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Northwestern University Libraries Digital Collections API

OCI · GHCR.IO/NULIB/DC-API-MCP:2.11.15 · 3 COMPONENTS · SCANNED SEP 20

Agent integration with the Northwestern University Libraries Digital Collections API

40 Trust /100
Trust breakdown (7 categories)

How this component scores in each security and reliability category. Every signal is checked automatically from public evidence about the published package, including repeated runs of it in an isolated sandbox, and we only credit what we can confirm. How we score → Why this is hard to score →

Supply Chain Security0
  • Malware scan not yet available for this package.Unverified
  • Known CVEs could not be checked: this artifact ships no SBOM, so there is no dependency list to read. Publishing one would let us assess it.Unverified
  • Install-script risk not yet assessed.Unverified
  • Dependency health could not be checked: this artifact ships no SBOM, so there is no dependency list to read. Publishing one would let us assess it.Unverified
Provenance & Transparency32
Schema Quality & AI Usability84
  • 100% of prompts and resources have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the item's name).Pass
  • AI-judged instruction clarity (good).Pass
  • Tool/resource definitions use about 746 tokens (~82/item across 9 items; 8 tools + 1 resources), lean.Pass
  • Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples. See how to fix → Fail
Stability & Change Management0
  • Stability not yet verified: not enough scan history yet (needs a 30-day window).Unverified
Tool Coverage100
  • 100% of tools have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the tool's name).Pass
  • 100% of tool parameters carry a description.Pass
  • Structured output schemas are declared (88% of tools); any adoption earns full credit.Pass
Tool Safety100
  • No prompt-injection markers were found in the server instructions, tool names or descriptions we captured.Pass
  • We read all 8 captured tool definition(s), and no name or description among them implies an irreversible operation.Pass
  • An AI judge read all 9 captured unit(s) of tool text and found none that tries to manipulate the model reading it.Pass
Capabilities100
  • Implements a current MCP spec version (2026-07-28).Pass
  • Supports UI / widget rendering.Pass

Unverified: 2 categories

Categories scored 0 because we could not verify them: a data source with nothing on this package, evidence we could not reach, or a check we could not run. We only credit what we can confirm.

Install

How do I install the Northwestern University Libraries Digital Collections API MCP server?

Northwestern University Libraries Digital Collections API runs locally as a container image, launched with docker run --rm -i ghcr.io/nulib/dc-api-mcp:2.11.15. Ready-made configuration for Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Codex and 3 more is on this page, copied from each client's own documentation.

oci · ghcr.io/nulib/dc-api-mcp:2.11.15

# add to Claude Code
claude mcp add nulib-dc-api -- docker run --rm -i ghcr.io/nulib/dc-api-mcp:2.11.15
// .cursor/mcp.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nulib-dc-api": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--rm",
        "-i",
        "ghcr.io/nulib/dc-api-mcp:2.11.15"
      ]
    }
  }
}
// .vscode/mcp.json
{
  "servers": {
    "nulib-dc-api": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--rm",
        "-i",
        "ghcr.io/nulib/dc-api-mcp:2.11.15"
      ]
    }
  }
}
# add to Codex CLI
codex mcp add nulib-dc-api -- docker run --rm -i ghcr.io/nulib/dc-api-mcp:2.11.15
// opencode.json
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "nulib-dc-api": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": [
        "docker",
        "run",
        "--rm",
        "-i",
        "ghcr.io/nulib/dc-api-mcp:2.11.15"
      ],
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}
# ~/.hermes/config.yaml
mcp_servers:
  nulib-dc-api:
    command: "docker"
    args: ["run", "--rm", "-i", "ghcr.io/nulib/dc-api-mcp:2.11.15"]
// ~/.netclaw/config/netclaw.json
{
  "McpServers": {
    "nulib-dc-api": {
      "Transport": "stdio",
      "Command": "docker",
      "Arguments": [
        "run",
        "--rm",
        "-i",
        "ghcr.io/nulib/dc-api-mcp:2.11.15"
      ]
    }
  }
}
// mcp.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nulib-dc-api": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--rm",
        "-i",
        "ghcr.io/nulib/dc-api-mcp:2.11.15"
      ]
    }
  }
}
Changelog

Every change we have recorded for this component, newest first. Security-relevant changes are always shown. ▲ marks a change for the better, ▼ a change for the worse; unmarked changes are neutral.

  • 15 Sept 26 40

    First indexed and scored.

Diagnostics

Diagnostic detail from the automated scan of this channel: what the scanner observed at each step, so you can see exactly where a check passed or failed. It is informational only and never changes the trust score.

Captured 20 Sept 2026 · Analysed oci/ghcr.io/nulib/dc-api-mcp:2.11.15

Provenance No attestation

The registry publishes no build provenance for this version, so there is nothing to verify.

Result No attestation
Ecosystem oci
Reason Verified
Discovered via OCI referrers API
Source repo nulib/dc-api-v2
Certificate issuer https://token.actions.githubusercontent.com
Certificate SAN https://github.com/nulib/dc-api-v2/.github/workflows/publish-mcp.yml@refs/tags/v2.11.15
Rekor log index 2837819535
Predicate type https://slsa.dev/provenance/v1
Subject digest sha256:5d478cfcb883fcfd17dea7bc4d6bf07705ab4812cbb3dfb27e4abea4a9a6305c

Background: How many MCP packages publish verified provenance →

MCP tools · 8 exposed · ~725 tokens

The tools this component advertises to a client, with an estimated token cost for each. Expand a tool to see its parameters and schema. The per-tool counts are indicative and are not scored directly; the schema's total context footprint is one signal in Schema Quality & AI Usability. A tool's description is untrusted text the model reads on every call, which is what makes this list a security surface and not just an inventory: how tool poisoning works →

Tool Tokens
get-work ~37

Retrieve the full metadata for a work from the NUL Digital Collections.

