Pexafy

Pexafy is a semantic (meaning-based) search engine over free-licence stock photography. One request queries nine free stock-photo libraries — Unsplash, Pexels, Pixabay, StockSnap, Picjumbo, Kaboompics, Burst, Skitterphoto and NegativeSpace, plus Wikimedia Commons since description 1.3.0 — and returns every photo in one normalised JSON schema with dimensions, dominant colour, orientation, photographer, licence and a ready-made attribution string. Queries are written as full sentences in any of 100+ languages and ranked by meaning rather than keyword overlap; an image can be posted instead of text to find visually similar photos, and results can be filtered by colour, orientation, licence, source, photographer or date. The API is self-serve — a key is issued immediately from the dashboard with no application review and no mandatory download-tracking callback — and the same catalogue is exposed to LLM clients through a hosted, OAuth-protected MCP server at mcp.pexafy.com.

Pexafy publishes 5 API contracts indexed on the APIs.io network, including Collections API, Facets API, Photos API, and 2 more. Tagged areas include Image, Photos, Stock Photos, Image Search, and Semantic Search.

Pexafy’s developer surface includes support, engineering blog, authentication, CLI, changelog, and 25 more developer resources.

🌐 Visit website 📡 Source on GitHub

64.2/100 strong ▬ flat Agent 56/100 agent ready Front door AI 4/6 moderate saas Full breakdown ↓
scored 2026-10-09 · rubric v0.23.0

AccessFreemiumSelf serve⚡ Free to try

2 published contracts 1 MCP Servers

Image Photos Stock Photos Image Search Semantic Search Computer Vision Embeddings MCP Agent-Native Content Licensing

What this lets a business do 1

Business capabilities this provider's published APIs can perform, derived from its own contracts. Browse all capabilities →

Developer Platform & API Ecosystem Management

BC-4270

Usage

GET /usage GET /api/v1/usage GET /api/v1/usage/by-key

Kin Score

Kin Score How this is scored →
scored 2026-10-09 · rubric v0.23.0

Composite quality — 64.2/100 · strong

Contract Quality 9.5 / 19

Developer Ergonomics 11.0 / 15

Access Clarity 11.4 / 15

Operational Transparency 7.2 / 10

Contract Governance 1.6 / 9

Discoverability 6.1 / 8

Regulatory Posture 4.8 / 15

Create-or-Update Ergonomics 0.0 / 10

Agent readiness — 56/100 · agent ready

Machine-Readable Contract 18 / 18

Agentic Access Contract 10 / 10

Documented Reversibility 0 / 6

MCP Server 12 / 12

Machine-Readable Auth 10 / 10

Idempotency 0 / 9

Stable Error Semantics 8 / 8

Request/Response Examples 7 / 7

Rate-Limit Signaling 7 / 7

Typed Event Surface 0 / 6

Agent Skills 5 / 5

Well-Known Catalog 0 / 4

Consent & Bot Identity 0 / 3

A2A Agent Card 0 / 8

Dry-Run / Simulate Mode 0 / 4

Delegated User Identity 6 / 6

Protected Resource Metadata 5 / 5

Registration Without a Human 6 / 6

Agentic Commerce Well-Known Document 0 / 5

Regulatory Posture applies to this provider. Its tags matched the Horizontal (data, software, accessibility, platform) regime, so Regulatory Posture carries 15 points of the composite. If this regime is wrong for your business, say so on your provider repo — the applicability map is public and we will correct it.

Create-or-Update Ergonomics applies to this provider. This API accepts writes, so it carries 10 points of the composite. It is scored from the published contracts themselves: whether a caller can create-or-update in one call, whether the write accepts a key the caller already holds, and whether the response says which branch ran. Without that, every write needs a search-and-branch in front of it, and the first time that check is skipped a duplicate record is created. Scored against the observed mean rather than raw — a provider at the catalog average is unchanged by this facet, not penalised by it.

The six quality facets above are damped to 75 points between them, because the conditional facet above carries the other 25. That is why each facet's contribution is shown against a damped maximum: raising a quality facet moves the composite by 75% of its nominal weight, not 100%. The full arithmetic is at apis.io/rating/.

Improve this rating by publishing the missing artifacts — every area above can be raised, and the full rubric is at apis.io/rating/. Every facet and dimension name above is a link: it opens that measurement's own page — what it means, the exact checks that feed it, how the whole catalog distributes on it, and the providers at the top of it. This rating is computed from github.com/api-evangelist/pexafy: open an issue to ask a question, or submit a pull request to add artifacts. Submit an artifact on GitHub — free → Manage your own listing — the Influence plan, $499/mo →

APIs 5

Individual APIs this provider publishes, each with its own machine-readable definition.

Pexafy Collections API

Saved sets, owned by an API key.

Pexafy Facets API

What the filters accept.

