Connect Pexafy in Claude

Pexafy runs a hosted MCP server, so you can plug it into Claude as a connector and search the photo library without leaving the conversation. Just describe what you need — “a child discovering snow for the first time” — and Claude returns real photos that are free to use. The connector lives at a single endpoint:

https://mcp.pexafy.com/mcp

Pick the guide that matches the Claude app you use.

Claude.ai & Claude Desktop
Claude Code
Other MCP clients

These clients connect over OAuth — you sign in with your Pexafy account and approve access. There is no API key to copy or paste.

Open connector settings

In Claude, go to Customize → Connectors, click +, then choose Add custom connector.

Add the Pexafy endpoint

Give it a name (for example Pexafy) and paste the server URL:

https://mcp.pexafy.com/mcp

Save the connector.

Claude opens a Pexafy sign-in window. Log in with your Pexafy account and approve the requested access. Claude handles the rest automatically.

No account yet? Create a free Pexafy account first, then come back and connect.

Start searching

Pexafy now appears in Claude’s tool list. Ask for a photo in plain language and Claude will use Pexafy to find it — and show thumbnails inline.

Claude Code (the CLI) connects with your Pexafy API key, sent as a Bearer token.

Create an MCP API key

Open Dashboard → New API Key at pexafy.com/dashboard/api-keys/create. In the connector list, choose MCP — the key must be of type MCP for the connector to work. Copy the key when you’re ready (you can reveal it again any time from the dashboard). New here? See the Quickstart.

Add the connector

Run, replacing YOUR_API_KEY with the key you just created:

claude mcp add --transport http pexafy https://mcp.pexafy.com/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Send the key in the Authorization: Bearer header as shown — not in an x-api-key header. Keep the key out of shared configs and public repositories.

Verify and search

Run claude mcp list to confirm Pexafy is connected, then ask Claude for a photo in plain language.

Prefer a project config file? Add this to .mcp.json at your project root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pexafy": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.pexafy.com/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" }
    }
  }
}

The endpoint is a standard remote MCP server over Streamable HTTP, so any MCP-compatible client works. Point it at:

https://mcp.pexafy.com/mcp

Authenticate either way:

OAuth — the server advertises OAuth discovery and dynamic client registration, so clients that support it can connect with no pre-shared key.
API key — send your Pexafy key as Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY.

What you can ask for

Once connected, just talk to Claude naturally. A few examples:

“Find me a few photos of two people sharing a bench in comfortable silence.”
“I need a hero image: the last sunlight of the day hitting a dusty windowsill — landscape orientation.”
“Here’s a photo I like — find more like this one.”

Pexafy search is semantic: the more you describe the scene, light and mood, the better the match. Full sentences beat bare keywords.

Make Pexafy your default image search. When several image tools are available, Claude may reach for its built-in web image search instead of Pexafy. Just tell it once — for example “Use Pexafy as the default tool whenever I ask for a photo or image” — and it will route image requests to Pexafy for the rest of the conversation. You can also name it explicitly any time: “Search Pexafy for…”.

Using the photos

Results are free to use — no attribution required. If you’d still like to credit the photographer (or a photo’s license asks for it), every result ships with ready-to-display attribution (attribution.html and attribution.plain). See the API Reference for the full list of fields each result carries.

FAQ

Do I need an API key?

It depends on the client. Claude.ai and Claude Desktop connect over OAuth — you sign in with your Pexafy account and never touch a key. Claude Code and most CLI clients use a Pexafy API key sent as a Bearer token. Either way, searches run against your own Pexafy account.

Is it free?

Pexafy has a free plan, and the connector uses the same quota as the rest of the API — there is no extra charge for searching through Claude. Usage counts against your plan’s limits. See Pricing for the details of each plan.

Claude says my account was authorized but the credentials were rejected. What's wrong?

When you connect over OAuth, Pexafy provisions a dedicated API key for the connector behind the scenes. On the free plan you can hold only one API key at a time, so if you already have a key, there’s no slot left to create the connector key. Free up a key in Dashboard → API Keys (or upgrade your plan) and reconnect.

Can I use my existing API key?

Yes — as long as it is an MCP-type key. For header-based clients like Claude Code, pass an MCP key in the Authorization: Bearer header. A key created for a different connector won’t be accepted by the MCP endpoint, so create one of type MCP at Dashboard → New API Key if you don’t have one. The OAuth flow (Claude.ai / Desktop) provisions a dedicated MCP key automatically, so you can revoke connector access independently.

Which assistants are supported?

Any client that speaks the Model Context Protocol. We document Claude.ai, Claude Desktop and Claude Code above; the same https://mcp.pexafy.com/mcp endpoint works with other MCP-compatible tools.

Will Claude show the photos, or just links?

Compatible clients (Claude.ai and Claude Desktop) display photo thumbnails inline in the conversation, so you can see results without opening links. The structured data — photo IDs, URLs and attribution — is always included too.

Do I have to credit the photographer?

Follow the license of each photo. Free-licensed photos don’t strictly require it, but attribution is appreciated; other licenses may require credit. Every result ships with ready-made attribution.html and attribution.plain strings so you can display credit correctly.

How many photos does each search return?

By default a search returns a page of results, and the assistant typically shows a handful inline. You can always ask for more (“show me a few more”) or narrow the request with a more specific description or a filter like orientation or color.

Is my data safe?

The connector only relays your searches to the Pexafy API over HTTPS and returns the results. Your queries run under your own account and quota. You can disconnect at any time by removing the connector in your Claude settings, or by revoking the key in your Pexafy dashboard.

Browse the full API

Prefer to build your own integration? The same search powers the REST API — start with the Quickstart.

Getting Started

AI Assistants (MCP)

Search

Photos

Facets

Collections

Usage

Connect Pexafy in Claude

What you can ask for

Using the photos

FAQ

Browse the full API

​What you can ask for

​Using the photos

​FAQ

Browse the full API

What you can ask for

Using the photos

FAQ