a Swift implementation of hellokaton/unsplash-mcp-server, with additional features like get_photo and random_photo
a Swift implementation of hellokaton/unsplash-mcp-server, with additional features like get_photo and random_photo. That is what the unsplash mcp server brings to an AI assistant: the same capability, reachable through the Model Context Protocol rather than a separate app or dashboard.
Download the latest pre-built binary for your platform from the GitHub Releases page and follow the installation instructions below.
The server publishes 3 tools. What each one is for:
search_photos — Search for photos on Unsplashget_photo — Get detailed information about a specific photorandom_photo — Get one or more random photosConfiguration 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.
Setup follows the usual MCP pattern — install or clone the server, register it in your client's configuration file, restart the client.
Among the developer tooling options, the useful question is rarely "what can it do" but "what does it cost you to run" — permissions, credentials, and how much of your context its toolset consumes. Unsplash's toolset — search_photos, get_photo, random_photo — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by okooo5km; 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_photos | Search for photos on Unsplash |
| get_photo | Get detailed information about a specific photo |
| random_photo | Get one or more random photos |
| Variable | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY | Credential the server authenticates with. | Yes |
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