arena-mcp

An MCP server for Are.na — visual search for design references (curated channels, image blocks, authors) right from Claude Code.

Built on the Are.na v2 API (https://api.are.na/v2): v3 flags search as Premium Only, while v2 offers free search and public content without a token.

Tools

Tool	What it does
arena_search	Search: type = all / channels / blocks / users
arena_channel	Channel metadata by slug or id (+ description)
arena_channel_contents	Blocks inside a channel (the images themselves, paginated)
arena_block	Details of a single block + channels it was added to
arena_user_channels	Channels of a specific author

Every result is a compact object with image (image URL) and arenaUrl (link to are.na) — handy for collecting references.

Token (optional, but recommended)

Public content is readable without a token. ARENA_TOKEN (a personal access token from https://www.are.na/developers/personal-access-tokens) unlocks private channels, block/user search (a WAF blocks it without a token), and higher rate limits.

Installation

pnpm install && pnpm build
claude mcp add arena --scope user \
  --env ARENA_TOKEN=<your-token> \
  -- node /absolute/path/arena-mcp/dist/index.js

Check: claude mcp get arena → Status: ✔ Connected.

Development

• pnpm build — compile to dist/
• pnpm typecheck — type checking
• API client — src/arena.ts, MCP wrapper — src/index.ts

Fresh-package gate (supply-chain) — via ~/.npmrc (minimum-release-age), install with pnpm only.

License

MIT © Alex Vortep