add this MCP server to Claude Desktop:

1. Find your configuration file:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
• Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add this to your configuration file:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "pixabay-mcp": {
            "command": "/path/to/pixabay-mcp/build/index.js",
            "env": {
                "PIXABAY_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
            }
        }
    }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect