MCP ExifTool Server

Provides access to ExifTool for reading, writing, and removing metadata across many file types via MCP.

python

0

GitHub Stars

python

Language

4 months ago

First Indexed

2 months ago

Catalog Refreshed

Documentation & install

Readme and setup notes from the catalogue, plus a client-ready config you can copy for your MCP host.

Installation

Add the following to your MCP client configuration file.

Configuration

View docs

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "joshmsimpson-exiftool_mcp": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": [
        "-m",
        "exiftool_mcp.server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

You can access ExifTool functionality through an MCP server, enabling you to read, write, and remove metadata across a wide range of file types via a consistent protocol. It integrates ExifTool capabilities into your MCP ecosystem, letting you manage metadata without directly invoking the command line.

How to use

You interact with the ExifTool MCP server through an MCP client. You can read metadata for files, write or update tags (with automatic backups by default), remove specific tags or all metadata, and list supported formats. Use the functionality to extract specific tags like DateTimeOriginal, Make, and Model, or to retrieve all metadata when needed. The server supports multiple metadata standards, including EXIF, IPTC, XMP, GPS, and manufacturer-specific formats.

Typical workflows include: reading a file’s metadata to display or filter by certain tags, updating metadata such as artist or copyright, removing sensitive information like GPS data, and verifying which formats ExifTool can handle. Your MCP client can combine these operations as part of automated media processing pipelines or manual metadata management tasks.

How to install

Prerequisites for installing and running this MCP server include having Python and the required tooling available on your system. You should also have access to the command line to install and run the server locally.

Step 1: Install the MCP server package with Python’s package manager.

pip install exiftool-mcp

Step 2: Run the MCP server locally so you can connect from MCP clients.

python -m exiftool_mcp.server

Step 3: (Optional) If you plan to connect via a desktop client configuration, you can specify the MCP command in your client setup to start the server. For example, you can configure the client to launch the server using the same Python command shown above.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exiftool": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "exiftool_mcp.server"]
    }
  }
}

Available tools

read_metadata

Read metadata from a file using ExifTool. You can request all tags or specify particular tags to extract.

write_metadata

Write or update metadata tags in a file with automatic backup creation by default. You can overwrite the original file to skip creating a backup.

remove_metadata

Remove specific metadata tags or all metadata from a file. You can target particular tags or patterns like GPS* to remove groups of tags.

list_supported_formats

List all file formats supported by ExifTool, indicating what kinds of metadata can be read or written.