Once Claude, Claude Code, Codex or another MCP client is connected, you work with the site by describing what you want. The agent chooses the tools, reads what it needs, and reports back with links to the records it touched.
What an agent can do
| Tools | What they do |
|---|---|
omeka_info |
Describes the site: your role and what you may change, the rules for new records, counts, collections, item types and element sets. Agents usually start here. |
search_elements, get_item_type |
Find the right metadata fields, and the fields of an item type. |
search_resources, get_resource |
Search items (keywords, field conditions, collection, item type, tags, dates), collections and files, and read full records. get_resource can attach an image so the agent can look at it. |
create_items, create_collection |
Create records with metadata, item type, collection and tags, with files fetched from web addresses. |
update_resources |
Replace, add, remove or clear values on many records at once; change visibility, featured, collection, item type, tags and alt text. Supports a dry run. |
add_files, request_upload |
Add files from web addresses or from your computer. |
delete_resources |
Delete records. Only when an administrator allows it. |
get_site, update_site, update_navigation |
The site's settings, home page, navigation, simple pages and exhibits; change settings, the menu and the home page. |
list_themes, get_theme_settings, update_theme_settings, request_theme_upload |
Every setting of the theme, checked against the theme's own form; images for logos and banners. Supports a dry run. |
get_page, create_page, update_page, delete_page |
Simple pages, in HTML (Block Suite shortcodes work there). |
get_exhibit, create_exhibit, update_exhibit, create_exhibit_page, update_exhibit_page, delete_exhibit_page |
Exhibits and their pages, built from blocks with attached items. |
describe_block_layouts |
The block layouts exhibit pages can use, Exhibit Builder's and Block Suite's, with each one's options. |
The agent works as you: it sees and changes only what your Omeka account can. If you gave it read-only access when you signed in, or your role cannot add items, the editing tools are not offered at all.
Describe the work
Say what result you want and which records it applies to. For example:
- "Summarize this collection: its collections, item types, and roughly what kinds of items it holds."
- "Find items in the Photographs collection that have no Dublin Core date, and list them with their titles."
- "Create an item for each scan in ./letters with the Text item type. Take the metadata from inventory.xlsx, keep the items private, and attach each scan."
- "Look at every image in the Prints collection and write alt text for each file. Show me a dry run before saving."
- "Build an exhibit called 'Main Street, 1950' with three pages: an introduction with a callout, a gallery of the storefront photographs, and a timeline."
- "Change the theme's primary color to our brand blue and put the new logo in the header."
Preview before large edits
update_resources and update_theme_settings can run as a dry run, which returns the before and after values of every change without saving anything. Ask for one before edits that touch many records, check it, then tell the agent to go ahead. Edits only touch the fields they name.
Pages, exhibits and the menu
An agent builds pages the way you would in the admin. It reads a page, exhibit page or the navigation before rewriting it, because update_page text, update_exhibit_page blocks and update_navigation replace what they are given. Links that plugins add to the menu (simple pages, Browse Exhibits) can be renamed, moved or hidden but stay in it.
Upload files from your computer
A coding agent attaches local files in two steps:
- It asks the site for an upload address for an item (
request_upload). - It sends each file to that address with
curl, for examplecurl -F "file=@scan-001.tif" --form-string "alt_text=…" "<upload address>".
Upload addresses work for one hour and for a set number of files; only a fingerprint of each is stored. Images for theme settings go through request_theme_upload the same way.
Check the work
Every answer includes admin links to the records, pages and exhibits the agent touched. Records are owned by your user, so they show in the admin as yours.