Pexels MCP Server

by developer-ishanio.github.developer-ishan/pexelsv1.0.2

Pexels MCP server — search and fetch free stock photos, videos, and curated collections from Pexels inside Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, Cline, and other Model Context Protocol clients.

2Node.jsstdioofficial registry

context tax

queued

security

queued

cold start

queued

freshness

Slowing5mo ago

Install Pexels MCP server

claude mcp add pexels -e PEXELS_API_KEY='<pexels-api-key>' -- npx -y mcp-pexels

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pexels": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-pexels"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PEXELS_API_KEY": "<pexels-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global) or .cursor/mcp.json (project).

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pexels": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-pexels"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PEXELS_API_KEY": "<pexels-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Settings → Developer → Edit Config (claude_desktop_config.json), then restart.

{
  "servers": {
    "pexels": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-pexels"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PEXELS_API_KEY": "<pexels-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pexels": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-pexels"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PEXELS_API_KEY": "<pexels-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json.

Configuration

Variable	Required	Secret	Description
PEXELS_API_KEY	yes	yes	Pexels API key. Get one for free at https://www.pexels.com/api/. Free tier: 200 req/hour, 20,000 req/month.

Freshness

Slowing — last maintenance signal 5mo ago. The newest of the signals below sets the band.

Last commit (default branch)
2026-05-18 · 5mo ago · GitHub
Latest release
2026-05-18 · 5mo ago · GitHub · v1.0.2
Package published
no data · npm/PyPI
Registry entry updated
2026-05-18 · 5mo ago · official registry · v1.0.2

FAQ

›How do I install the Pexels MCP server in Claude Code?

Run: claude mcp add pexels -e PEXELS_API_KEY='<pexels-api-key>' -- npx -y mcp-pexels. For Cursor, VS Code, Claude Desktop and Windsurf, use the install tabs above.

›Does Pexels require an API key?

Yes. It expects PEXELS_API_KEY, of which 1 is a secret.

›Can I use Pexels as a remote (hosted) MCP server?

No hosted endpoint is published; it runs locally over stdio.

›Is Pexels in the official MCP registry?

Yes, as io.github.developer-ishan/pexels.