MCP server and CLI tool for interacting with the Wayback Machine without API keys
Connect Wayback Machine to Claude, Cursor or any other MCP client and it stops being a tab you switch to. MCP server and CLI tool for interacting with the Wayback Machine without API keys. The wayback machine mcp server is what makes that connection.
Optional credentials (anonymous access works, but authenticated requests get higher SPN2 rate limits):
mcp-wayback-machine on npm is all you need. Most clients run it directly, so configuration is a few lines and a restart.
The toolset is worth reading before you wire it up, because it tells you what the integration is really for:
save_url — The save_url tool exposed by this serverget_archived_url — The get_archived_url tool exposed by this serversearch_archives — The search_archives tool exposed by this servercheck_archive_status — Check archival statistics for a URL — capture counts, yearly breakdowns, and first/last capture dateslist_screenshots — The list_screenshots tool exposed by this servercompare_snapshots — Compare two archived snapshots of a URL. Fetches the raw content of both and provides a visual diff URLclear_cache — Clear all cached API responses. Use when fresh data is needed or after saving a new URLConfiguration is passed through the environment: WAYBACK_ACCESS_KEY, WAYBACK_SECRET_KEY, MCP_AUTH_TOKEN. 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.
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. Wayback Machine's toolset — save_url, get_archived_url, search_archives and 4 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by Mearman; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.
SyncDev reviews every entry in this directory against the project's own documentation before publishing, and revisits them as servers change.
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| save_url | The save_url tool exposed by this server. |
| get_archived_url | The get_archived_url tool exposed by this server. |
| search_archives | The search_archives tool exposed by this server. |
| check_archive_status | Check archival statistics for a URL — capture counts, yearly breakdowns, and first/last capture dates. |
| list_screenshots | The list_screenshots tool exposed by this server. |
| compare_snapshots | Compare two archived snapshots of a URL. Fetches the raw content of both and provides a visual diff URL. |
| clear_cache | Clear all cached API responses. Use when fresh data is needed or after saving a new URL. |
{
"mcpServers": {
"wayback-machine": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "mcp-wayback-machine"],
"env": {
"WAYBACK_ACCESS_KEY": "your-value",
"WAYBACK_SECRET_KEY": "your-value",
"MCP_AUTH_TOKEN": "your-value"
}
}
}
}Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.
| Variable | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| WAYBACK_ACCESS_KEY | Credential the server authenticates with. | Yes |
| WAYBACK_SECRET_KEY | Credential the server authenticates with. | Yes |
| MCP_AUTH_TOKEN | Credential the server authenticates with. | Yes |
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