Brave Search
** - Web and local search using Brave's Search API. Has been replaced by the [official server](https://github.com/brave/brave-search-mcp-server).
What is Brave Search?
Brave Search is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to ** - web and local search using brave's search api. has been replaced by the [official server](https://github.com/brave/brave-search-mcp-server).
** - Web and local search using Brave's Search API. Has been replaced by the [official server](https://github.com/brave/brave-search-mcp-server).
This server falls under the Search & Data Extraction category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- ** - Web and local search using Brave's Search API. Has been
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx mcp-brave-searchConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Brave Search
MCP Brave Search is the original reference implementation of a Brave Search MCP server that enables privacy-focused web search and local business search through Brave's Search API. It exposes two tools — brave_web_search for general web queries with pagination and filtering, and brave_local_search for finding local businesses and services with an automatic fallback to web search. Developers use it to give AI agents access to independent, tracker-free search results without relying on Google or Bing; note that this server has been superseded by the official Brave Search MCP server at brave/brave-search-mcp-server.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 18+ and npx installed
- A Brave Search API key — sign up at https://brave.com/search/api/ (free tier: 2,000 queries/month)
- An MCP client such as Claude Desktop or VS Code with MCP support
Get a Brave Search API key
Register at https://brave.com/search/api/ to obtain a free API key. The free tier allows 2,000 queries per month, which is sufficient for personal use.
Test the server via npx
Run the server directly with npx to confirm it starts. Pass the BRAVE_API_KEY environment variable.
BRAVE_API_KEY=your_brave_api_key npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-searchAdd to claude_desktop_config.json
Configure Claude Desktop to launch the Brave Search MCP server with your API key as an environment variable.
{
"mcpServers": {
"brave-search": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-search"],
"env": {
"BRAVE_API_KEY": "your_brave_api_key_here"
}
}
}
}Restart your MCP client
Fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop (or your chosen MCP client) to load the new server configuration.
Consider migrating to the official server
This is an archived reference implementation. For production use, switch to the maintained official Brave Search MCP server at https://github.com/brave/brave-search-mcp-server which receives ongoing updates.
{
"mcpServers": {
"brave-search": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@brave/brave-search-mcp"],
"env": {
"BRAVE_API_KEY": "your_brave_api_key_here"
}
}
}
}Brave Search Examples
Client configuration
Claude Desktop config for the archived Brave Search MCP server using the BRAVE_API_KEY environment variable.
{
"mcpServers": {
"brave-search": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-search"],
"env": {
"BRAVE_API_KEY": "BSAxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
}
}
}
}Prompts to try
Example prompts that use brave_web_search and brave_local_search.
- "Search the web for the latest news on quantum computing breakthroughs."
- "Find the top 5 results for 'TypeScript generics tutorial' and summarise each one."
- "Search for Italian restaurants near downtown Austin, Texas."
- "Look up recent MCP server releases and list the most notable new capabilities."
- "Find recent articles about AI safety published in the last month."Troubleshooting Brave Search
API returns 401 Unauthorized
Verify that BRAVE_API_KEY is set correctly in the env block of your MCP client config. The key should start with 'BSA'. Log into https://brave.com/search/api/ to confirm the key is active and has not expired.
brave_local_search returns no results
Local search results depend on Brave's local index for the queried area. If no local results are found, the tool automatically falls back to a web search. Try rephrasing with a city or region name for better local coverage.
Server is archived and no longer receiving updates
This repository is archived. Switch to the official maintained server: https://github.com/brave/brave-search-mcp-server. The configuration is nearly identical — just change the npx package name to @brave/brave-search-mcp.
Frequently Asked Questions about Brave Search
What is Brave Search?
Brave Search is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that ** - web and local search using brave's search api. has been replaced by the [official server](https://github.com/brave/brave-search-mcp-server). It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Brave Search?
Follow the installation instructions on the Brave Search GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with Brave Search?
Brave Search works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Brave Search free to use?
Yes, Brave Search 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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Xiaohongshu
★ 13.7kMCP for xiaohongshu.com
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