O3 Search
An MCP server that enables web search capabilities using OpenAI's o3 model, allowing AI assistants to perform text-based web searches and return AI-powered results.
What is O3 Search?
O3 Search is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to mcp server that enables web search capabilities using openai's o3 model, allowing ai assistants to perform text-based web searches and return ai-powered results.
An MCP server that enables web search capabilities using OpenAI's o3 model, allowing AI assistants to perform text-based web searches and return AI-powered results.
This server falls under the Search & Data Extraction category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- An MCP server that enables web search capabilities using Ope
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx o3-search-mcpConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use O3 Search
O3 Search MCP is a lightweight MCP server that gives AI assistants access to web search powered by OpenAI's o3 model (and compatible models like o4-mini). Instead of returning raw search results, it runs the query through an OpenAI reasoning model that synthesizes and interprets the web content, delivering AI-refined answers. Configuration options let you tune the model, search context size, and reasoning effort level, making it flexible for both quick lookups and deep research tasks.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 18 or newer (for npx execution)
- An OpenAI API key with access to o3 or o4-mini models (OPENAI_API_KEY)
- An MCP client such as Claude Desktop or Claude Code
Add the server to Claude Code via CLI (recommended)
The fastest setup uses the Claude Code CLI to register the MCP server and pass your API key in one command.
claude mcp add o3 -s user -e OPENAI_API_KEY=your-api-key -- npx o3-search-mcpOr configure Claude Desktop manually
Alternatively, add the server entry directly to your Claude Desktop configuration file.
{
"mcpServers": {
"o3-search": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["o3-search-mcp"],
"env": {
"OPENAI_API_KEY": "your_openai_api_key_here",
"OPENAI_MODEL": "o3",
"SEARCH_CONTEXT_SIZE": "medium",
"REASONING_EFFORT": "medium"
}
}
}
}Optional: tune model and effort settings
Set environment variables to control which model is used and how deeply it reasons. OPENAI_MODEL accepts o3, o4-mini, or gpt-5. SEARCH_CONTEXT_SIZE and REASONING_EFFORT each accept low, medium, or high.
Restart Claude Desktop or reload the MCP server
Restart your MCP client to pick up the new server registration.
Test the search capability
Ask your AI assistant to search the web for something current to confirm the o3-search tool is available and returning results.
O3 Search Examples
Client configuration
Claude Desktop configuration for o3-search-mcp with optional model and effort tuning variables.
{
"mcpServers": {
"o3-search": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["o3-search-mcp"],
"env": {
"OPENAI_API_KEY": "your_openai_api_key_here",
"OPENAI_MODEL": "o3",
"SEARCH_CONTEXT_SIZE": "high",
"REASONING_EFFORT": "high",
"OPENAI_API_TIMEOUT": "300000",
"OPENAI_MAX_RETRIES": "3"
}
}
}
}Prompts to try
Use these prompts to leverage o3's web search and reasoning capabilities via your AI assistant.
- "Search the web for the latest release notes for React 19."
- "I'm getting a 'TypeError: Cannot read property of undefined' in Next.js 15. Ask o3 to find the most common causes."
- "Upgrade this library to v2 while consulting o3 for breaking changes."
- "Design a distributed rate limiter and ask o3 to review the architecture."
- "What are the current best practices for securing a Node.js REST API according to recent sources?"Troubleshooting O3 Search
Requests fail with 'model not found' or 'insufficient permissions'
Verify your OpenAI API key has access to the o3 model tier. Not all OpenAI accounts have o3 access by default — check your usage tier at platform.openai.com. Alternatively, set OPENAI_MODEL=o4-mini which may have broader availability.
Searches time out on complex queries
Increase the OPENAI_API_TIMEOUT value (in milliseconds, default 300000) in your config. High REASONING_EFFORT queries can take longer; also consider lowering REASONING_EFFORT to 'medium' or 'low' if latency is a concern.
npx o3-search-mcp fails with a package not found error
Ensure you have Node.js 18+ and a working npm registry connection. Run `npm view o3-search-mcp` to confirm the package exists. If behind a corporate proxy, configure npm to use your proxy settings.
Frequently Asked Questions about O3 Search
What is O3 Search?
O3 Search is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that mcp server that enables web search capabilities using openai's o3 model, allowing ai assistants to perform text-based web searches and return ai-powered results. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install O3 Search?
Follow the installation instructions on the O3 Search GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with O3 Search?
O3 Search works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is O3 Search free to use?
Yes, O3 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
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Browse More Search & Data Extraction MCP Servers
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Set Up O3 Search 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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