Google Photos MCP Server

MCP server for Google Photos integration with Claude

Local serverstdioTypeScript

What is the Google Photos MCP MCP server?

Google Photos MCP MCP server exists for a simple reason — assistants are far more useful when they can act on Google Photos MCP directly instead of describing what you should do. MCP server for Google Photos integration with Claude.

What you get

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Google Photos integration, enabling Claude, Gemini, and other AI assistants to read, write, and pick photos from your Google Photos library.

What the assistant can call

Once Google Photos MCP is connected, these are the calls the assistant has available:

  • Capability — Status
  • create_picker_session — Start a Picker session for full library access
  • poll_picker_session — Check session status and retrieve selected photos
  • Infrastructure — The Infrastructure tool exposed by this server
  • Smithery — The Smithery tool exposed by this server
  • Auth — The Auth tool exposed by this server
  • Testing — The Testing tool exposed by this server

Setting it up

@smithery/cli on npm is all you need. Most clients run it directly, so configuration is a few lines and a restart.

Configuration and credentials

You will need 3 environment variables: GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID, GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET, GOOGLE_REDIRECT_URI. The server will not start without them, which is usually why the tools fail to appear on a first run. Keep credentials in your client's env block or a secrets manager rather than in a file you might commit.

  • Node.js 22.22+ - Google Cloud project with Photos Library API enabled - OAuth 2.0 credentials (Web application type)

Choosing this one

Plenty of cloud and infrastructure servers cover similar ground. The differences that matter in practice are scope of access and how much setup stands between you and a working tool call. Google Photos MCP's toolset — Capability, create_picker_session, poll_picker_session and 4 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by savethepolarbears; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

We check each listing at SyncDev against the project's documentation before it goes live — if something here drifts out of date, it is a bug worth reporting.

Before you rely on it

  • It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
  • Missing credentials fail quietly in some clients — if no tools show up, check the environment block first.
  • MCP clients confirm each tool call by default. Leave that on until you have watched what the google photos mcp mcp server does with a few real requests.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
CapabilityStatus
create_picker_sessionStart a Picker session for full library access
poll_picker_sessionCheck session status and retrieve selected photos
InfrastructureThe Infrastructure tool exposed by this server.
SmitheryThe Smithery tool exposed by this server.
AuthThe Auth tool exposed by this server.
TestingThe Testing tool exposed by this server.

How to install the Google Photos MCP MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-photos": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@smithery/cli"],
      "env": {
        "GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID": "your-value",
        "GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET": "your-value",
        "GOOGLE_REDIRECT_URI": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.

Configuration

  • Node.js 22.22+ - Google Cloud project with Photos Library API enabled - OAuth 2.0 credentials (Web application type)
VariableDescriptionRequired
GOOGLE_CLIENT_IDConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRETCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
GOOGLE_REDIRECT_URIFilesystem location the server is allowed to use.Optional

Example prompts to try

  • Use Google Photos MCP to Capability.
  • Use Google Photos MCP to create picker session.
  • Use Google Photos MCP to poll picker session.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Google Photos MCP to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 7 tools (Capability, create_picker_session, poll_picker_session, and more) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Google Photos MCP directly.