Self-hosting 3D Asset Server

3D Asset Server is open source (Apache-2.0). Run your own copy to put it behind your own key, enable more sources, or let the MCP server write files to a shared disk.

Docker

docker run -p 8787:8787 ghcr.io/arielshad/3d-asset-server

Open http://localhost:8787 for the website, /v1/* for the API and /mcp for MCP.

Node.js

git clone https://github.com/arielshad/3d-asset-server
cd 3d-asset-server
npm ci && npm run build
npm start

Configuration

Variable	Default	Purpose
PORT / HOST	8787 / 0.0.0.0	HTTP bind address.
ASSET_SERVER_API_KEY	none	Require Authorization: Bearer <key>, x-api-key or ?api_key= on /v1/* and /mcp.
ASSET_SERVER_PUBLIC_URL	request origin	Base URL used in links handed to MCP clients. Set it behind a TLS proxy.
ASSET_SERVER_PROVIDERS	all	Comma list to enable only some sources.
ASSET_SERVER_HTTP_DOWNLOADS	false	Expose download_asset on the HTTP MCP endpoint (writes to the server’s disk).
ASSET_DOWNLOAD_DIR	./assets	Where MCP downloads go.
ASSET_SERVER_PROVIDER_TIMEOUT_MS	12000	Per-source search timeout.
BLENDERKIT_API_KEY	none	Unlocks plan and purchased BlenderKit assets.
ASSET_SERVER_RATE_LIMIT	120	Requests per client per window on /v1/* and /mcp, with RateLimit headers and 429 + Retry-After beyond it. 0 turns it off.
ASSET_SERVER_RATE_LIMIT_WINDOW	60	Rate-limit window in seconds.
METRICS_PORT	off	Serve Prometheus metrics on this port at /metrics, and log one JSON line per search, download and tool call.
PROMETHEUS_URL	off	Prometheus that scrapes METRICS_PORT. /v1/stats and the /stats page then show the last 24 hours and 7 days; without it they count since the server started.

Analytics

With METRICS_PORT set, the server exports Prometheus metrics with bounded labels only (surface, client family, source, status, tool):

• asset_server_searches_total, asset_server_search_duration_seconds, asset_server_search_results
• asset_server_provider_requests_total and asset_server_provider_duration_seconds for each source’s health and latency
• asset_server_downloads_total, asset_server_asset_views_total
• asset_server_mcp_tool_calls_total by tool and client family (Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, …)
• asset_server_http_requests_total, asset_server_page_views_total

The /stats page and GET /v1/stats read these counters back: from Prometheus when PROMETHEUS_URL is set, otherwise from this process since it started.

Each search also logs a JSON line ({"event":"search","query":…,"results":…}) for top-query and zero-result analysis in Loki or any log store. Nothing personal is recorded: no IPs, keys or cookies.

Stdio MCP

node dist/cli.js mcp

Runs the MCP server over stdio with the download_asset tool enabled, for desktop clients that launch a local process.