Pexafy Photos API

One photo at a time.

Pexafy Search API

Finding photos.

Pexafy Usage API

Quota counters.

MCP Servers 1

Model Context Protocol servers that expose these APIs to AI agents.

Pexafy MCP Server

Live MCP, gated: initialize returns 401 with an explicit OAuth prompt ("This MCP server needs to know who you are"). Present and auth-required, not absent. Verified 2026-08-31.

MCP SERVER

Pricing Plans 1

Published pricing tiers and plan structures.

Pexafy Plans Pricing

7 plans

PLANS

Rate Limits 1

Documented rate limits and quota policies.

Pexafy Rate Limits

7 limits

RATE LIMITS

OpenAPI Overlays 1

Overlays applied on top of this provider's contracts. Each card says who wrote it: a document the provider publishes, or one API Evangelist derived or generated.

Pexafy Api Overlay

10 actions · update · pexafy-api-openapi.json

GENERATED

Security Posture 2

Authentication, domain security, vulnerability disclosure, and trust-center signals.

Pexafy Authentication

apiKey/http/oauth2 · 3 schemes

SECURITY

Pexafy Domain Security

TLSv1.3 · HSTS · DMARC

SECURITY

Scopes 1

OAuth scopes governing access to this provider's APIs.

Pexafy Scopes

2 scopes · authorizationCode

2 scopes

SCOPES

Agentic Access 1

Recommended x-agentic-access execution contracts for AI agents.

Pexafy Agentic Access

37 operations · 10 acting

AGENTIC

Resources

Get Started 2

Portal, sign-up, and the first successful call

DeveloperPortal

DeveloperPortal

Login

Agent Surfaces 6

MCP servers, agent skills, and machine-readable catalogs

MCPServer

AgenticAccess

WellKnown

LLMsTxt

MCPServer

AgentSkill

Design & Contract 5

Pagination, idempotency, versioning, errors, and events

Conventions

ErrorCatalog

Lifecycle

Conformance

DataModel

Build 4

SDKs, sample code, and the tooling you integrate with

GitHubOrganization

Packages

SDKs

CLI

Access & Security 3

Authentication, authorization, and security posture

DomainSecurity

DomainSecurity

Authentication

Authentication

OAuthScopes

OAuthScopes

Operate 5

Status, limits, changes, and where to get help

Support

HelpCenter

Deprecation

ChangeLog

RateLimits

Commercial 1

Pricing, plans, and the legal terms of use

Plans

Plans

Company 2

The organization behind the API

Website

Website

Blog

Blog

Other 2

Properties that don't map to a standard resource type

CapabilityMap

CapabilityMap

Overlay

Overlay

Source (apis.yml)

