pexels-mcp-server
Server Configuration
Describes the environment variables required to run the server.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOG_LEVEL | No | debug | info | warn | error (default info). All logs go to stderr; stdout carries only the MCP protocol. | info |
| PEXELS_API_KEY | Yes | Your Pexels API key. The server exits at startup with a clear message if it is missing or blank. |
Instructions
Guidance the server publishes about itself, which clients place ahead of the tool catalog so the model reads it before choosing anything.
This server publishes no instructions, or was last inspected before Glama recorded them.
Capabilities
Features and capabilities supported by this server
Protocol revision2025-11-25
| Capability | Details |
|---|---|
| tools | {
"listChanged": true
} |
| prompts | {
"listChanged": true
} |
| resources | {
"listChanged": true
} |
Tools
Functions exposed to the LLM to take actions
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| pexels_search_photosA | Search Pexels for photos matching a query, with optional orientation/size/color/locale filters. Returns compact photo objects with pre-sized URLs and a courtesy credit (attribution is appreciated but not required by the Pexels license). Read-only. Each photo includes several pre-sized URLs in |
| pexels_curated_photosA | List Pexels' hand-curated photo picks, refreshed hourly (paginated). Returns compact photo objects. Read-only. Each photo includes several pre-sized URLs in |
| pexels_get_photoA | Get a single Pexels photo by its numeric ID, with full detail, pre-sized URLs, and a courtesy credit. Read-only. Each photo includes several pre-sized URLs in |
| pexels_search_videosA | Search Pexels for videos matching a query, with optional orientation/size/locale filters. Returns compact video objects with rendition links. Read-only. |
| pexels_popular_videosA | List currently popular Pexels videos, optionally filtered by minimum width/height and duration range. Returns compact video objects. Read-only. |
| pexels_get_videoA | Get a single Pexels video by its numeric ID, with full detail and every available rendition (unlike the search/popular tools, this returns the complete video_files list, not just the top few). Read-only. |
| pexels_list_featured_collectionsA | List Pexels' featured collections (paginated). Returns collection metadata only — call pexels_get_collection_media for the photos/videos inside one. Read-only. |
| pexels_list_my_collectionsA | List the collections belonging to the Pexels account that owns the configured API key (paginated). Since Pexels has no per-conversation OAuth login, this always reflects the API key's own account, not the person chatting — it will be empty unless that account has created collections on pexels.com. Read-only. |
| pexels_get_collection_mediaA | Get the photos and/or videos inside a Pexels collection by its ID (paginated, optionally filtered to just photos or just videos). Each item is returned in the same compact shape its own domain tool would use, tagged with |
Prompts
Interactive templates invoked by user choice
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| find_photo | Search Pexels for a photo matching a description and present it with a courtesy credit. |
| photo_gallery | Search Pexels for a themed set of photos and present them all with courtesy credits. |
| find_video | Search Pexels for a video matching a description and present it with a courtesy credit. |
| collection_tour | Find a featured Pexels collection matching a theme and walk through its media. |
| media_brief | Gather both photos and videos for a theme and present them together as a brief. |
Resources
Contextual data attached and managed by the client
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| usage-guide | What is and isn't allowed when using Pexels photos/videos from this server: the real license restrictions, optional attribution, and content-safety notes. |
TDQS
Scored across 9 tools
Each tool maps to a distinct resource and action: photos, videos, and collections each have dedicated search/list/get operations with no overlapping responsibilities. The separation between curated photos and popular videos, and between featured vs. my collections, is clear.
All tools follow a consistent pexels_<verb>_<resource> pattern, e.g., pexels_search_photos, pexels_get_video, pexels_list_featured_collections. The verb-noun structure is uniform and predictable across the entire server.
Nine tools provide a well-scoped surface for the Pexels API, covering the three main domains (photos, videos, collections) without bloat. Each tool fills a clear functional niche, and the count is within the ideal range.
The server covers the full read-only lifecycle: search, curated/popular listings, individual item retrieval, and collection browsing. There are no obvious dead ends, and the only missing operation (upload) is not part of the Pexels API.