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Readme

Brave Search MCP Server

An MCP server implementation that integrates the Brave Search API, providing comprehensive search capabilities including web search, local business search, image search, video search, news search, and AI-powered summarization. This project supports both HTTP and STDIO transports, with HTTP as the default mode.

Tools

Web Search (`brave_web_search`)

Performs comprehensive web searches with rich result types and advanced filtering options.

Parameters:

query (string, required): Search terms (max 400 chars, 50 words)
country (string, optional): Country code (default: "US")
search_lang (string, optional): Search language (default: "en")
ui_lang (string, optional): UI language (default: "en-US")
count (number, optional): Results per page (1-20, default: 10)
offset (number, optional): Pagination offset (max 9, default: 0)
safesearch (string, optional): Content filtering ("off", "moderate", "strict", default: "moderate")
freshness (string, optional): Time filter ("pd", "pw", "pm", "py", or date range)
text_decorations (boolean, optional): Include highlighting markers (default: true)
spellcheck (boolean, optional): Enable spell checking (default: true)
result_filter (array, optional): Filter result types (default: ["web", "query"])
goggles (array, optional): Custom re-ranking definitions
units (string, optional): Measurement units ("metric" or "imperial")
extra_snippets (boolean, optional): Get additional excerpts (Pro plans only)
summary (boolean, optional): Enable summary key generation for AI summarization

Local Search (`brave_local_search`)

Searches for local businesses and places with detailed information including ratings, hours, and AI-generated descriptions.

Parameters:

Same as brave_web_search with automatic location filtering
Automatically includes "web" and "locations" in result_filter

Note: Requires Pro plan for full local search capabilities. Falls back to web search otherwise.

Video Search (`brave_video_search`)

Searches for videos with comprehensive metadata and thumbnail information.

Parameters:

query (string, required): Search terms (max 400 chars, 50 words)
country (string, optional): Country code (default: "US")
search_lang (string, optional): Search language (default: "en")
ui_lang (string, optional): UI language (default: "en-US")
count (number, optional): Results per page (1-50, default: 20)
offset (number, optional): Pagination offset (max 9, default: 0)
spellcheck (boolean, optional): Enable spell checking (default: true)
safesearch (string, optional): Content filtering ("off", "moderate", "strict", default: "moderate")
freshness (string, optional): Time filter ("pd", "pw", "pm", "py", or date range)

Image Search (`brave_image_search`)

Searches for images with automatic fetching and base64 encoding for direct display.

Parameters:

query (string, required): Search terms (max 400 chars, 50 words)
country (string, optional): Country code (default: "US")
search_lang (string, optional): Search language (default: "en")
count (number, optional): Results per page (1-200, default: 50)
safesearch (string, optional): Content filtering ("off", "strict", default: "strict")
spellcheck (boolean, optional): Enable spell checking (default: true)

News Search (`brave_news_search`)

Searches for current news articles with freshness controls and breaking news indicators.

Parameters:

query (string, required): Search terms (max 400 chars, 50 words)
country (string, optional): Country code (default: "US")
search_lang (string, optional): Search language (default: "en")
ui_lang (string, optional): UI language (default: "en-US")
count (number, optional): Results per page (1-50, default: 20)
offset (number, optional): Pagination offset (max 9, default: 0)
spellcheck (boolean, optional): Enable spell checking (default: true)
safesearch (string, optional): Content filtering ("off", "moderate", "strict", default: "moderate")
freshness (string, optional): Time filter (default: "pd" for last 24 hours)
extra_snippets (boolean, optional): Get additional excerpts (Pro plans only)
goggles (array, optional): Custom re-ranking definitions

Summarizer Search (`brave_summarizer`)

Generates AI-powered summaries from web search results using Brave's summarization API.

Parameters:

key (string, required): Summary key from web search results (use summary: true in web search)
entity_info (boolean, optional): Include entity information (default: false)
inline_references (boolean, optional): Add source URL references (default: false)

Usage: First perform a web search with summary: true, then use the returned summary key with this tool.