name: Pexafy
description: Pexafy is a semantic (meaning-based) search engine over free-licence stock photography. One request queries nine
  free stock-photo libraries — Unsplash, Pexels, Pixabay, StockSnap, Picjumbo, Kaboompics, Burst, Skitterphoto and NegativeSpace,
  plus Wikimedia Commons since description 1.3.0 — and returns every photo in one normalised JSON schema with dimensions,
  dominant colour, orientation, photographer, licence and a ready-made attribution string. Queries are written as full sentences
  in any of 100+ languages and ranked by meaning rather than keyword overlap; an image can be posted instead of text to find
  visually similar photos, and results can be filtered by colour, orientation, licence, source, photographer or date. The
  API is self-serve — a key is issued immediately from the dashboard with no application review and no mandatory download-tracking
  callback — and the same catalogue is exposed to LLM clients through a hosted, OAuth-protected MCP server at mcp.pexafy.com.
deliveryModel:
  model: saas
  open_source: false
  commercial: true
  callable_host: false
  label: Hosted service · you call their endpoint
  confidence: medium
  source:
  - pricing
  generated: '2026-08-28'
  method: derived
accessModel:
  pricing: freemium
  onboarding: self-serve
  trial: false
  try_now: true
  public: false
  label: Freemium · Self-serve signup
  confidence: high
  source:
  - plans
  - authentication
  - scopes
  - rate-limits
  - security
  generated: '2026-09-02'
  method: derived
image: https://pexafy.com/static/img/favicon.png
url: https://pexafy.com/.well-known/apis.json
created: '2026-08-27'
modified: '2026-08-27'
specificationVersion: '0.21'
x-docs-platform: mintlify
x-docs-platform-confidence: medium
x-docs-platform-checked: 2026-10-04
tags:
- Image
- Photos
- Stock Photos
- Image Search
- Semantic Search
- Computer Vision
- Embeddings
- MCP
- Agent-Native
- Content Licensing
tags_raw:
- images
- photos
- stock photos
- image search
- semantic search
- computer vision
- embeddings
- mcp
- agent-native
- content licensing
- Computer-Vision
apis:
- aid: pexafy:pexafy-collections-api
  name: Pexafy Collections API
  description: Saved sets, owned by an API key.
  humanURL: https://docs.pexafy.com
  baseURL: https://api.pexafy.com
  tags:
  - Collection
  tags_raw:
  - collections
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/pexafy-collections-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://docs.pexafy.com
  - type: APIReference
    url: https://docs.pexafy.com/api-reference
  - type: GettingStarted
    url: https://docs.pexafy.com/quickstart
  - type: SignUp
    url: https://pexafy.com/signup/
  - type: Pricing
    url: https://pexafy.com/pricing/
  - type: TermsOfService
    url: https://pexafy.com/legal/terms/
  - type: PrivacyPolicy
    url: https://pexafy.com/legal/privacy/
  - type: StatusPage
    url: https://status.pexafy.com
  - type: LLMSTxt
    url: https://pexafy.com/llms.txt
  - type: APIOnboarding
    url: https://pexafy.com/.well-known/api-onboarding
  - type: ToolCrosswalk
    url: mcp/pexafy-tool-crosswalk.yml
- aid: pexafy:pexafy-facets-api
  name: Pexafy Facets API
  description: What the filters accept.
  humanURL: https://docs.pexafy.com
  baseURL: https://api.pexafy.com
  tags:
  - Facets
  tags_raw:
  - facets
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/pexafy-facets-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://docs.pexafy.com
  - type: APIReference
    url: https://docs.pexafy.com/api-reference
  - type: GettingStarted
    url: https://docs.pexafy.com/quickstart
  - type: SignUp
    url: https://pexafy.com/signup/
  - type: Pricing
    url: https://pexafy.com/pricing/
  - type: TermsOfService
    url: https://pexafy.com/legal/terms/
  - type: PrivacyPolicy
    url: https://pexafy.com/legal/privacy/
  - type: StatusPage
    url: https://status.pexafy.com
  - type: LLMSTxt
    url: https://pexafy.com/llms.txt
  - type: APIOnboarding
    url: https://pexafy.com/.well-known/api-onboarding
  - type: ToolCrosswalk
    url: mcp/pexafy-tool-crosswalk.yml
- aid: pexafy:pexafy-photos-api
  name: Pexafy Photos API
  description: One photo at a time.
  humanURL: https://docs.pexafy.com
  baseURL: https://api.pexafy.com
  tags:
  - Photos
  tags_raw:
  - photos
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/pexafy-photos-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://docs.pexafy.com
  - type: APIReference
    url: https://docs.pexafy.com/api-reference
  - type: GettingStarted
    url: https://docs.pexafy.com/quickstart
  - type: SignUp
    url: https://pexafy.com/signup/
  - type: Pricing
    url: https://pexafy.com/pricing/
  - type: TermsOfService
    url: https://pexafy.com/legal/terms/
  - type: PrivacyPolicy
    url: https://pexafy.com/legal/privacy/
  - type: StatusPage
    url: https://status.pexafy.com
  - type: LLMSTxt
    url: https://pexafy.com/llms.txt
  - type: APIOnboarding
    url: https://pexafy.com/.well-known/api-onboarding
  - type: ToolCrosswalk
    url: mcp/pexafy-tool-crosswalk.yml
- aid: pexafy:pexafy-search-api
  name: Pexafy Search API
  description: Finding photos.
  humanURL: https://docs.pexafy.com
  baseURL: https://api.pexafy.com
  tags:
  - Search
  tags_raw:
  - search
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/pexafy-search-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://docs.pexafy.com
  - type: APIReference
    url: https://docs.pexafy.com/api-reference
  - type: GettingStarted
    url: https://docs.pexafy.com/quickstart
  - type: SignUp
    url: https://pexafy.com/signup/
  - type: Pricing
    url: https://pexafy.com/pricing/
  - type: TermsOfService
    url: https://pexafy.com/legal/terms/
  - type: PrivacyPolicy
    url: https://pexafy.com/legal/privacy/
  - type: StatusPage
    url: https://status.pexafy.com
  - type: LLMSTxt
    url: https://pexafy.com/llms.txt
  - type: APIOnboarding
    url: https://pexafy.com/.well-known/api-onboarding
  - type: ToolCrosswalk
    url: mcp/pexafy-tool-crosswalk.yml
- aid: pexafy:pexafy-usage-api
  name: Pexafy Usage API
  description: Quota counters.
  humanURL: https://docs.pexafy.com
  baseURL: https://api.pexafy.com
  tags:
  - Usage
  tags_raw:
  - usage
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/pexafy-usage-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://docs.pexafy.com
  - type: APIReference
    url: https://docs.pexafy.com/api-reference
  - type: GettingStarted
    url: https://docs.pexafy.com/quickstart
  - type: SignUp
    url: https://pexafy.com/signup/
  - type: Pricing
    url: https://pexafy.com/pricing/
  - type: TermsOfService
    url: https://pexafy.com/legal/terms/
  - type: PrivacyPolicy
    url: https://pexafy.com/legal/privacy/
  - type: StatusPage
    url: https://status.pexafy.com
  - type: LLMSTxt
    url: https://pexafy.com/llms.txt
  - type: APIOnboarding
    url: https://pexafy.com/.well-known/api-onboarding
  - type: ToolCrosswalk
    url: mcp/pexafy-tool-crosswalk.yml
maintainers:
- FN: Pexafy
  email: support@pexafy.com
  url: https://pexafy.com
  GitHub: https://github.com/Pexafy
  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pexafy
aid: pexafy
common:
- type: CapabilityMap
  url: capabilities/pexafy-capability-edges.yml
  name: Pexafy Business Capability Map
- type: Website
  url: https://www.pexafy.com/
- type: MCPServer
  url: https://mcp.pexafy.com/mcp
  description: 'Live MCP, gated: initialize returns 401 with an explicit OAuth prompt ("This MCP server needs to know who
    you are"). Present and auth-required, not absent. Verified 2026-08-31.'
- type: DeveloperPortal
  url: https://docs.pexafy.com
- type: Support
  url: https://pexafy.com/contact/
- type: HelpCenter
  url: https://pexafy.com/faq/
- type: Blog
  url: https://pexafy.com/blog/
- type: GitHubOrganization
  url: https://github.com/Pexafy
- type: Login
  url: https://pexafy.com/auth/login/
- type: AgenticAccess
  url: agentic-access/pexafy-agentic-access.yml
- type: DomainSecurity
  url: security/pexafy-domain-security.yml
- type: Authentication
  url: authentication/pexafy-authentication.yml
- type: OAuthScopes
  url: scopes/pexafy-scopes.yml
- type: WellKnown
  url: well-known/pexafy-well-known.yml
- type: LLMsTxt
  url: llms/pexafy-llms.txt
- type: MCPServer
  url: mcp/pexafy-mcp.yml
- type: Packages
  url: packages/pexafy-packages.yml
- type: SDKs
  url: packages/pexafy-packages.yml
- type: CLI
  url: cli/pexafy-cli.yml
- type: Conventions
  url: conventions/pexafy-conventions.yml
- type: ErrorCatalog
  url: errors/pexafy-problem-types.yml
- type: Lifecycle
  url: lifecycle/pexafy-lifecycle.yml
- type: Deprecation
  url: https://github.com/Pexafy/pexafy-openapi
- type: ChangeLog
  url: changelog/pexafy-changelog.yml
- type: Conformance
  url: conformance/pexafy-conformance.yml
- type: DataModel
  url: data-model/pexafy-data-model.yml
- type: Overlay
  url: overlays/pexafy-api-overlay.yaml
- type: RateLimits
  url: rate-limits/pexafy-rate-limits.yml
- type: Plans
  url: plans/pexafy-plans-pricing.yml
- type: AgentSkill
  url: skills/_index.yml
x-enrichment:
  date: '2026-08-27'
  status: enriched
  artifacts_added: 33
  pass: local-v1

