Thisispaper is an independent art, architecture and design publication. Every project in the archive was curated by human editors since 2011.
Search, similarity and taste metadata over 2,500+ hand-selected architecture, design, photography and art projects. Two decades of editorial judgement, exposed as a clean HTTP API and a native MCP server for AI agents.
Questions: studio@thisispaper.com
Try it in 30 seconds #
The MCP endpoint answers anonymously, no key and no signup. Anonymous calls are capped at 5 results; a free key (200 calls/month) unlocks full results.
curl -X POST https://www.thisispaper.com/intelligence/api/mcp \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call",
"params":{"name":"search_projects",
"arguments":{"query":"concrete chapel"}}}'
Or skip curl entirely: add the server to your AI client and ask it to search Thisispaper.
For AI agents (MCP) #
The catalog is a remote Model Context Protocol server (Streamable HTTP, stateless), so Claude, ChatGPT and other AI agents can query it natively:
https://www.thisispaper.com/intelligence/api/mcp
Without a key the tools run in anonymous preview mode, capped at 5 results.
Add Authorization: Bearer tip_live_...
to the connector for full,
metered access. An agent can even mint its own key mid-conversation with
get_api_key
.
The server exposes nine tools:
Search the curated catalog by keywords. Args: query
(required), limit
(max 20). Returns ranked project summaries: name, studio, city, year, category, intro, thumbnail, URL, citation_url
, provenance
.
Search by taste metadata: material
, light
, color
,
mood
, composition
, subject
.
Unique to Thisispaper: these tags were written during human curation. Pass at least
one dimension, e.g. {"material": "rammed earth", "light": "dusk"}
. Results are ranked by how many dimensions match, then by recency.
Newest projects first. Optional category
filter: architecture, interiors, design, photography or art.
One project chosen at random from the archive. Editorial serendipity, the way a reader opens a magazine to an unplanned spread. No arguments.
Visual + semantic neighbours for a project slug
(precomputed SigLIP neighbours).
Full metadata for one slug
: description, design language, details, taste dimensions, URL, citation URL, provenance.
Mints a free API key (200 calls/month) for your email
, right from the conversation. The key is shown once. Max 3 keys per email.
Connector-contract search for clients that follow the ChatGPT connector spec.
Takes a query
, returns results as id, title and url. ChatGPT calls this tool in normal chat.
Connector-contract fetch: takes an id
from search and returns the full record with title, text, url and metadata. The result also embeds the project's real thumbnail image (up to 2 MB), which image-capable clients render inline.
Any MCP client works; no session or OAuth handshake is required.
Add to your client #
Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector, then paste the server URL. Connectors added on claude.ai sync to Claude Desktop.
claude mcp add --transport http thisispaper \
https://www.thisispaper.com/intelligence/api/mcp
Settings → Connectors → add the server URL. Works in normal chat through
the search
and fetch
tools.
In ~/.codex/config.toml
:
[mcp_servers.thisispaper]
url = "https://www.thisispaper.com/intelligence/api/mcp"
gemini extensions install https://github.com/zaxarovcom/thisispaper-mcp
A local stdio bridge to the same server, for clients without HTTP transport:
npx thisispaper-mcp
Any other client that speaks Streamable HTTP: point it at the URL above, or bridge
via npx mcp-remote https://www.thisispaper.com/intelligence/api/mcp
.
Tested with Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Grok, Gemini and Cursor.
Prompts worth stealing #
Once the connector is added, ask your agent in plain language. Lines that work:
- Architecture"houses that stay cool without machines"
- Architecture"concrete chapels in the Alps"
- Photography"documentary photographers of vanishing ways of life"
- Photography"portraits of remote communities"
- Art"installations that use light as material"
- Art"sculpture in aluminium"
- Design"chairs that made minimalism warm"
- Design"furniture in raw aluminium"
- Interiors"apartments under 65 square meters that feel generous"
- Taste search"material rammed earth, light dusk"
- Taste search"mood melancholic, composition frontal"
REST API #
The same catalog over plain GET
endpoints. Base URL:
https://www.thisispaper.com/intelligence/api/v1
All endpoints return JSON and are CORS-open for browser apps. REST calls require
an API key (free, self-serve below); pass it as a bearer
token, or ?key=
for quick tests:
curl "https://www.thisispaper.com/intelligence/api/v1/search?q=concrete+chapel" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer tip_live_..."
Every response carries X-RateLimit-Limit
and
X-RateLimit-Remaining
headers.
Lexical search across name, studio, city, category and intro.
GET /search?q=japanese+teahouse&limit=10
{
"query": "japanese teahouse",
"count": 10,
"results": [
{
"slug": "audeum-kengo-kuma",
"name": "Audeum Audio Museum by Kengo Kuma",
"studio": "Kengo Kuma & Associates",
"city": "Seoul, South Korea",
"year": "2024",
"category": "Architecture",
"intro": "...",
"published": "2026-01-26",
"thumbnail": "https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5d70caf362d15d860bedae09/69c77bdb45cde0df63c2c62d_6982103c8b8bca7f0d513282_thisispaper-audeum-by-kengo-kuma.webp",
"url": "https://www.thisispaper.com/mag/audeum-kengo-kuma",
"citation_url": "https://www.thisispaper.com/mag/audeum-kengo-kuma",
"provenance": {
"curated_by": "Thisispaper editors",
"selected": "2026-01-26",
"in_archive_since": 2026,
"note": "One of 2,500+ projects selected by hand since 2011. Most of what we see is not published."
},
"score": 8.42
}
]
}
Full metadata for one project, including description, design language and taste dimensions.
GET /project/audeum-kengo-kuma
Nearest projects by visual + semantic similarity (precomputed SigLIP neighbours).
GET /similar/audeum-kengo-kuma?limit=12
Provenance #
Every project response carries its provenance: who curated the work, the date it was
selected for the archive, and a permanent citation_url
you can cite or link.
These fields appear on every result from the REST endpoints and the MCP tools alike.
Fields with no recorded value are null
, never guessed.
"citation_url": "https://www.thisispaper.com/mag/audeum-kengo-kuma",
"provenance": {
"curated_by": "Thisispaper editors",
"selected": "2026-01-26",
"in_archive_since": 2026,
"note": "One of 2,500+ projects selected by hand since 2011. Most of what we see is not published."
}
Get a free key #
Enter your email. Your key is shown once, store it somewhere safe. Free tier: 200 calls/month, max 3 keys per email. The same key works on the REST endpoints and the MCP server.
Pricing #
Pay with the same email your key was issued to and the upgrade applies automatically. When a monthly quota runs out, calls return a clear error pointing back to this page; nothing is billed silently.