Brightdata MCP
A powerful Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides an all-in-one solution for public web access.
What is Brightdata MCP?
Brightdata MCP is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to powerful model context protocol (mcp) server that provides an all-in-one solution for public web access.
A powerful Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides an all-in-one solution for public web access.
This server falls under the Search & Data Extraction category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- A powerful Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx brightdataConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Brightdata MCP
The Brightdata MCP server is a Model Context Protocol implementation built on Bright Data's infrastructure, providing AI assistants with an all-in-one solution for accessing public web data. It enables AI agents to search the web, scrape pages as clean markdown or HTML, bypass anti-bot protections, and access specialized data for e-commerce, social media, and financial intelligence. This server is ideal for developers who want their AI workflows to pull live, structured data from the public web without managing proxy infrastructure themselves.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 18 or higher installed
- A Bright Data account with a valid API token
- An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf
- Optional: Bright Data Web Unlocker and Scraping Browser zones provisioned in your account
Get your Bright Data API token
Sign up or log in at brightdata.com, navigate to the API settings, and create an API token with access to your desired zones (Web Unlocker, Scraping Browser).
Run the MCP server
Launch the Brightdata MCP server using npx. The server connects to Bright Data's proxy network using your API token.
API_TOKEN=your_brightdata_token npx brightdataAdd to your MCP client configuration
Edit your MCP client's config file to include the Brightdata server entry with your credentials.
{
"mcpServers": {
"brightdata": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["brightdata"],
"env": {
"API_TOKEN": "your_brightdata_api_token"
}
}
}
}Verify available tools
Restart your MCP client. The server exposes tools for web search (search_engine), scraping pages as markdown (scrape_as_markdown), and discovering linked resources. Pro tools require PRO_MODE=true.
Configure optional zones and rate limiting
Customize which Bright Data zones the server uses and apply rate limits to control usage costs. The WEB_UNLOCKER_ZONE and BROWSER_ZONE env vars point to your Bright Data zone names.
"WEB_UNLOCKER_ZONE": "mcp_unlocker",
"BROWSER_ZONE": "mcp_browser",
"RATE_LIMIT": "50/1h"Brightdata MCP Examples
Client configuration
claude_desktop_config.json configuration for the Brightdata MCP server.
{
"mcpServers": {
"brightdata": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["brightdata"],
"env": {
"API_TOKEN": "your_brightdata_api_token",
"WEB_UNLOCKER_ZONE": "mcp_unlocker",
"BROWSER_ZONE": "mcp_browser"
}
}
}
}Prompts to try
Example prompts to use with the Brightdata MCP server connected to your AI assistant.
- "Search the web for the latest AI research papers published this week."
- "Scrape this product page URL and extract the title, price, and customer rating."
- "What are the top results when searching for 'best JavaScript frameworks 2025'?"
- "Get the content of this news article URL and give me a three-sentence summary."
- "Find all the links on this website's homepage."Troubleshooting Brightdata MCP
Server fails to start with authentication error
Verify that the API_TOKEN environment variable is correctly set in the 'env' block of your MCP config. Log in to your Bright Data account and confirm the token is active and not expired.
Scraping requests return empty results or blocked responses
Ensure the Web Unlocker zone is active in your Bright Data account. Set WEB_UNLOCKER_ZONE to your actual zone name. For JavaScript-heavy pages, the browser zone is needed — ensure BROWSER_ZONE is also configured.
npx brightdata command not found or fails to resolve
The package may require a specific version or the npm registry entry may have changed. Try using the official package instead: 'npx -y @brightdata/mcp' which is the verified package name.
Frequently Asked Questions about Brightdata MCP
What is Brightdata MCP?
Brightdata MCP is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that powerful model context protocol (mcp) server that provides an all-in-one solution for public web access. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Brightdata MCP?
Follow the installation instructions on the Brightdata MCP GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with Brightdata MCP?
Brightdata MCP works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Brightdata MCP free to use?
Yes, Brightdata MCP is open source and available under the MIT 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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Set Up Brightdata MCP in Your Editor
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Quick Config Preview
Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json
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