Unsplash MCP server for easy stock image integration with Claude Code
Connect Unsplash to Claude, Cursor or any other MCP client and it stops being a tab you switch to. Unsplash MCP server for easy stock image integration with Claude Code. The unsplash mcp server is what makes that connection.
An easy-to-use MCP server that provides seamless access to Unsplash's stock photo API for Claude Code users. Perfect for developers who need high-quality stock images during website development.
The toolset is worth reading before you wire it up, because it tells you what the integration is really for:
search_images — The search_images tool exposed by this serverget_random_image — The get_random_image tool exposed by this serverget_image_details — The get_image_details tool exposed by this serverget_image_url — The get_image_url tool exposed by this serverBuild — The Build tool exposed by this serverTest — The Test tool exposed by this serverInstallation goes through your MCP client rather than a global install: point it at @violent-madman/unsplash-mcp on npm and it is fetched when the client starts. The copy-paste blocks for Claude Desktop, Claude Code and Cursor are further down this page.
Configuration is passed through the environment: UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY. Treat anything key-shaped as a real credential — scope it to the minimum the server needs, and rotate it if it ever lands in a shared config.
This sits in the developer tooling group, where several servers overlap in what they claim to do but differ sharply once you actually set them up. Unsplash's toolset — search_images, get_random_image, get_image_details and 3 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by violent-madman; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.
This entry was verified against Unsplash's own documentation before publication; SyncDev keeps the directory reviewed rather than auto-generated.
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| search_images | The search_images tool exposed by this server. |
| get_random_image | The get_random_image tool exposed by this server. |
| get_image_details | The get_image_details tool exposed by this server. |
| get_image_url | The get_image_url tool exposed by this server. |
| Build | The Build tool exposed by this server. |
| Test | The Test tool exposed by this server. |
{
"mcpServers": {
"unsplash-1": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@violent-madman/unsplash-mcp"],
"env": {
"UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY": "your-value"
}
}
}
}Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.
| Variable | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY | Credential the server authenticates with. | Yes |
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