Configuration

Getting an API Key

Sign up for a Brave Search API account
Choose a plan:
- Free: 2,000 queries/month, basic web search
- Pro: Enhanced features including local search, AI summaries, extra snippets
Generate your API key from the developer dashboard

Environment Variables

The server supports the following environment variables:

BRAVE_API_KEY: Your Brave Search API key (required)
BRAVE_MCP_TRANSPORT: Transport mode ("http" or "stdio", default: "http")
BRAVE_MCP_PORT: HTTP server port (default: 8080)
BRAVE_MCP_HOST: HTTP server host (default: "0.0.0.0")

Command Line Options

node dist/index.js [options]

Options:
  --brave-api-key <string>    Brave API key
  --transport <stdio|http>    Transport type (default: http)
  --port <number>             HTTP server port (default: 8080)
  --host <string>             HTTP server host (default: 0.0.0.0)

Installation

Usage with Claude Desktop

Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json:

Docker

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "brave-search": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["run", "-i", "--rm", "-e", "BRAVE_API_KEY", "mcp/brave-search"],
      "env": {
        "BRAVE_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

NPX

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "brave-search": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@brave/brave-search-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "BRAVE_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Usage with VS Code

For quick installation, use the one-click installation buttons below:

For manual installation, add the following to your User Settings (JSON) or .vscode/mcp.json:

Docker

{
  "inputs": [
    {
      "password": true,
      "id": "brave-api-key",
      "type": "promptString",
      "description": "Brave Search API Key",
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "brave-search": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["run", "-i", "--rm", "-e", "BRAVE_API_KEY", "mcp/brave-search"],
      "env": {
        "BRAVE_API_KEY": "${input:brave-api-key}"
      }
    }
  }
}

NPX

{
  "inputs": [
    {
      "password": true,
      "id": "brave-api-key",
      "type": "promptString",
      "description": "Brave Search API Key",
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "brave-search-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@brave/brave-search-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "BRAVE_API_KEY": "${input:brave-api-key}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Build

Docker

docker build -t mcp/brave-search:latest .

Local Build

npm install
npm run build

Development

Prerequisites

Node.js 22.x or higher
npm
Brave Search API key

Setup

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/brave/brave-search-mcp-server.git
cd brave-search-mcp-server

Install dependencies:

npm install

Build the project:

npm run build

Testing via Claude Desktop

Add a reference to your local build in claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "brave-search-dev": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["C:\\GitHub\\brave-search-mcp-server\\dist\\index.js"], // Verify your path
      "env": {
        "BRAVE_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Testing via MCP Inspector

Build and start the server:

npm run build
node dist/index.js

In another terminal, start the MCP Inspector:

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node dist/index.js

For STDIO mode testing, add --transport stdio to the arguments in the Inspector UI.

Available Scripts

npm run build: Build the TypeScript project
npm run watch: Watch for changes and rebuild
npm run format: Format code with Prettier
npm run format:check: Check code formatting
npm run prepare: Format and build (runs automatically on npm install)

Docker Compose

For local development with Docker:

docker-compose up --build

License

This MCP server is licensed under the MIT License. This means you are free to use, modify, and distribute the software, subject to the terms and conditions of the MIT License. For more details, please see the LICENSE file in the project repository.

@brave/brave-search-mcp-server

Package Exports

Readme

Brave Search MCP Server

Tools

Web Search (brave_web_search)

Local Search (brave_local_search)

Video Search (brave_video_search)

Image Search (brave_image_search)

News Search (brave_news_search)

Summarizer Search (brave_summarizer)

Configuration

Getting an API Key

Environment Variables

Command Line Options

Installation

Usage with Claude Desktop

Docker

NPX

Usage with VS Code

Docker

NPX

Build

Docker

Local Build

Development

Prerequisites

Setup

Testing via Claude Desktop

Testing via MCP Inspector

Available Scripts

Docker Compose

License

Web Search (`brave_web_search`)

Local Search (`brave_local_search`)

Video Search (`brave_video_search`)

Image Search (`brave_image_search`)

News Search (`brave_news_search`)

Summarizer Search (`brave_summarizer`)