Serper
A Model Context Protocol server that enables LLMs to perform Google searches via the Serper API, allowing models to retrieve current information from the web.
What is Serper?
Serper is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to model context protocol server that enables llms to perform google searches via the serper api, allowing models to retrieve current information from the web.
A Model Context Protocol server that enables LLMs to perform Google searches via the Serper API, allowing models to retrieve current information from the web.
This server falls under the Search & Data Extraction category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- A Model Context Protocol server that enables LLMs to perform
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx serper-mcp-serverConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Serper
The Serper MCP server connects AI assistants to Google Search through the Serper API, providing access to 13 distinct search and scraping tools including web search, news, academic scholar search, image and video search, maps, shopping, patents, and full webpage scraping. Unlike browser automation approaches, it returns structured search results directly via API making it fast and reliable for grounding AI responses in current information. Developers and researchers use it to give Claude or other MCP clients access to real-time web data for research tasks, competitive analysis, and fact-checking.
Prerequisites
- A Serper API key from https://serper.dev (free tier available)
- Python 3.10+ and uvx installed (uv package manager), or pip for global install
- An MCP client such as Claude Desktop, Cursor, or VS Code with MCP extension
Obtain a Serper API key
Sign up at https://serper.dev and retrieve your API key from the dashboard. The free tier provides a limited number of searches per month.
Install the server (optional for uvx)
If you prefer a global pip install, run the command below. If you use uvx, no pre-installation is needed — uvx downloads and runs the package on demand.
pip install serper-mcp-serverConfigure your MCP client
Add the serper-mcp-server to your MCP client configuration. The SERPER_API_KEY environment variable is the only required credential.
{
"mcpServers": {
"serper": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["serper-mcp-server"],
"env": {
"SERPER_API_KEY": "your-serper-api-key"
}
}
}
}Restart your MCP client
Save the configuration and restart Claude Desktop or your MCP client. The Serper tools (google_search, google_search_news, webpage_scrape, etc.) should appear in the available tool list.
Debug with the MCP inspector (optional)
If tools do not appear or searches fail, use the MCP inspector to test the server directly and inspect tool inputs/outputs.
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector uvx serper-mcp-serverSerper Examples
Client configuration
Full claude_desktop_config.json block for the Serper MCP server using uvx. Replace the API key with your own from the Serper dashboard.
{
"mcpServers": {
"serper": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["serper-mcp-server"],
"env": {
"SERPER_API_KEY": "your-serper-api-key"
}
}
}
}Prompts to try
Use these prompts to exercise the 13 search and scraping tools available through the Serper MCP server.
- "Search Google for the latest news about Model Context Protocol and summarize the top 5 results"
- "Find recent academic papers on transformer attention mechanisms using Google Scholar"
- "Search Google Maps for Italian restaurants near Times Square New York"
- "Scrape the full content of https://example.com and extract all product prices"
- "Search Google Shopping for the best price on a Sony WH-1000XM5 headphone"
- "Find Google Images of the Eiffel Tower at night and describe what you find"Troubleshooting Serper
API returns 401 Unauthorized or 'Invalid API key'
Double-check that SERPER_API_KEY is set correctly in the env block of your MCP config. The key must match exactly what is shown in your Serper dashboard at https://serper.dev — no extra spaces or quotes.
uvx serper-mcp-server fails to start
Ensure uv is installed ('pip install uv' or 'brew install uv'). If uvx is not found after installation, run 'uv tool install serper-mcp-server' first and then try again.
Search results are empty or quota exceeded
Free Serper accounts have a monthly search quota. Check your usage at https://serper.dev/dashboard. If you have hit the limit, upgrade your plan or wait for the monthly reset.
Frequently Asked Questions about Serper
What is Serper?
Serper is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that model context protocol server that enables llms to perform google searches via the serper api, allowing models to retrieve current information from the web. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Serper?
Follow the installation instructions on the Serper GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with Serper?
Serper works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Serper free to use?
Yes, Serper is open source and available under the MIT license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
Serper Alternatives — Similar Search & Data Extraction Servers
Looking for alternatives to Serper? Here are other popular search & data extraction servers you can use with Claude, Cursor, and VS Code.
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PDF Math Translate
★ 33.9k[EMNLP 2025 Demo] PDF scientific paper translation with preserved formats - 基于 AI 完整保留排版的 PDF 文档全文双语翻译，支持 Google/DeepL/Ollama/OpenAI 等服务，提供 CLI/GUI/MCP/Docker/Zotero
GPT Researcher
★ 27.2kAn autonomous agent that conducts deep research on any data using any LLM providers
Agent Reach
★ 20.1kGive your AI agent eyes to see the entire internet. Read & search Twitter, Reddit, YouTube, GitHub, Bilibili, XiaoHongShu — one CLI, zero API fees.
Xiaohongshu
★ 13.7kMCP for xiaohongshu.com
Browse More Search & Data Extraction MCP Servers
Explore all search & data extraction servers available in the MCPgee directory. Each server includes setup guides for Claude, Cursor, and VS Code.
Set Up Serper 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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