Colour Memory

Connect it to your AI

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http colour-memory https://api.colourmemory.com/mcp

Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and other apps

Add it as a custom connector with this URL (Streamable HTTP):

https://api.colourmemory.com/mcp

This server expects extra headers, usually an API key from its maker.

Cursor, VS Code and other apps (mcp.json)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "colour-memory": {
      "url": "https://api.colourmemory.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Tools it offers

60 tools, as the server itself reported during our check on Oct 31, 2026.

• query_conceptualAsk a cultural, historical, or material colour question. Returns named archive colours with provenance and cultural context. Works for abstract queries like 'grief' (returns Ophelia Violet, Titan's Grief), 'toxic Victori
• extract_image_coloursExtract dominant colours from a photograph using Colour Memory's proprietary k-means++ algorithm. Requires either a public image_url, or an image_id. If you only have a raw uploaded file with no public URL (e.g. a local
• query_hexFind the closest named archive colours to a hex value using CIEDE2000 perceptual distance.
• palette_specifyGenerate a complete interior specification from 2-8 hex values. Returns surface assignments, 60-30-10 proportions, lighting behaviour, and archive colour names. The result already carries the rendered palette and its PNG
• colour_metricsReturns numeric metrics derived from a single display colour: an estimated light reflectance value (LRV) and band, relative luminance, CIELAB lightness, chroma and hue angle, and Bradford corresponding colours under two
• colour_harmoniesReturn complementary, triadic, analogous, and split-complementary harmonies matched to named archive colours. Also available: 'hay_contrast' -- D.R. Hay's (1838) documented contrast pairing between six named hues (yellow
• accessibility_checkEvaluates contrast for a single foreground/background pair. For palettes or multiple colours, use accessibility_matrix instead, it replaces multiple accessibility_check calls in one response.
• accessibility_matrixAccept a palette array and return every foreground/background combination with contrast ratio, AA normal, AA large, AAA normal, AAA large pass/fail grades, and a summary. Use this instead of calling accessibility_check m
• accessibility_rulesConvert a palette WCAG matrix into actionable design-system rules. Returns safe pairs, AA-only pairs, large-text-only pairs, decorative-only pairs, best text colour per background, and component usage rules. Deterministi
• colour_slugsReturn every developer token format for a hex value: CSS variable, kebab-case, camelCase, PascalCase, Tailwind class, TypeScript const, SCSS variable. Archive-grounded name source with dE2000 distance.
• palette_light_darkGenerate light-mode and dark-mode role maps from a palette. Analyses LRV, assigns background/surface/text/accent roles for each mode, checks body text contrast safety, and flags missing neutrals. The result already carri
• accessibility_fontGiven a background hex and a palette of candidate foreground colours, return them ranked by contrast ratio with WCAG grades and specific recommendations for body text, large text, and UI components.
• archive_searchFull-text keyword search across all archive colour names and notes. Find colours by name fragment, material, cultural reference, pigment type, or historical period. Complements conceptual embedding search with exact keyw
• colour_combinationAssess 2-5 colours as a combination for a given context (UI, data viz, fashion, interior, print, branding). Returns harmony type, clash warnings, contrast summary, and specific deployment rules for the context.
• palette_strictLike palette_concept but with archive filtering and relevance controls. Use allowed_archives to restrict results to specific cultural traditions e.g. ['Japan'] for Japanese only. Use min_relevance to filter weak concept
• archive_report_documentCreate a designed, full-colour Word (.docx) report from Colour Memory records. Use this whenever the user asks for a document, report, write-up, handout or Word file built from archive findings, instead of writing a plai
• palette_pdfGenerate a premium branded PDF specification sheet from a palette of archive entries. Returns a downloadable PDF with full-bleed colour panels, archive names, provenance notes, RAL nearest match, LRV, chroma, WCAG contra
• palette_auditFull palette quality audit. Scores on accessibility, cultural risk, tonal balance, colour diversity, and archive naming strength. Returns overall score 0-100, grade, and prioritised fix list. Enterprise quality gate -- u
