Compatible with every major AI agent and IDE
What is the Unsplash Extended MCP Server?
Connect your Unsplash developer account to any AI agent and integrate the world's most popular open image library into your creative workflows.
What you can do
- Photo Discovery — Search for specific imagery, list editorial feeds, or fetch random photos filtered by orientation, topics, or collections.
- Collection Management — Create, update, and organize photo collections. Add or remove images to curate your visual assets.
- User Insights — Retrieve public profiles, list user-specific uploads, and analyze engagement through detailed statistics.
- Engagement — Like or unlike photos and track downloads to comply with Unsplash API guidelines.
- Topic Exploration — Browse curated topics and fetch high-quality photos categorized by the Unsplash editorial team.
How it works
- Subscribe to this server
- Enter your Unsplash Access Key (and optionally a Bearer Token for user-specific actions)
- Start searching and managing images from Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client
Who is this for?
- Content Creators — find the perfect featured image for articles or social media posts without leaving the chat.
- Designers — quickly pull high-resolution inspiration or placeholders directly into your workspace.
- Developers — automate the retrieval of image metadata and statistics for application testing and content population.
Built-in capabilities (28)
Add a photo to a collection (requires user auth)
Create a new collection (requires user auth)
Delete a collection (requires user auth)
Get a single collection by ID
Get photos in a specific collection
Get the authenticated user profile
Get a single photo by ID
Get statistics for a specific photo
Get one or more random photos
List related collections for a given collection ID
Get a single topic by ID or slug
Get photos for a specific topic
Get a user public profile
Get user download and view statistics
Like a photo on behalf of the authenticated user
List all public collections
List photos from the editorial feed
List all topics
List collections created by a user
List photos uploaded by a user
Remove a photo from a collection (requires user auth)
Search collections by keyword
Search photos by keyword
Search users by keyword
Track a photo download (Required for attribution)
Remove a like from a photo on behalf of the authenticated user
Update an existing collection (requires user auth)
Update the authenticated user profile
Why Windsurf?
Windsurf's Cascade agent chains multiple Unsplash Extended tool calls autonomously. query data, analyze results, and generate code in a single agentic session. Paste Vinkius Edge URL, reload, and all 28 tools are immediately available. Real-time tool feedback appears inline, so you see API responses directly in your editor.
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Windsurf's Cascade agent autonomously chains multiple tool calls in sequence, solving complex multi-step tasks without manual intervention
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Purpose-built for agentic workflows. Cascade understands context across your entire codebase and integrates MCP tools natively
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JSON-based configuration means zero code changes: paste a URL, reload, and all 28 tools are immediately available
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Real-time tool feedback is displayed inline, so you see API responses directly in your editor without switching contexts
Unsplash Extended in Windsurf
Unsplash Extended and 4,000+ other MCP servers. One platform. One governance layer.
Teams that connect Unsplash Extended to Windsurf through Vinkius don't need to source, host, or maintain individual MCP servers. Every tool call runs inside a hardened runtime with credential isolation, DLP, and a signed audit chain.
Raw MCP | Vinkius | |
|---|---|---|
| Server catalog | Find and host yourself | 4,000+ managed |
| Infrastructure | Self-hosted | Sandboxed V8 isolates |
| Credential handling | Plaintext in config | Vault + runtime injection |
| Data loss prevention | None | Configurable DLP policies |
| Kill switch | None | Global instant shutdown |
| Financial circuit breakers | None | Per-server limits + alerts |
| Audit trail | None | Ed25519 signed logs |
| SIEM log streaming | None | Splunk, Datadog, Webhook |
| Honeytokens | None | Canary alerts on leak |
| Custom domains | Not applicable | DNS challenge verified |
| GDPR compliance | Manual effort | Automated purge + export |
Why teams choose Vinkius for Unsplash Extended in Windsurf
The Unsplash Extended MCP Server runs on Vinkius-managed infrastructure inside AWS — a purpose-built runtime with per-request V8 isolates, Ed25519 signed audit chains, and sub-40ms cold starts. All 28 tools execute in hardened sandboxes optimized for native MCP execution.
Your AI agents in Windsurf only access the data you authorize, with DLP that blocks sensitive information from ever reaching the model, kill switch for instant shutdown, and up to 60% token savings. Enterprise-grade infrastructure, zero maintenance.

* Every MCP server runs on Vinkius-managed infrastructure inside AWS - a purpose-built runtime with per-request V8 isolates, Ed25519 signed audit chains, and sub-40ms cold starts optimized for native MCP execution. See our infrastructure
How Vinkius secures
Unsplash Extended for Windsurf
Every tool call from Windsurf to the Unsplash Extended MCP Server is protected by DLP redaction, cryptographic audit chains, V8 sandbox isolation, kill switch, and financial circuit breakers.
Frequently asked questions
Can I fetch a random photo based on a specific search term or topic?
Yes! Use the get_random_photo tool. You can provide a query (like 'nature') or topics IDs to filter the random selection to exactly what you need.
Is it possible to create and manage my own photo collections via the AI?
Absolutely. With a valid Bearer Token, you can use create_collection, add_photo_to_collection, and remove_photo_from_collection to curate your Unsplash assets directly through conversation.
How can I check the performance or popularity of a specific photo?
You can use the get_photo_statistics tool by providing the photo ID. It will return detailed metrics including total views and downloads.
How does Windsurf discover MCP tools?
Windsurf reads the mcp_config.json file on startup and connects to each configured server via Streamable HTTP. Tools are listed in the MCP panel and available to Cascade automatically.
Can Cascade chain multiple MCP tool calls?
Yes. Cascade is an agentic system. it can plan and execute multi-step workflows, calling several tools in sequence to accomplish complex tasks without manual prompting between steps.
Does Windsurf support multiple MCP servers?
Yes. Add as many servers as needed in mcp_config.json. Each server's tools appear in the MCP panel and Cascade can use tools from different servers in a single flow.
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