Pexels MCP Server

An MCP server to search for photos and videos on Pexels.

Prerequisites

• Docker

• Pexels API Key (Get one at https://www.pexels.com/api/)

Related MCP server: unsplash-mcp

Building the Docker Image

Run the following command in this directory:

docker build -t pexels-mcp .

Running the Server

You can run the server directly with Docker. It communicates via Stdio, so it's designed to be called by an MCP client (like Claude Desktop or the MCP Toolkit).

To test it manually or use it, you generally configure your MCP client to run the docker command:

docker run -i --rm -e PEXELS_API_KEY=your_api_key_here pexels-mcp

Configuration

Claude Desktop

Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pexels": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-e",
        "PEXELS_API_KEY=your_actual_api_key_here",
        "pexels-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Docker MCP Toolkit

If you are using the Docker MCP Toolkit, you may be able to add it via the UI by pointing to this image or running the container.