io.github.cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server vs DPLA Catalog
io.github.cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server is an MCP server published by cyanheads. Marketplaces we read that list it: 2 (Official MCP Registry, npm registry (MCP servers)). DPLA Catalog is an MCP server published by ianderso. Marketplaces we read that list it: 2 (Official MCP Registry, PyPI (MCP servers)). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-11-08. This pair was picked by a reader, not by our comparison rule, so search engines are asked not to index the page.
Where each is published
| Marketplace |  io.github.cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server |  DPLA Catalog |
|---|---|---|
| Official MCP Registry | Listed Version: 0.4.0 Downloads/month (npm): 858 Downloads/week (npm): 317 Forks (GitHub): 0 Stars (GitHub): 2 Not marked · First seen |
Listed Version: 0.1.1 Downloads/month (PyPI): 0 Downloads/week (PyPI): 24 Forks (GitHub): 0 Stars (GitHub): 0 Not marked · First seen |
| npm registry (MCP servers) | Listed Version: 0.4.0 Downloads/month (npm): 858 Downloads/week (npm): 317 Forks (GitHub): 0 Stars (GitHub): 2 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| PyPI (MCP servers) | Not listed | Listed Version: 0.1.1 Downloads/month (PyPI): 0 Downloads/week (PyPI): 24 Forks (GitHub): 0 Stars (GitHub): 0 Not marked · First seen |
Each figure is the marketplace's own and is never added up across marketplaces. A marketplace that publishes no figure shows none: no number is not zero.
The facts side by side
| Fact | io.github.cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server | DPLA Catalog |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it | 2 | 2 |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 2 (better) | 0 (worse) |
| Forks (GitHub) | 0 | 0 |
| Last release (differs) | 2026-11-02 | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | Remote server or your machine | On your machine (dpla-catalog-mcp) |
| Transport (differs) | Streamable HTTP | stdio |
| Tools it declares | Not published | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for (differs) | 7, secrets among them: 0 | 4, secrets among them: 1 |
| Licence (differs) | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server | github.com/ianderso/dpla-catalog-mcp |
| Changes in the last 7 days (differs) | 2 | 0 |
| First seen | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-11 |
| Endpoint at the last check (differs) | Status out of date: last check 40 h ago returned HTTP 200 | no remote endpoint we check |
Lines where the two differ have a tinted background and bold values. Where the data itself says which value is better (more marketplaces, a larger figure of the same marketplace, a fresher release, a verified mark on a marketplace that lists both), the better one is also marked green with ▲ and the worse one red with ▼. Where it runs, the transport, the tools, the settings, hooks, the bundle's parts, the licence and the week's changes are marked only as different: more or fewer is not better in itself.
What each says it does
io.github.cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server
Search 14.5M Smithsonian Open Access objects, get CC0 images, find cross-collection connections.
DPLA Catalog
Search the Digital Public Library of America; reach the holding institution's record and images.
How to run each
io.github.cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server As a remote MCP server
claude mcp add --transport http smithsonian-mcp-server https://smithsonian.caseyjhand.com/mcpRequires: SMITHSONIAN_API_KEY
DPLA Catalog As a local MCP server: PyPI package
claude mcp add --env "DPLA_API_KEY=<YOUR_DPLA_API_KEY>" --transport stdio dpla-catalog-mcp -- uvx dpla-catalog-mcpRequires: DPLA_API_KEY (secret)
Commands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Only io.github.cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server has a remote endpoint we check. How we check endpoints
Tools each declares
Neither the marketplaces of DPLA Catalog nor its endpoint list any tools, so we do not compare tools.
Settings each asks for
Only io.github.cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server asks for
MCP_AUTH_MODEMCP_HTTP_ENDPOINT_PATHMCP_HTTP_HOSTMCP_HTTP_PORTMCP_LOG_LEVELMCP_TRANSPORT_TYPESMITHSONIAN_API_KEY
Only DPLA Catalog asks for
DPLA_API_KEY (secret)DPLA_CACHE_DIRDPLA_MIN_INTERVALDPLA_TIMEOUT
Settings as each marketplace publishes them. Asking for fewer is not better in itself.
What it can do: io.github.cyanheads/smithsonian-mcp-server · What it can do: DPLA Catalog · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the Official MCP Registry (registry.modelcontextprotocol.io), CC0 1.0. Package data comes from the public npm registry (registry.npmjs.org). Package data comes from the Python Package Index (pypi.org). Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.