Bright Data MCP
Official Bright Data server for the Model Context Protocol that enables AI assistants like Claude Desktop to reference and make decisions based on real-time public web data.
What is Bright Data MCP?
Bright Data MCP is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to official bright data server for the model context protocol that enables ai assistants like claude desktop to reference and make decisions based on real-time public web data.
Official Bright Data server for the Model Context Protocol that enables AI assistants like Claude Desktop to reference and make decisions based on real-time public web data.
This server falls under the Search & Data Extraction category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- Official Bright Data server for the Model Context Protocol t
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
NPM
npx -y @brightdata/mcpManual Installation
npx -y @brightdata/mcpConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Bright Data MCP
Bright Data MCP is the official Model Context Protocol server from Bright Data, connecting AI assistants like Claude to real-time public web data with built-in anti-bot detection and browser automation. It exposes a suite of tools for web search, scraping, social media intelligence, e-commerce data, and financial datasets — all routed through Bright Data's proxy infrastructure. Developers and analysts use it to give their AI agents the ability to access live, structured web information without being blocked by anti-scraping measures. With over 60 tools available in Pro mode, it covers everything from package registry lookups to full browser-based page rendering.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 18 or higher installed
- A Bright Data account with an API token (obtainable at brightdata.com)
- An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop or Cursor
- Optional: Bright Data Web Unlocker and Scraping Browser zones configured in your account
Obtain your Bright Data API token
Log in to your Bright Data account at brightdata.com, navigate to the API section, and generate an API token. This token is required to authenticate all requests from the MCP server.
Install the MCP server via npx
Run the Bright Data MCP server using npx without a separate global install. Pass your API token as an environment variable.
API_TOKEN=your_brightdata_token npx -y @brightdata/mcpConfigure your MCP client
Add the server entry to your MCP client configuration file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json for Claude Desktop). Set at minimum the API_TOKEN. Optionally enable PRO_MODE to unlock 60+ tools.
{
"mcpServers": {
"brightdata": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@brightdata/mcp"],
"env": {
"API_TOKEN": "your_brightdata_api_token",
"PRO_MODE": "false"
}
}
}
}Enable Pro mode for full tool access (optional)
By default only the free tools (search_engine, scrape_as_markdown, discover) are available. Set PRO_MODE=true in your env to unlock all 60+ tools including browser automation, social media scrapers, e-commerce data, and financial intelligence.
"PRO_MODE": "true"Scope tools with GROUPS or TOOLS env vars (optional)
To limit which tools are loaded, set GROUPS to a comma-separated list of categories (code, browser, ecommerce, social, finance, business, geo) or set TOOLS to specific tool names to keep token overhead low.
"GROUPS": "ecommerce,social"
"TOOLS": "extract,scrape_as_html"Restart your MCP client and verify
Restart Claude Desktop (or your chosen MCP client) after saving the config. The server should connect and expose the Bright Data tools. You can ask your AI assistant to search for something to verify it's working.
Bright Data MCP Examples
Client configuration
Complete claude_desktop_config.json snippet for the Bright Data MCP server with Pro mode enabled and rate limiting configured.
{
"mcpServers": {
"brightdata": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@brightdata/mcp"],
"env": {
"API_TOKEN": "your_brightdata_api_token",
"PRO_MODE": "true",
"RATE_LIMIT": "100/1h",
"WEB_UNLOCKER_ZONE": "mcp_unlocker",
"BROWSER_ZONE": "mcp_browser"
}
}
}
}Prompts to try
Example prompts that leverage Bright Data's real-time web data capabilities.
- "Search for the current price of NVDA stock and summarize any recent news about it."
- "Scrape the product listings from this e-commerce URL and give me prices and ratings."
- "What are the top trending topics on social media right now related to AI?"
- "Find the latest version of the 'react' npm package and its changelog."
- "Search the web for restaurant reviews near downtown San Francisco and summarize the top results."Troubleshooting Bright Data MCP
Error: 'API_TOKEN is required' when starting the server
Ensure the API_TOKEN environment variable is set in your MCP client config under the 'env' key. Do not pass it as a command argument — it must be in the env block.
Tools not appearing in the AI assistant even after configuration
Fully restart your MCP client after editing the config file. Also check that your Bright Data account has the Web Unlocker and Scraping Browser zones active, as some tools require these zones to be provisioned.
Rate limit errors during heavy usage
Set the RATE_LIMIT environment variable (e.g. '100/1h') to control request frequency, or increase your Bright Data plan's bandwidth allocation from the dashboard.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bright Data MCP
What is Bright Data MCP?
Bright Data MCP is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that official bright data server for the model context protocol that enables ai assistants like claude desktop to reference and make decisions based on real-time public web data. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Bright Data MCP?
Install via npm with the command: npx -y @brightdata/mcp. Then add the server configuration to your AI client's JSON config file (e.g., claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json).
Which AI clients work with Bright Data MCP?
Bright Data MCP works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Bright Data MCP free to use?
Yes, Bright Data MCP is open source and available under the MIT License license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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Browse More Search & Data Extraction MCP Servers
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