• brand_systemComplete brand colour system in one call. Returns colour roles with archive names, light and dark mode role maps, typography guidance, usage rules per colour, design tokens (CSS, Tailwind, Figma), and citation cards. Det
• brand_asset_packComplete brand asset pack. Returns CSS variables, Tailwind config, Figma tokens JSON, citation cards, and a Markdown brand guide. Everything a brand team needs to ship. Deterministic. No LLM cost.
• accessibility_simulateReturn simulated hex values for full-severity protanopia, deuteranopia and tritanopia only, using the Machado, Oliveira & Fernandes (2009) model (severity 1.0, linear sRGB), with a flag when a simulated colour had to be
• colour_match_paintFind the nearest named colour in commercial paint systems including Farrow and Ball and Little Greene.
• colour_cardLook up a named colour and return its hex, archive, provenance, and cultural notes.
• meta_capabilitiesReturn a live inventory of all active endpoints and MCP tools. Use this first to discover what the API can do before making calls. Returns tool count, endpoint list, MCP-exposed tools, and usage notes. Deterministic -- n
• system_statusZero-argument diagnostic call: returns exactly what build is live right now (build_sha, schema_version, schema_hash, archive_revision, tool_count, generated_at, server_environment). Use this to confirm you're seeing the
• colour_storyGiven a hex value, returns a rich narrative about that colour's cultural journey — where it has appeared in history, what it has meant to different civilisations, and what archive names it carries. Essential for image ge
• palette_conceptGenerate a historically grounded colour palette from a cultural concept or theme. Returns 4-6 coordinated archive colours with hex values, proportions, and provenance. Examples: 'Victorian mourning', 'Ottoman court', 'Ja
• colour_mixSimulate perceptually modelled subtractive mixing of two colours in CIE Lab space (not RGB screen blending). Returns the resulting mixed hex value and its nearest archive match with cultural context. Uses CIE Lab subtrac
• colour_timelineGiven a concept or colour name, traces its documented appearances across cultures and centuries in chronological order. Returns a dated sequence of archive entries showing when and where the colour appeared, with primary
• image_paletteUpload an image (base64 encoded) and extract its dominant colour palette, with each colour matched to its nearest named archive entry with full cultural provenance. Uses K-means++ extraction; sRGB pixels are read as D65
• colour_compareDeep perceptual and semantic comparison between any two hex values. Returns quantified differences in LRV, chroma, hue angle, warmth, and CIEDE2000 distance, plus cultural context on both — which is more authoritative, m
• colour_cultural_riskCultural risk assessment for a hex value or palette (symbolic weight, regional taboos, religious associations, market flags). This is one component of colour_passport for single colours. Use colour_passport for a general
• design_sessionOne-call compound tool. Submit a concept, medium, audience, and constraints — receive a complete design package: historically grounded palette, cultural narrative, commercial paint matches, WCAG accessibility check, illu
• image_personalUpload a portrait photo and receive a full personal colour analysis. Determines your seasonal type (Spring, Summer, Autumn, or Winter), colour depth (light, medium, or deep), and undertone (warm, cool, or neutral). Retur
• style_matchThe colour question every stylist gets asked: does this bag go with this outfit? Submit your outfit items as hex values with labels (dress, bag, shoes, coat, belt, scarf, etc.) and receive a verdict on what works, what c
• interior_specifyGenerate a complete interior colour specification from a concept or brief. Input a room concept, type, and style — receive a professionally structured colour scheme with 60/30/10 surface assignments, archive colour names
• house_specifyGenerate a complete multi-room house colour scheme from a single archive. Where the retrieved evidence supports it, rooms are grouped by documented provenance (same object, same pattern colourway, same source citation, s
• palette_generateSend a palette of up to 12 slots, locking some with hex values and leaving others empty. Empty slots are filled with the nearest CIEDE2000 archive match, interpolated from the locked anchors. Optional archive filter rest
• palette_gradientGenerate a perceptually smooth gradient between 2-5 archive anchor colours. Each interpolated stop snaps to the nearest real archive colour by CIEDE2000. Anchor stops are kept true to their source. Choose linear (physica
• palette_translateMap any list of hex values into a target archive using CIEDE2000 nearest-neighbour matching. Each input hex is matched to the closest named colour in the chosen archive, with a delta-e relevance band (exact / close / app

Questions