15 years of hand-curated architecture, art and design as an MCP server

Thisispaper, an independent art, architecture and design publication, launched a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that exposes over 2,500 hand-curated projects from its archive as a clean HTTP API and native MCP server for AI agents. The server offers nine tools including search, taste-based filtering, random project retrieval, and API key minting, with anonymous preview capped at 5 results and a free key providing 200 calls per month.

←Intelligence /intelligence/map Thisispaper is an independent art, architecture and design publication. Every project in the archive was curated by human editors since 2011. The curated-taste API 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 mailto: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 add-to-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 get-key ; 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.