# Colour Memory API

> Cultural colour intelligence for AI agents, developers, and brand teams.
> Every result is provenance-labelled: documented fact, source type, and inferred hex always separated.
> Base URL: https://api.colourmemory.com

## Quick start

- [MCP server](https://api.colourmemory.com/mcp) — add to Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, Cursor, or any MCP client
- [REST docs](https://api.colourmemory.com/docs) — OpenAPI reference
- [Get API key](https://colourmemory.com/start) — free tier available, no card required

## Authentication

Pass your key in the X-Api-Key header. Free Explorer tier works without a key (IP limited).

## Core tools

- POST /query/hex — match any hex to nearest archive colour by CIEDE2000
- POST /query/conceptual — search by concept, mood, or culture (e.g. "Ottoman luxury", "Victorian grief")
- POST /archive/search — keyword search across all archives
- GET /colour/{name} — full provenance record for a named colour
- POST /colour/cultural-risk — cultural risk assessment across global markets
- POST /palette/verdict — score a palette 0-100 with improvement suggestions
- POST /palette/iterate — refine a palette with natural language feedback
- POST /palette/export — export to CSS, Figma tokens, Tailwind config
- POST /accessibility/matrix — full WCAG 2.1 matrix for a palette in one call
- POST /brand/audit — palette roles, WCAG matrix, cultural risk, design tokens
- POST /ecommerce/copy — archive-grounded product colour copy
- POST /image/palette — extract dominant colours from an image
- POST /session/brief — forensic colour research brief

## Archives

Tens of thousands of named colours across dozens of archives: ancient pigments, imperial palettes,
literary colour, toxic chemistry, Japan, Islamic tradition, Viking Norse, Georgian vice, Victorian,
British Modern, Edwardian, EIC, FirstWorldWar, SyntheticPigment, ScreenDigital, FashionTextile, and more.

## Notes

- Archive calls are generous and cheap. Intelligence endpoints (brand reports, briefs, ecommerce copy) use credits.
- All responses include provenance fields: claim_strength (A-E), confidence (0.0-1.0), source_type, do_not_say warnings.
- MCP tool names use snake_case and match REST path structure: query_hex, palette_verdict, brand_audit etc.