DDGS
A metasearch library that aggregates results from diverse web search services
What is DDGS?
DDGS is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to metasearch library that aggregates results from diverse web search services
A metasearch library that aggregates results from diverse web search services
This server falls under the Search & Data Extraction category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- A metasearch library that aggregates results from diverse we
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx ddgsConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use DDGS
DDGS (Dux Distributed Global Search) is a Python metasearch library and MCP server that aggregates results from ten web search backends including Bing, Brave, DuckDuckGo, Google, Startpage, Yandex, and Yahoo, as well as image, video, news, and book search. It exposes six MCP tools — text search, image search, news search, video search, book search, and URL content extraction — making it a drop-in web search capability for any MCP-compatible AI agent. Developers and AI application builders use it to give Claude or other agents real-time access to the web without requiring vendor-specific API keys.
Prerequisites
- Python 3.10+
- pip package manager
- An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop or Cursor
- Optional: a SOCKS5/HTTP proxy if you need to route requests through one
Install the DDGS MCP server package
Install ddgs with the mcp extra to include the MCP server dependencies (based on stdio transport).
pip install -U ddgs[mcp]Verify the CLI is available
Confirm the ddgs command is on your PATH and the mcp subcommand is accessible.
ddgs --help
ddgs mcp --helpTest the MCP server manually
Start the MCP server in stdio mode to confirm it launches without errors before wiring it into a client.
ddgs mcpAdd DDGS to your MCP client configuration
Register the server in your MCP client config file so it is available as a set of search tools.
Optional: run with a proxy
If you need requests routed through a SOCKS5 proxy (e.g. Tor), pass the -pr flag.
ddgs mcp -pr socks5h://127.0.0.1:9150DDGS Examples
Client configuration
Add DDGS as an MCP server in Claude Desktop or Cursor. No API keys are required.
{
"mcpServers": {
"ddgs": {
"command": "ddgs",
"args": ["mcp"]
}
}
}Prompts to try
Example prompts to try in Claude once DDGS is connected as an MCP server.
- "Search the web for the latest news about the Anthropic Claude API and summarise the top 5 articles."
- "Find images of the northern lights taken in Iceland this winter."
- "Search YouTube for video tutorials on LangGraph and list the most viewed ones."
- "Extract the main content from https://example.com/article and summarise it in bullet points."Troubleshooting DDGS
ddgs command not found after installation
The ddgs binary is installed in your Python environment's bin directory. If you used pip install --user, add ~/.local/bin to your PATH. If you used a virtual environment, activate it first. You can also find the path with python -m ddgs.
Search requests return empty results or time out
DDGS uses multiple backends automatically (backend='auto'). If results are empty, one or more backends may be rate-limiting your IP. Try using a proxy (ddgs mcp -pr http://proxy:port) or wait a few minutes before retrying. You can also test a specific backend: ddgs mcp will internally try alternatives.
extract_content tool returns an error for a specific URL
Some URLs block automated access or require JavaScript rendering. The extract tool fetches the raw HTTP response — it does not execute JavaScript. For JS-heavy pages, the extracted content may be empty or incomplete. Use the search tools to find an alternative source instead.
Frequently Asked Questions about DDGS
What is DDGS?
DDGS is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that metasearch library that aggregates results from diverse web search services It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install DDGS?
Follow the installation instructions on the DDGS GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with DDGS?
DDGS works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is DDGS free to use?
Yes, DDGS is open source and available under the MIT license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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Set Up DDGS in Your Editor
Choose your AI client for step-by-step setup instructions.
Quick Config Preview
Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json
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