WebSearch-MCP
About
WebSearch-MCP is a Model Context Protocol server that provides web search capabilities to AI assistants. It integrates with a WebSearch Crawler API to retrieve real-time search results and communicates with AI models over stdio transport.
Explore
- Provides a web_search tool with customizable parameters.
- Supports filtering by language, region, domain inclusion/exclusion.
- Returns structured results (title, snippet, URL, site name, byline).
- Uses stdio transport for MCP communication.
- Configurable via environment variables (API_URL, MAX_SEARCH_RESULT).
- Integrates with a Docker-based crawler service using Flaresolverr.
Setting up with Highlight
This MCP is not yet compatible with Highlight’s one-click setup. However, you can still use it with Highlight by following these steps:
- Download and install Highlight from highlightai.com/download
- Navigate to the plugins tab and select "Add Custom Plugin"
-
Configure the plugin with the settings below
Plugin Name
WebSearch-MCPCommand (node, npx, python, etc.)Please refer to the README for specific instructions on how to obtain API keys or other required environment variables.
- Enable "Start Automatically" if you want the plugin to start when Highlight launches
From the repository
The WebSearch MCP server can be configured using environment variables:
- API_URL: The URL of the WebSearch Crawler API (default: http://localhost:3001)
- MAX_SEARCH_RESULT: Maximum number of search results to return when not specified in the request (default: 5)
Examples:
To install WebSearch for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:
npx -y @smithery/cli install @mnhlt/WebSearch-MCP --client claude
npm install -g websearch-mcp
Or use without installing:
npx websearch-mcp
API_URL=https://crawler.example.com npx websearch-mcp
MAX_SEARCH_RESULT=10 npx websearch-mcp
API_URL=https://crawler.example.com MAX_SEARCH_RESULT=10 npx websearch-mcp
Setting up WebSearch-MCP involves two main parts: configuring the crawler service that performs the actual web searches, and integrating the MCP server with your AI client applications.
You can customize the crawler service by modifying the environment variables in the docker-compose.yml file:
- PORT: The port on which the crawler API listens (default: 3001)
- LOG_LEVEL: Logging level (options: debug, info, warn, error)
- FLARESOLVERR_URL: URL of the FlareSolverr service (for bypassing Cloudflare protection)
Here's a quick reference for MCP configuration across different clients:
{
"mcpServers": {
"websearch": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"websearch-mcp"
],
"environment": {
"API_URL": "http://localhost:3001",
"MAX_SEARCH_RESULT": "5" // reduce to save your tokens, increase for wider information gain
}
}
}
}
Workaround for Windows, due to Issue
{
"mcpServers": {
"websearch": {
"command": "cmd",
"args": [
"/c",
"npx",
"websearch-mcp"
],
"environment": {
"API_URL": "http://localhost:3001",
"MAX_SEARCH_RESULT": "1"
}
}
}
}
web_search
Search the web for information. Use this tool when you need to search the web for information. You can use this tool to search for news, blogs, or all types of information. You can also use this tool to search for information about a specific company or product. You can also use this tool to search for information about a specific person. You can also use this tool to search for information about a specific product. You can also use this tool to search for information about a specific company. You can also use this tool to search for information about a specific event. You can also use this tool to search for information about a specific location. You can also use this tool to search for information about a specific thing. If you request search with 1 result number and failed, retry with bigger results number.
Claude Desktop / Cursor
Paste into your MCP client config file to install this server.
{
"mcpServers": {
"websearch-mcp": {
"websearch": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"websearch-mcp"
],
"environment": {
"API_URL": "http://localhost:3001",
"MAX_SEARCH_RESULT": "5"
}
}
}
}
}McpServers
{
"websearch": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"websearch-mcp"
],
"environment": {
"API_URL": "http://localhost:3001",
"MAX_SEARCH_RESULT": "5"
}
}
}A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server implementation that provides a web search capability over stdio transport. This server integrates with a WebSearch Crawler API to retrieve search results.
Table of Contents
- About
- Installation
- Configuration
- Setup & Integration
- Setting Up the Crawler Service
- Prerequisites
- Starting the Crawler Service
- Testing the Crawler API
- Custom Configuration
- Integrating with MCP Clients
- Quick Reference: MCP Configuration
- Claude Desktop
- Cursor IDE
- Cline
- Usage
- Parameters
- Example Search Response
- Testing Locally
- As a Library
- Troubleshooting
- Crawler Service Issues
- MCP Server Issues
- Development
- Project Structure
- Publishing to npm
- Contributing
- License
About
WebSearch-MCP is a Model Context Protocol server that provides web search capabilities to AI assistants that support MCP. It allows AI models like Claude to search the web in real-time, retrieving up-to-date information about any topic.
The server integrates with a Crawler API service that handles the actual web searches, and communicates with AI assistants using the standardized Model Context Protocol.
Installation
Installing via Smithery
To install WebSearch for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:
npx -y @smithery/cli install @mnhlt/WebSearch-MCP --client claude
Manual Installation
npm install -g websearch-mcp
Or use without installing:
npx websearch-mcp
Configuration
The WebSearch MCP server can be configured using environment variables:
- API_URL: The URL of the WebSearch Crawler API (default: http://localhost:3001)
- MAX_SEARCH_RESULT: Maximum number of search results to return when not specified in the request (default: 5)
Examples:
```bash
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