worldcam-mcp

An MCP server that gives AI agents access to live camera screenshots from around the world. Aggregates 12 camera sources and returns real base64-encoded images that agents can see and analyze.

Features

• 3,300+ cameras dynamically discovered across 90+ countries
• Live screenshots with weather context (temperature, conditions, day/night, local time)
• Zero config — all dependencies are npm packages, no system installs needed
• Dynamic discovery — SkylineWebcams and YouTube cameras are discovered at runtime, never go stale
• GPS-aware — find nearest cameras to any coordinate, with 96% geocoded coverage
• Location detection — native WiFi-based positioning on macOS and Windows, IP fallback elsewhere
• 8 MCP tools — search, screenshot, nearest camera, random camera, current location, and more

Prerequisites

• Node.js 20+ (uses native fetch)

That's it. All other dependencies (ffmpeg, YouTube search) are bundled as npm packages.

Installation

git clone https://github.com/ronantakizawa/worldcam-mcp.git
cd worldcam-mcp
npm install
npm run build

Configuration

Claude Desktop

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "worldcam": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/worldcam-mcp/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Optional API keys for additional sources:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "worldcam": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/worldcam-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "WINDY_API_KEY": "your-key-here",
        "OPENWEBCAMDB_API_KEY": "your-key-here",
        "HELIOS_CLIENT_ID": "your-id-here",
        "HELIOS_CLIENT_SECRET": "your-secret-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Code

claude mcp add worldcam node /path/to/worldcam-mcp/dist/index.js

Tools

get_current_location

Detect the current geographic location. Uses native WiFi-based positioning on macOS (CoreLocation) and Windows (WinRT Geolocator). Falls back to IP geolocation on other platforms.

search_cameras

Search for live cameras by location, category, or source.

| Parameter | Type | Description | |-----------|------|-------------| | country | string | ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code (e.g., "US", "JP") | | city | string | City name | | category | string | Camera category (see below) | | source | string | Data source name | | query | string | Free-text search against titles | | limit | number | Max results (default 10, max 50) |

find_nearest_camera

Find the closest cameras to a GPS coordinate. Searches across all 3,300+ geocoded cameras.

| Parameter | Type | Description | |-----------|------|-------------| | latitude | number | Target latitude | | longitude | number | Target longitude | | category | string | Optional category filter | | source | string | Optional source filter | | limit | number | Max results (default 5) |

get_camera_screenshot

Capture a live screenshot from a specific camera. Returns base64 image with weather context.

| Parameter | Type | Description | |-----------|------|-------------| | camera_id | string | Camera ID from search results (e.g., skyline:japan/kanto/tokyo/shinjuku-kabukicho) | | save_path | string | Optional file path to save the image |

Response includes weather data when available:

{
  "camera": { "id": "...", "title": "...", "country": "JP", "city": "Tokyo" },
  "capturedAt": "2026-03-08T16:30:00.000Z",
  "weather": {
    "localTime": "2026-03-08T16:30",
    "timezone": "Asia/Tokyo",
    "temperature": 8.9,
    "feelsLike": 6.2,
    "condition": "Clear sky",
    "isDay": true,
    "humidity": 42,
    "windSpeed": 12.3,
    "sunrise": "2026-03-08T06:04",
    "sunset": "2026-03-08T17:42"
  }
}

get_random_camera

Get a screenshot from a random camera with weather context. Optionally filtered by country or category.

list_sources

List all camera sources and their availability status.

list_categories

List all available camera categories.

list_countries

List countries with available cameras, optionally filtered by source.

Categories

beach, city, traffic, mountain, wildlife, airport, harbor, ski, park, landmark, weather, underwater, rural, construction, nature, other

Data Sources

| Source | API Key | Cameras | Screenshot Method | |--------|---------|---------|-------------------| | SkylineWebcams | No | 3,300+ | Dynamic discovery, CDN live stills | | YouTube Live | No | Dynamic | youtube-sr search + ytdl-core + ffmpeg-static | | DOT Traffic Cams | No | 17 | Direct JPEG (Caltrans, FL, NY, GA, TfL London) | | National Parks & USGS | No | 30 | Direct JPEG (Yellowstone, Glacier, Kilauea) | | Ski Resort Cameras | No | 27 | Direct JPEG (Chamonix, Kitzbuhel, Jackson Hole) | | Tourism & City Cams | No | 9 | Direct JPEG (Dubai, Prague, Singapore) | | Insecam | No | 100+ | Direct IP camera fetch | | CamHacker | No | Dynamic | MJPEG frame extraction | | EarthCam | No | 5 | HLS frame capture via ffmpeg-static | | Windy Webcams | Yes | 75,000+ | API image URL | | OpenWebcamDB | Yes | 1,700+ | API + YouTube thumbnail | | Helios | Yes | 5,000+ | OAuth + direct JPEG endpoint |

Optional API Keys

• Windy Webcams: Free key at api.windy.com → WINDY_API_KEY
• OpenWebcamDB: Register at openwebcamdb.com → OPENWEBCAMDB_API_KEY
• Helios: Register at helios.earth → HELIOS_CLIENT_ID and HELIOS_CLIENT_SECRET

Example Usage

Ask Claude:

"Show me a live view of Tokyo right now"

"What's the weather like at the Trevi Fountain?"

