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io.github.cyanheads/internet-archive-mcp-server

by cyanheads · remote · local (npm) · no sign-in to list tools · v0.4.0 · published by GitHub user cyanheads

Search the Wayback Machine and IA library (40M+ items), fetch snapshots, item metadata, and text.

Read only
CompareRegistry entry

5 tools: 5 only read.

Scanned Oct 21, 2026

No check matched anything in the tool definitions. No finding is not a safety guarantee. How the checks work.

claude mcp add --transport http internet-archive https://internet-archive.caseyjhand.com/mcp

Tools

Open a tool for its reasons and full description. Descriptions are the publisher's own words, shown as they are.

5 tools

Only reads 5Claude Code: allow
  • ia_find_snapshotsFind Wayback Machine snapshots of a URL.No findings

    Why it is in this group

    • The name "ia_find_snapshots" says "find": a word for reading.
    Description, as the server wrote it
    Find Wayback Machine snapshots of a URL. Mode "closest" returns the single nearest capture to a given timestamp via the Availability API, falling back to a CDX closest-capture query when the Availability API has no answer (one result). Mode "history" returns the full capture list via the CDX API — filterable by date range and HTTP status code, collapsed by default to one capture per day (collapse "timestamp:8"); collapse "timestamp:14" lists one row per distinct capture second. Use history mode to survey how a page changed over time; use closest mode when you need the snapshot nearest a specific date. History mode returns up to limit records (at most 10,000 per call) and supports resume-key pagination for URLs with very large capture histories.

    Annotations the server declares

    • readOnlyHint: true
    • idempotentHint: true
    • openWorldHint: true
  • ia_get_itemRetrieve metadata and the file manifest for an Internet Archive item by identifier.No findings

    Why it is in this group

    • The name "ia_get_item" says "get": a word for reading.
    Description, as the server wrote it
    Retrieve metadata and the file manifest for an Internet Archive item by identifier. Returns title, creator, description, subjects, collections, license, language, the total file count, and a page of files, each with its format, size, and direct download URL. Pages hold up to max_files files (default 50, at most 500 per call) starting at file_offset; set format to keep a single file type (e.g. "DjVuTXT", "Text PDF", "VBR MP3"). The primary tool to act on a search result from ia_search_items. Use ia_get_text to retrieve the readable text of a text item.

    Annotations the server declares

    • readOnlyHint: true
    • idempotentHint: true
    • openWorldHint: true
  • ia_get_snapshotFetch the archived content of a URL at a specific Wayback Machine timestamp.No findings

    Why it is in this group

    • The name "ia_get_snapshot" says "get": a word for reading.
    Description, as the server wrote it
    Fetch the archived content of a URL at a specific Wayback Machine timestamp. Resolves to the nearest available capture when the exact timestamp has no snapshot. Returns the archived page as readable plain text (HTML stripped) and the replay URL of the capture Wayback served, for browser access. Use ia_find_snapshots first to discover valid timestamps for a URL.

    Annotations the server declares

    • readOnlyHint: true
    • idempotentHint: true
    • openWorldHint: true
  • ia_get_textRetrieve the readable text content of a text item (OCR DjVuTXT or plain-text file) from the Internet Archive, with length-aware truncation and a continuation pointer for pagination…No findings

    Why it is in this group

    • The name "ia_get_text" says "get": a word for reading.
    Description, as the server wrote it
    Retrieve the readable text content of a text item (OCR DjVuTXT or plain-text file) from the Internet Archive, with length-aware truncation and a continuation pointer for pagination. Suited for public-domain books, documents, scanned periodicals, and transcripts. Use max_chars and char_offset to page through long documents. To confirm the item has a text file first, call ia_get_item with format "DjVuTXT"; its response also gives the mediatype.

    Annotations the server declares

    • readOnlyHint: true
    • idempotentHint: true
    • openWorldHint: true
  • ia_search_itemsSearch the Internet Archive library (40M+ items) using the Advanced Search (Solr) API.No findings

    Why it is in this group

    • The name "ia_search_items" says "search": a word for reading.
    Description, as the server wrote it
    Search the Internet Archive library (40M+ items) using the Advanced Search (Solr) API. Filter by media type (texts, audio, movies, software, image, etc.), collection, creator, date range, and language. Sort by downloads (the default), date, title, or random. Supports pagination via page/rows. Returns identifiers, titles, creators (the first 10, with creator_count when a record lists more), media types, dates, download counts, collections (without fav- favorites lists), total_found, and current page/rows for pagination context. Use ia_get_item with a returned identifier to get full metadata and file manifests.

    Annotations the server declares

    • readOnlyHint: true
    • openWorldHint: true

This is not a safety rating, and no finding is not a safety guarantee. The groups and findings come from fixed checks of the tool definitions the server returned on the date shown, not from its code or what it does when called. How the checks work.

Install

Pinned to version 0.4.0. Values in angle brackets are yours to fill in.

claude mcp add --transport http internet-archive https://internet-archive.caseyjhand.com/mcp

Run in a terminal.

Claude Code permissions

Allow the reads, ask before a change, deny the deletes. Paste into .claude/settings.json.

.claude/settings.json
{
  "permissions": {
    "allow": [
      "mcp__internet-archive__ia_find_snapshots",
      "mcp__internet-archive__ia_get_snapshot",
      "mcp__internet-archive__ia_search_items",
      "mcp__internet-archive__ia_get_item",
      "mcp__internet-archive__ia_get_text"
    ],
    "ask": [],
    "deny": []
  }
}

Tools that only read are allowed, tools that change things ask first, tools that delete or cancel are denied. It assumes the server is installed as internet-archive. Review it before you use it.