# Fanart.tv MCP > Fanart.tv connects your AI client directly to the world's largest database of fan-created media artwork. Get high-quality posters, banners, logos, and album covers for movies, TV shows, and music artists using simple conversation. Perfect for builders creating custom media centers or developers needing structured asset data. ## Overview - **Category:** image-video - **Price:** Free - **Tags:** media-assets, artwork-database, content-metadata, high-resolution-images, entertainment-api ## Description This MCP gives your agent access to a massive library of fan-sourced visual assets. Whether you're building a Plex skin or designing an app interface, you don't have to manually hunt down art online. You can ask for specific posters for a film using its TMDb ID, or grab all the show banners and season logos for a TV series by its TVDb ID. Need artwork for a band? Just give it their MusicBrainz ID, and the system pulls everything from album covers to concert thumbnails. The whole catalog is available through Vinkius, letting you connect your agent once and access this art data alongside thousands of other services. It’s pure asset retrieval—no complex APIs or rate limits, just conversation. ## Tools ### get_album_art Retrieves CD art, album covers, disc backgrounds, and spine images using a MusicBrainz ID. ### get_tv_art_hd Fetches high-resolution background images and banners specifically designed for large display screens, using the TVDb ID. ### get_latest_movies Lists movies and the types of artwork recently added to Fanart.tv using their TMDb IDs. ### get_latest_music Finds music artists that have new art uploaded, returning their MusicBrainz IDs and asset details. ### get_latest_tv Lists TV shows with newly added artwork, giving you the show's TVDb ID and recent updates. ### get_movie_art Gets a full suite of movie visuals—posters, logos, fanart backgrounds, etc.—using a film's TMDb ID. ### get_music_artist_art Retrieves all types of artwork for an artist, including banners and thumbs, using their MusicBrainz ID. ### get_tv_art Pulls show visuals like season posters and clear logos for a TV series based on its TVDb ID. ## Prompt Examples **Prompt:** ``` Get artwork for The Matrix (TMDb ID: 603). ``` **Response:** ``` Found artwork for The Matrix: 15 movie posters, 12 fanart backgrounds, 8 movie logos, 4 clear art images, 3 disc art images and 5 movie thumbs. All images include direct URLs and language information. ``` **Prompt:** ``` Get artwork for Game of Thrones (TVDb ID: 121361). ``` **Response:** ``` Found artwork for Game of Thrones: 8 show banners, 20 fanart backgrounds, 7 season posters (all 8 seasons), 4 clear logos, 28 season thumbs. All images include direct URLs. ``` **Prompt:** ``` Get artwork for The Beatles (MBID: b10bbbfc-cf9e-42e0-be17-e2c3e1d2600d). ``` **Response:** ``` Found artwork for The Beatles: 12 artist thumbs, 8 artist backgrounds (fanart), 5 music logos, 3 music banners, 4 artist logos and 2 concert thumbs. All images include direct URLs and like counts. ``` ## Capabilities ### Get artwork for a specific movie It pulls posters, logos, fanart backgrounds, and clear art for any film using its TMDb ID. ### Find assets for a TV show You can retrieve all necessary visuals for a series, including season posters, show banners, and high-resolution background images, using the TVDb ID. ### Pull art for an artist or album The system fetches music assets, providing everything from CD covers to concert thumbnails, based on a MusicBrainz ID. ### Discover the newest content added It lists recent additions across movies, TV shows, and musical artists, helping you find brand new artwork immediately. ## Use Cases ### A media center needs artwork for a new show. The developer asks the agent: 'Get everything for Game of Thrones (TVDb ID: 121361).' The agent uses `get_tv_art` to fetch season posters and clear logos, then calls `get_tv_art_hd` to grab high-resolution banners suitable for a large main display. ### A design team needs art assets for a film project. The designer asks the agent to pull all visual data for The Matrix (TMDb ID: 603). The agent executes `get_movie_art`, receiving not just posters, but also fanart backgrounds and logos, saving hours of manual searching. ### An archivist is cataloging a band's discography. The archivist asks for all art related to The Beatles (MBID: b10bbbfc-cf9e-42e0-be17-e2c3e1d2600d). The agent uses `get_music_artist_art` for banners and logos, then calls `get_album_art` to get the specific CD covers for each release. ### The team wants to know what content was added recently. Instead of checking multiple sites, the agent runs a discovery sequence: 'What's new?' It uses `get_latest_movies` to check film updates, then `get_latest_tv` for shows, giving an instant report on all recent artwork additions. ## Benefits - Stop jumping between databases. Instead of calling separate APIs for posters, backgrounds, and logos, you can ask the agent to pull them all at once using `get_movie_art` based on a single TMDb ID. - Need high-res assets? Use `get_tv_art_hd` when your project requires large display banners. This tool specifically targets large screens, giving you better quality than general show art retrieval. - Keep up with the feed. You don't have to manually check for updates. The agent can use `get_latest_music`, `get_latest_movies`, or `get_latest_tv` to tell you exactly what new art was added today. - Consolidate all media data types in one go. If you are building a profile, you can get the posters for the movie with `get_movie_art` and the background assets for any related TV show using `get_tv_art` in the same session. - Streamline music asset gathering. For an album, use `get_album_art` to grab covers and spines, then use `get_music_artist_art` to pull supplementary artist banners all from one API gateway. ## How It Works The bottom line is, you talk to your agent like talking to a database administrator; it handles the complex requests for multiple art types instantly. 1. Subscribe to this MCP on Vinkius and provide your free Fanart.tv API key. 2. Direct your AI client to use the art retrieval tools via natural conversation. 3. The agent sends a request with the necessary media identifier (like TMDb or TVDb ID) and receives structured data containing all relevant URLs and asset details. ## Frequently Asked Questions **How do I get a Fanart.tv API key?** Sign up for a free account at [**fanart.tv**](https://fanart.tv/get-an-api-key/), go to your account settings and generate an API key. Personal keys are free and have a rate limit of 2 requests/second. **How do I find a movie's TMDb ID?** Search for the movie on [**The Movie Database (TMDb)**](https://www.themovisdb.org). The numeric ID is in the URL. For example, Fight Club's URL contains '550' as its TMDb ID. **How do I find a TV show's TVDb ID?** Search for the show on [**TheTVDB**](https://thetvdb.com). The numeric ID is in the URL. For example, Game of Thrones' URL contains '121361' as its TVDb ID. **How do I find a music artist's MusicBrainz ID?** Search for the artist on [**MusicBrainz**](https://musicbrainz.org). The UUID is the artist's MBID. For example, The Beatles' MBID is b10bbbfc-cf9e-42e0-be17-e2c3e1d2600d. **If I use get_movie_art with a TMDb ID, what happens if no artwork exists?** The tool returns an empty array or specific error message indicating no assets were found. This means the film is in the database, but Fanart.tv hasn't cataloged any art yet. **How do I use get_latest_tv to find recently added show art?** Running this tool returns a list of TV shows and their IDs along with recent artwork additions. This is ideal for discovery when you don't know the specific ID; it lets you check what content has been updated since your last run. **When I use get_album_art, what data fields should I expect in the response?** The response provides URLs, dimensions, and file type identifiers for all requested art pieces. You will find specific records covering CD covers, disc backgrounds, and spine images, making programmatic mapping simple. **What is the recommended approach for handling rate limits when using multiple tools?** The MCP handles standard request throttling to prevent service overuse. For high-volume batch processing, check the Fanart.tv documentation for quotas or implement client-side delays between calls.