Work with this as data

Every provider here is available over the APIs.io API and to AI agents over MCP.

MCP server

One button, every client — Claude, Cursor, VS Code and the rest.

https://apis.io/mcp

Tools for providers

9 MCP tools reach this

find_providersBrowse and filter every provider in the catalog.
get_provider_artifactsEvery artifact this provider publishes, grouped by type.
get_provider_operationsEvery operation across all of their OpenAPIs — one call instead of parsing every spec.
get_provider_toolsEvery MCP tool they ship, with the operation each wraps.
get_provider_evidenceHow each part of their score was established. Free — the basis for a claim should not sit behind it.
get_provider_ratingPRO — composite, band, trend and facet scores.
apis_io_searchSTART HERE — APIs, providers and tags for one query, each with its total.
resolveTurn a domain, URL or GitHub org into the provider it belongs to.
find_cohortsEvery scored population of providers in the catalog.

All 92 tools →

Call it yourself

curl for this page

This provider

curl "https://apis.io/api/v1/providers/pexafy"

All providers

curl "https://apis.io/api/v1/providers?limit=25"

Every operation they expose

curl "https://apis.io/api/v1/providers/pexafy/operations?limit=25"

How their score was established

curl "https://apis.io/api/v1/providers/pexafy/evidence"

Discovery needs no key. Ratings and market analysis are Pro.

Get an API key

Free tier, no form to fill in. Signing in shares your email address with us — we store it to create your key and to recognise you if you sign in with another provider. See our Privacy Policy and Terms.

GitHub Google LinkedIn

A second provider on the same verified email joins the account you already have.