MCP server · Research
Pexels MCP server
by afshinator
Your AI can search free Pexels stock photos and videos and bring back links and credits.
This is a small helper that connects your AI assistant to Pexels, a website full of free stock photos and videos. Once it is set up, you can just ask your AI for a picture or a clip, and it will go find matching ones for you. It is handy for anyone who needs images for slides, posts, or documents without hunting through stock sites by hand.
What is an MCP server? The 30-second version
On its own, your AI can only chat with you. It cannot look things up on other websites by itself. An MCP server is a small helper program that gives your AI one new skill, and here that skill is talking to Pexels. So when you ask for a photo, your AI passes the request to this helper, the helper asks Pexels, and the results come back to you in the chat.
What this MCP server does
You type a request in plain words, like asking for a photo of a sunset over the sea. Your AI sends that request to this helper program. The helper talks to Pexels, which is a free library of stock photos and videos. Pexels sends back matching results, and the helper passes them to your AI. Your AI then shows you the links, the details, and the photographer credit in the chat.
Click to zoomWhat you can do with it
- Search Pexels for photos by keyword
- Filter photo searches by orientation, size, or color
- Search Pexels for videos by keyword
- Get full details for a specific photo or video by its ID
- Get back image and video links you can open or download
- See the photographer credit that Pexels requires
Try asking your AI
- “Find me a photo of a team meeting in a bright office”
- “Search Pexels for a short video of ocean waves, landscape orientation”
- “Show me three photos of fresh vegetables on a wooden table”
- “Get the details for that photo you just found”
What it gives back to you
You get a list of matching photos or videos, each with a link, a short description, and the photographer's name. For videos, it picks an HD file closest to standard widescreen size. It also gives the full details for a single item when you ask by its ID. Everything shows up right in the chat as text and links you can click.
Before you start
What you need
- Node.js version 20 or newer installed on your computer
- A free Pexels API key from pexels.com/api (a kind of password for apps; the site gives you one for free)
- The Claude desktop app, or another AI app that supports MCP servers
Good to know
Pexels requires you to credit the photographer when you use their photos or videos, so keep the credit line that comes back with each result.
Install it with your AI
Add Pexels MCP server to your AI, no technical skills needed
You don't install anything by hand. You copy one prompt, paste it into an AI that can work on your computer, and it checks, installs and connects the server for you, asking you when it needs something.
Sign in to get the install prompt
Members get a ready-made prompt that lets the Claude desktop app check Pexels MCP server, install it and connect it for them, step by step. You don't need any technical skills: you copy, paste and answer a few questions. Your connected AI can also find and install any of the 4,066 MCP servers here for you.
Who it's for
Anyone who needs stock photos or videos for slides, posts, or documents and wants to find them by just asking.