"Find the nearest camera to my location"

"Take a screenshot from a random beach camera"

"Search for ski cameras in the Alps"

Nearest Camera Test Results

Results from find_nearest_camera across 15 global locations. Cameras are geocoded at the neighborhood level in major cities using proximity-biased geocoding.

Tokyo, Japan (Shibuya)

| Distance | Camera | Source | |----------|--------|--------| | 0.6 km | Tokyo - Shibuya Scramble Crossing | skyline | | 2.1 km | Tokyo - Nishiazabu | skyline | | 3.4 km | Panorama of Mount Fuji | skyline |

New York, USA (Times Square)

| Distance | Camera | Source | |----------|--------|--------| | 0 km | Times Square, New York (4K) | earthcam | | 3.3 km | Skyline of Manhattan - New York | skyline | | 5.2 km | New York City Skyline | skyline |

Rome, Italy (Trevi Fountain)

| Distance | Camera | Source | |----------|--------|--------| | 2.4 km | Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere - Rome | skyline | | 2.5 km | Trevi Fountain - Rome | skyline | | 2.5 km | Piazza di Spagna - Rome | skyline |

Paris, France (Eiffel Tower)

| Distance | Camera | Source | |----------|--------|--------| | 4 km | Paris - Notre Dame and Seine River | skyline | | 4 km | Paris - Sacre-Coeur | skyline | | 117.1 km | Saas-Fee - Mountain Dom | skyline |

London, UK (Big Ben)

| Distance | Camera | Source | |----------|--------|--------| | 0.8 km | Horseferry Rd / Marsham St, London | dot | | 0.9 km | London - Walworth Road | skyline | | 0.9 km | London - Abbey Road | skyline |

Sydney, Australia (Opera House)

| Distance | Camera | Source | |----------|--------|--------| | 1.4 km | Sydney | skyline | | 1.4 km | Panorama of Sydney | skyline | | 1.4 km | Sydney Harbour Bridge | skyline |

Dubai, UAE (Burj Khalifa)

| Distance | Camera | Source | |----------|--------|--------| | 0 km | Dubai Skyline / Burj Khalifa | tourism | | 13.8 km | The Palm - Dubai | skyline | | 18.7 km | Dubai Marina | tourism |

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Copacabana)

| Distance | Camera | Source | |----------|--------|--------| | 0.4 km | Copacabana - Rio de Janeiro | skyline | | 0.4 km | Copacabana | skyline | | 7.2 km | Christ the Redeemer - Rio de Janeiro | skyline |

Barcelona, Spain (Sagrada Familia)

| Distance | Camera | Source | |----------|--------|--------| | 2.1 km | Sant Sebastia Beach - Barcelona | skyline | | 2.1 km | Tur Tur Catamaran Tour - Port Olimpic | skyline | | 2.1 km | Castelldefels - Spain | skyline |

Reykjavik, Iceland

| Distance | Camera | Source | |----------|--------|--------| | 2.6 km | Panorama of Reykjavik | skyline | | 2.6 km | Reykjavik - Mount Esja | skyline | | 42 km | Craters of Hagafell - Iceland | skyline |

Cape Town, South Africa

| Distance | Camera | Source | |----------|--------|--------| | 0.1 km | Cape Town - Clifton Beach | skyline | | 0.1 km | Cape Town | skyline | | 0.1 km | Table Mountain - Cape Town | skyline |

Kyoto, Japan (Fushimi Inari)

| Distance | Camera | Source | |----------|--------|--------| | 3.7 km | Kyoto - Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine | skyline | | 6.2 km | Kyoto - Hanamikoji Street | skyline | | 6.2 km | Kyoto - Station Bus Terminal | skyline |

Maui, Hawaii, USA

| Distance | Camera | Source | |----------|--------|--------| | 7.3 km | Kihei - Hawaii | skyline | | 7.3 km | Kahului - Hawaii | skyline | | 140.8 km | Mauna Kea - Live Astronomy | skyline |

Chamonix, France (Mont Blanc)

| Distance | Camera | Source | |----------|--------|--------| | 0.1 km | Chamonix Town Center | ski | | 2.6 km | Brevent Arrival 2000m | ski | | 4.2 km | La Flegere, Chamonix | ski |

Yellowstone, USA (Old Faithful)

| Distance | Camera | Source | |----------|--------|--------| | 19.4 km | Yellowstone National Park - Old Faithful | skyline | | 30.4 km | West Entrance, Yellowstone | nps | | 48.8 km | Mt. Washburn NE, Yellowstone | nps |

License

MIT