Search MCP

The Universal MCP Server exposes tools for your workflows and is designed for prompt-first usage in MCP-compatible clients.

Installation

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• Set SEARCH_MCP_... in your environment

Get an API key

• If your tools require an external API, obtain a key from the provider’s docs/console.
• Otherwise, you can skip this step.

Build locally

cd /path/to/search-mcp
npm i
npm run build

Setup: Claude Code (CLI)

Use this one-liner (replace with your real values):

claude mcp add Search MCP -s user -e SEARCH_MCP_API_KEY="sk-your-real-key" -- npx search-mcp

To remove:

claude mcp remove Search MCP

Setup: Cursor

Create .cursor/mcp.json in your client (do not commit it here):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "search-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["search-mcp"],
      "env": { "SEARCH_MCP_API_KEY": "sk-your-real-key" },
      "autoStart": true
    }
  }
}

Other Clients and Agents

Install via URI or CLI:

code --add-mcp '{"name":"search-mcp","command":"npx","args":["search-mcp"],"env":{"SEARCH_MCP_API_KEY":"sk-your-real-key"}}'

Follow the MCP install guide and reuse the standard config above.

• Command: npx
• Args: ["search-mcp"]
• Env: SEARCH_MCP_API_KEY=sk-your-real-key

• Type: STDIO
• Command: npx
• Args: search-mcp
• Enabled: true

Example ~/.config/opencode/opencode.json:

{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "search-mcp": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": ["npx", "search-mcp"],
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}

Add a new MCP and paste the standard JSON config.

See docs and reuse the standard config above.

Setup: Codex (TOML)

Example (Serena):

[mcp_servers.serena]
command = "uvx"
args = ["--from", "git+https://github.com/oraios/serena", "serena", "start-mcp-server", "--context", "codex"]

This server (minimal):

[mcp_servers.search-mcp]
command = "npx"
args = ["search-mcp"]
# Optional:
# SEARCH_MCP_API_KEY = "sk-your-real-key"
# MCP_NAME = "search-mcp"

Configuration (Env)

• SEARCH_MCP_API_KEY: Your API key (if applicable)
• MCP_NAME: Server name override (default: search-mcp)

Available Tools

• web_search
  • inputs: object { query: string (required), count?: number, offset?: number, safeSearch?: 'off'|'moderate'|'strict', country?: string, freshness?: 'pd'|'pw'|'pm'|'py', enableRichCallback?: boolean }
  • outputs: object (Brave Web Search API JSON)
• local_pois
  • inputs: object { ids: string[] (1-20) }
  • outputs: object (Local POI API JSON)
• local_descriptions
  • inputs: object { ids: string[] (1-20) }
  • outputs: object (Local descriptions API JSON)
• rich_fetch
  • inputs: object { callback_key: string }
  • outputs: object (Rich results JSON)

Example invocation (MCP tool call)

{
  "tool": "web_search",
  "inputs": {
    "query": "weather in munich",
    "enableRichCallback": true
  }
}

Troubleshooting

• 401 auth errors: check SEARCH_MCP_API_KEY
• Ensure Node 18+
• Local runs: npx search-mcp after npm run build
• Inspect publish artifacts: npm pack --dry-run

References

• MCP SDK: https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/sdks
• Architecture: https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/learn/architecture
• Server Concepts: https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/learn/server-concepts
• Specification: https://modelcontextprotocol.io/specification/2025-06-18/server/index
• Brave Search API: https://api.search.brave.com/app/documentation

Name Consistency & Troubleshooting

• Always use CANONICAL_ID (search-mcp) for identifiers and keys.
• Use CANONICAL_DISPLAY (Search MCP) only for UI labels.
• Do not mix legacy keys after registration.

Consistency Matrix:

• npm package name → search-mcp
• Binary name → search-mcp
• MCP server name (SDK metadata) → search-mcp
• Env default MCP_NAME → search-mcp
• Client registry key → search-mcp
• UI label → Search MCP

Conflict Cleanup:

• Remove any stale keys (e.g., old display names) and re-add with search-mcp only.
• Cursor: configure in the UI; this project intentionally omits .cursor/mcp.json.