NameTypeReqDescription
work_idstringyesThe ID of the work to retrieve

No output schema declared.

No examples provided.

list-collections ~67

List collection records from the NUL Digital Collections.

NameTypeReqDescription
max_resultsnumberThe maximum number of search results to return per page
pagenumberThe page of search results to return
public_onlybooleanOnly include publicly available works in search results
NameTypeReqDescription
aggregations
dataarrayyesThe search results returned from the Digital Collections API
explainThe explain output from Elasticsearch for the search query. Only included if the MCP is running in debug mode.
infoobjectyes
paginationobjectyes

No examples provided.

search ~245

Search for works in the Digital Collections using field-based and/or natural language queries. If both a natural language query and specific field values are provided, the natural language query will take priority, using the specified field values as additional constraints. The result will also include a list of aggregations that show how many results match different values for certain fields. For example, you could see how many results match each collection, work type, or visibility and use that information to refine your search. Perform an empty search to retrieve all works and their aggregations. NOTE: Structured field values enclosed in double quotes will be treated as exact, case-sensitive matches, while unquoted values will be treated as full-text searches.

NameTypeReqDescription
fieldsobjectStructured field search. Best when searching for specific known items or values, or for narrowing a search by specifying particular fields to search within.
max_resultsnumberThe maximum number of search results to return per page
pagenumberThe page of search results to return
public_onlybooleanOnly include publicly available works in search results
querystringA natural language query. Best for exploratory / conceptual searches.
NameTypeReqDescription
aggregations
dataarrayyesThe search results returned from the Digital Collections API
explainThe explain output from Elasticsearch for the search query. Only included if the MCP is running in debug mode.
infoobjectyes
paginationobjectyes

No examples provided.

similarity-search ~91

Find works that are similar to a given work. Uses semantic similarity based on work embeddings.

NameTypeReqDescription
max_resultsnumberThe maximum number of search results to return per page
pagenumberThe page of search results to return
public_onlybooleanOnly include publicly available works in search results
work_idstringyesID of a work to find similar items for.
NameTypeReqDescription
aggregations
dataarrayyesThe search results returned from the Digital Collections API
explainThe explain output from Elasticsearch for the search query. Only included if the MCP is running in debug mode.
infoobjectyes
paginationobjectyes

No examples provided.

view-collection ~38

View a collection from the NUL Digital Collections in an interactive viewer.

NameTypeReqDescription
collection_idstringyesThe ID of the collection to view
NameTypeReqDescription
iiifContentUrlstringyesA URL to a IIIF manifest or collection

No examples provided.

view-search-results ~121

View results from the search-works tool in an interactive viewer.

NameTypeReqDescription
fieldsobjectStructured field search. Best when searching for specific known items or values, or for narrowing a search by specifying particular fields to search within.
max_resultsnumberThe maximum number of search results to return per page
pagenumberThe page of search results to return
public_onlybooleanOnly include publicly available works in search results
querystringA natural language query. Best for exploratory / conceptual searches.
NameTypeReqDescription
iiifContentUrlstringyesA URL to a IIIF manifest or collection

No examples provided.

view-similar-works ~89

View results from the similarity-search tool in an interactive viewer.

NameTypeReqDescription
max_resultsnumberThe maximum number of search results to return per page
pagenumberThe page of search results to return
public_onlybooleanOnly include publicly available works in search results
work_idstringyesID of a work to find similar items for.
NameTypeReqDescription
iiifContentUrlstringyesA URL to a IIIF manifest or collection

No examples provided.

view-work ~37

View a work from the NUL Digital Collections in an interactive viewer.

NameTypeReqDescription
work_idstringyesThe ID of the work to view
NameTypeReqDescription
iiifContentUrlstringyesA URL to a IIIF manifest or collection

No examples provided.

Common questions

What is the Northwestern University Libraries Digital Collections API MCP server?

Northwestern University Libraries Digital Collections API is an MCP server listed in the public MCP registry as io.github.nulib/dc-api. Agent integration with the Northwestern University Libraries Digital Collections API. This page covers its container image (ghcr.io/nulib/dc-api-mcp:2.11.15).

Is the Northwestern University Libraries Digital Collections API MCP server safe to use?

Northwestern University Libraries Digital Collections API scores 40 out of 100 on VerifyMCP. That is a record of what we were able to check automatically, not an endorsement. The category breakdown on this page shows every signal behind the number, including the ones we could not confirm.

What tools does the Northwestern University Libraries Digital Collections API MCP server expose?

Northwestern University Libraries Digital Collections API exposes 8 tools: search, get-work, list-collections, similarity-search, view-work, and 3 more. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 725 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.

Is the Northwestern University Libraries Digital Collections API MCP server still maintained?

Northwestern University Libraries Digital Collections API is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 20 September 2026. Those dates come from our own scans of the registry and the channel itself, not from anything the publisher announced.

What licence is the Northwestern University Libraries Digital Collections API MCP server under?

Northwestern University Libraries Digital Collections API declares the NOASSERTION licence, which is not on the OSI-approved list. Read the terms before using it at work, and note this covers the source only, not the cost of any service it calls.