How do I install Wayback Machine?

You can install Wayback Machine by adding it to your MCP client configuration (Cursor, Claude, VS Code, etc.) or by using the Stork MCP meta-server to discover and configure it automatically.

Wayback Machine

MCP server and CLI tool for interacting with the Wayback Machine without API keys

build.protocol_tooling.mcp

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Install Wayback Machine in your MCP client

Wayback Machine is a Model Context Protocol server. Add it to your MCP client config once, restart, and the server's tools become available to your AI assistant. The same JSON snippet below works across all four major clients — only the config file path differs.

Locate your client's MCP config file.
- Cursor: ~/.cursor/mcp.json
- Claude Desktop (macOS): ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
- Claude Desktop (Windows): %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
- VS Code: Settings → Extensions → MCP
- Windsurf: Settings → MCP Servers
Add Wayback Machine to the mcpServers map — paste the snippet below into your config file. If you already have other MCP servers, merge the entry into the existing mcpServers object.
Restart your client so it picks up the new server.
Verify — ask the assistant to list available tools; Wayback Machine's tools should appear.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "wayback-machine": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-wayback-machine"
      ],
      "env": {
        "WAYBACK_ACCESS_KEY": "<your-wayback-access-key>",
        "WAYBACK_SECRET_KEY": "<your-wayback-secret-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Install Wayback Machine in Cursor

Open ~/.cursor/mcp.json in your editor, paste the snippet above into mcpServers, save, and restart Cursor. Wayback Machine will show up in the assistant's tool list on next launch.

Install Wayback Machine in Claude Desktop (macOS)

Open ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json in your editor, paste the snippet above into mcpServers, save, and restart Claude Desktop (macOS). Wayback Machine will show up in the assistant's tool list on next launch.

Install Wayback Machine in Claude Desktop (Windows)

Open %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json in your editor, paste the snippet above into mcpServers, save, and restart Claude Desktop (Windows). Wayback Machine will show up in the assistant's tool list on next launch.

Install Wayback Machine in VS Code

Open Settings → Extensions → MCP in your editor, paste the snippet above into mcpServers, save, and restart VS Code. Wayback Machine will show up in the assistant's tool list on next launch.

npm package: mcp-wayback-machine

Required environment variables

Wayback Machine needs the following environment variables set before it can run. Add them to the env block of your mcpServers entry, or export them in your shell before launching the client.

WAYBACK_ACCESS_KEY
WAYBACK_SECRET_KEY

Transport

Wayback Machine supports the following MCP transports. Most AI clients use stdio by default for locally-installed servers.

stdio

Other Model Context Protocol servers in the same space as Wayback Machine. Each one adds different capabilities to your AI assistant — pick based on the data sources or workflows you need.

Browse the full MCP server directory or use Stork's one-line install to let your agent pick the right server automatically.