MCP Iiif Images MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol server for IIIF images

Local serverstdio

What is the MCP Iiif Images MCP server?

A Model Context Protocol server for IIIF images. That is what the mcp iiif images mcp server brings to an AI assistant: the same capability, reachable through the Model Context Protocol rather than a separate app or dashboard.

The short version

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for working with IIIF (International Image Interoperability Framework) manifests and images. See this video for a demonstration.

  • fetch_iiif_manifest: Fetch a IIIF manifest from a URL. (Note that clients may have difficulty processing large amounts of JSON.)
  • fetch_iiif_image: Retrieve a IIIF image from a base URI, fetching info.json and returning the image data (default: max 1500px dimension, max 800,000 pixels total)
  • fetch_iiif_image_region: Retrieve a specific region of a IIIF image using percentage coordinates, with the region scaled to fit within the same constraints
  • The code scales the images to dimensions acceptable to Claude. It will not work with a Level 0 Image API implementation
  • Claude may not process some IIIF Manifests due to the size of the file

The tools it exposes

The server publishes 6 tools. What each one is for:

  • macOS — Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:
  • Windows — The Windows tool exposed by this server
  • Linux — The Linux tool exposed by this server
  • fetch_iiif_manifest — The fetch_iiif_manifest tool exposed by this server
  • fetch_iiif_image — Retrieve a IIIF image from a base URI, fetching info.json and returning the image data
  • fetch_iiif_image_region — Retrieve a specific region of a IIIF image using percentage coordinates, with the region scaled to fit within the same constraints. Use this to fetch

Getting it running

Setup follows the usual MCP pattern — install or clone the server, register it in your client's configuration file, restart the client. The configuration blocks on this page cover the common clients.

How it compares

This sits in the planning and project tracking group, where several servers overlap in what they claim to do but differ sharply once you actually set them up. MCP Iiif Images's toolset — macOS, Windows, Linux and 3 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by mikeapp; 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.

Things to watch

  • 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.
  • Keep per-call confirmation enabled while you learn its behaviour; it is the cheapest safeguard you have.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
macOSEdit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:
WindowsThe Windows tool exposed by this server.
LinuxThe Linux tool exposed by this server.
fetch_iiif_manifestThe fetch_iiif_manifest tool exposed by this server.
fetch_iiif_imageRetrieve a IIIF image from a base URI, fetching info.json and returning the image data.
fetch_iiif_image_regionRetrieve a specific region of a IIIF image using percentage coordinates, with the region scaled to fit within the same constraints. Use this to fetch regions of interest at higher detail for more accurate image descripti

How to install the MCP Iiif Images MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-iiif-images": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/PATH/TO/mcp-iiif-images/server/server.js"]
    }
  }
}

Configuration as documented by the project. Restart the client after saving.

Example prompts to try

  • Use MCP Iiif Images to macOS.
  • Use MCP Iiif Images to Windows.
  • Use MCP Iiif Images to Linux.

Frequently asked questions

It connects MCP Iiif Images to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 6 tools (macOS, Windows, Linux, and more) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with MCP Iiif Images directly.