ExifSniffer MCP Server

Container-ready Model Context Protocol server (Python, official mcp SDK) exposing Streamable HTTP on /mcp. Tools download remote media and extract image EXIF / video container metadata as JSON arrays of {path, value} rows.

The Python package and CLI are exifsniffer (python -m exifsniffer, console script exifsniffer).

Git

After you create a repository on your Git host, add it as origin and push (branch name may vary):

git remote add origin <your-repository-url>
git push -u origin main

Tools

Tool	Purpose
fetch_remote_media	HTTP(S) download into DATA_DIR with SSRF guards and size limits; returns a JSON list of metadata rows
extract_metadata_to_json	Pillow EXIF for images; PNG tEXt / zTXt text chunks; ffprobe JSON for videos; writes a JSON array file and returns the same list
validate_local_media_root	Checks that local_media_root is an absolute path to an existing directory (returns usable and resolved_root or error)
list_local_media_images	Lists images under a caller-supplied absolute local_media_root (optional subdirectory, optional recursion, max_files cap)
extract_local_media_metadata_to_json

Each list element is an object: {"path": "<dot or bracket path>", "value": ...} where value is a leaf (string, number, boolean, or small JSON-serializable structure).

Replicating the LM Studio “Base Directory” text field

In the LM Studio Hub plugin taderich73/filesystem-access, the orange Base Directory label, grey subtitle The directory path where files will be stored., and path text box are not hand-built UI: they come from @lmstudio/sdk config schematics. The upstream field is keyed folderName and read in tools via ctl.getPluginConfig(configSchematics).get("folderName").

If you are building a TypeScript LM Studio plugin and want the same field, define it explicitly (this is the pattern from upstream config.ts):

If you are connecting this Python MCP server (Streamable HTTP), LM Studio does not run that config.ts; there is no generated settings panel for arbitrary MCP processes. Replicate the behavior of the text field by setting the same absolute path in LOCAL_MEDIA_BASE wherever you configure the server process (shell, systemd, Kubernetes, or Docker environment). That value is exactly what you would type into the plugin’s Base Directory box.

If you use Cursor, put the path in mcp.json under env (see the example below).

See also LM Studio developer docs for plugin APIs beyond the hub file mirror.

LM Studio filesystem-access parity

This server mirrors the plugin’s path rules (^[\w./-]+$, no .., resolved under the configured root) and tool names for list_files, read_file, write_file, and create_directory, plus extract_metadata and write_metadata on the same root. The configured root is LOCAL_MEDIA_BASE, analogous to folderName in the plugin.

Configuration (environment)

Variable	Default	Description
DATA_DIR	/data	Root directory for all relative paths (including JSON outputs from local media extraction)
LOCAL_MEDIA_BASE	unset	Base directory for filesystem and base-scoped metadata tools (equivalent to the LM Studio plugin Base Directory / folderName: The directory path where files will be stored.). Use an absolute path, e.g. /home/you/Cards or /data inside Docker
HOST	0.0.0.0	Bind address
PORT	3000	Listen port
MAX_DOWNLOAD_BYTES	100000000	Maximum download size
FETCH_CONNECT_TIMEOUT_S	10	Connect timeout (seconds)
FETCH_READ_TIMEOUT_S	120	Read timeout (seconds)
FETCH_MAX_REDIRECTS

Run locally

Docker

The image exifsniffer:local runs the app as a non-root user; data persists in the exifsniffer_data volume.

Cursor mcp.json entry

After the server listens on port 3000 (host), add:

Base Directory equivalent: this package runs Streamable HTTP (python -m exifsniffer). With a url entry, Cursor does not start the server, so set LOCAL_MEDIA_BASE in the environment of the process that listens on the port (for example docker-compose.yml environment, or your shell before starting):

That LOCAL_MEDIA_BASE value is the same path you would type into the LM Studio plugin Base Directory field.

Place the JSON entry in project .cursor/mcp.json or global ~/.cursor/mcp.json. Restart Cursor after changes.

If you expose the server on another host/port, replace localhost:3000 accordingly.

Tests

License

See LICENSE.