WebSearch MCP
[Self-hosted] A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server implementation that provides a web search capability over stdio transport. This server integrates with a WebSearch Crawler API to retrieve search results.
What is WebSearch MCP?
WebSearch MCP is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to [self-hosted] a model context protocol (mcp) server implementation that provides a web search capability over stdio transport. this server integrates with a websearch crawler api to retrieve search re...
[Self-hosted] A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server implementation that provides a web search capability over stdio transport. This server integrates with a WebSearch Crawler API to retrieve search results.
This server falls under the Search & Data Extraction category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- MCP protocol support
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx websearch-mcpConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use WebSearch MCP
WebSearch-MCP is a self-hosted Model Context Protocol server that gives AI assistants like Claude real-time web search capability over stdio transport. It connects to a local crawler API service (running via Docker Compose with FlareSolverr for JavaScript-rendered pages) so search queries never touch third-party search APIs — making it suitable for privacy-conscious or air-gapped deployments. Developers and power users who want full control over the search infrastructure and result limits use this server to give their AI workflows current, uncensored web information.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 18 or higher and npm installed
- Docker and Docker Compose installed to run the crawler service
- The crawler service running locally (default at http://localhost:3001)
- Claude Desktop, Cursor, Cline, or another MCP-compatible client
Start the self-hosted crawler service
Create a docker-compose.yml that runs the websearch-crawler image alongside FlareSolverr, then start both containers. On Apple Silicon Macs, add the platform overrides shown in the README.
# docker-compose.yml
version: '3.8'
services:
crawler:
image: laituanmanh/websearch-crawler:latest
container_name: websearch-api
restart: unless-stopped
ports:
- "3001:3001"
environment:
- NODE_ENV=production
- PORT=3001
- FLARESOLVERR_URL=http://flaresolverr:8191/v1
depends_on:
- flaresolverr
volumes:
- crawler_storage:/app/storage
flaresolverr:
image: 21hsmw/flaresolverr:nodriver
container_name: flaresolverr
restart: unless-stopped
volumes:
crawler_storage:Start and verify the crawler containers
Bring the containers up in detached mode and confirm the crawler health endpoint returns ok before wiring up the MCP server.
docker-compose up -d
docker-compose ps
curl http://localhost:3001/healthInstall the WebSearch-MCP server
Install the npm package globally or use npx to run it without a global install.
npm install -g websearch-mcp
# or use without installing:
# npx websearch-mcpConfigure your MCP client
Add the server to your claude_desktop_config.json or equivalent client config. Set API_URL to point at the local crawler and optionally override MAX_SEARCH_RESULT.
Restart your MCP client and test a search
After restarting Claude Desktop or your client, ask it to search the web. The request will route through the MCP server to your local crawler container.
WebSearch MCP Examples
Client configuration
Configure Claude Desktop to run the websearch-mcp server with the local crawler URL. Adjust API_URL if your crawler runs on a different host or port.
{
"mcpServers": {
"websearch": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["websearch-mcp"],
"env": {
"API_URL": "http://localhost:3001",
"MAX_SEARCH_RESULT": "10"
}
}
}
}Prompts to try
Use these prompts to exercise real-time web search through the MCP server.
- "Search the web for the latest Node.js LTS release and summarize what changed"
- "Find recent news about Model Context Protocol adoption"
- "Search for Python packaging best practices in 2025"
- "Look up the current Docker Hub rate limits"Troubleshooting WebSearch MCP
The MCP server connects but searches return no results or time out
Confirm the crawler containers are running with 'docker-compose ps' and that the health endpoint returns ok: 'curl http://localhost:3001/health'. If FlareSolverr shows unhealthy, restart the containers with 'docker-compose restart'.
On Apple Silicon the crawler container exits immediately
Add 'platform: linux/amd64' to the crawler service and 'platform: linux/arm64' to the flaresolverr service in docker-compose.yml as documented in the README, then run 'docker-compose up -d' again.
API_URL environment variable is not being picked up
Make sure the env block is inside the server's mcpServers entry in your config file. Alternatively, prefix the npx command: set the variables as shown in the README — 'API_URL=http://localhost:3001 npx websearch-mcp'.
Frequently Asked Questions about WebSearch MCP
What is WebSearch MCP?
WebSearch MCP is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that [self-hosted] a model context protocol (mcp) server implementation that provides a web search capability over stdio transport. this server integrates with a websearch crawler api to retrieve search results. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install WebSearch MCP?
Follow the installation instructions on the WebSearch MCP GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with WebSearch MCP?
WebSearch MCP works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is WebSearch MCP free to use?
Yes, WebSearch MCP is open source and available under the ISC License license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
WebSearch MCP Alternatives — Similar Search & Data Extraction Servers
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Xiaohongshu
★ 13.7kMCP for xiaohongshu.com
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