Exif

You can run an MCP server that reads image metadata entirely offline, enabling you to extract EXIF, GPS, XMP, ICC, IPTC, JFIF, IHDR data and more from JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and HEIC images. It operates locally, is fast, and helps you analyze your image library, debug image processing, or build applications that need metadata without network access.

How to use

Use this MCP server with any MCP client to read image metadata on demand. You can query multiple metadata segments for a given image, get orientation and rotation information, extract GPS coordinates, and retrieve embedded thumbnails. Combine it with file-system MCP tools so you can locate images, then request the specific metadata you need from the server.

How to install

Prerequisites: you need Node.js installed on your system. Ensure npm is available to install dependencies and build the project.

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/stass/exif-mcp.git
cd exif-mcp

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the project
npm run build

# Start the server
npm start

# For development with auto-reload
npm run dev

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exif_mcp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/path/to/exif-mcp/dist/server.js"
      ]
    }
  },
}

Notes and tips

The server works with a standard STDIO transport, so you can connect with MCP clients that support STDIO. If you plan to expose the server remotely, you can use an MCP proxy to enable remote access.

Security and maintenance

Because all metadata parsing is done locally, there are no external tool dependencies or network calls during metadata extraction. Keep dependencies up to date by running the build and applying updates when needed. If you are using the development workflow, restart the server after code changes to pick up updates.

Available tools

read-metadata

Reads all or specified metadata segments from an image, returning a structured set of EXIF, GPS, XMP, IPTC, JFIF, IHDR data and more.

read-exif

Extracts EXIF data specifically from supported image formats.

read-xmp

Retrieves XMP metadata embedded in images.

read-icc

Reads ICC color profile data embedded in images.

read-iptc

Extracts IPTC metadata.

read-jfif

Reads JFIF segment data associated with JPEG images.

read-ihdr

Reads IHDR metadata from image files.

orientation

Gets the image orientation value (1-8).

rotation-info

Provides rotation and flip information for the image.

gps-coordinates

Extracts GPS coordinates from the image metadata.

thumbnail

Extracts an embedded thumbnail if present.