Brave Search

Add to your client

Copy the config for your MCP client and paste it into its config file.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "brave-search": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@brave/brave-search-mcp-server",
        "--transport",
        "stdio"
      ],
      "env": {
        "BRAVE_API_KEY": "<your-brave-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Step-by-step guides: Add to Claude Desktop · Add to Cursor · Add to Windsurf

Before you start

• Node.js 22.x or later (or Docker)
• A Brave Search API key from https://brave.com/search/api/ (set as BRAVE_API_KEY)
• An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop, VS Code, or MCP Inspector

About Brave Search

Tools & capabilities (8)

When to use it

• Use it when you want an assistant to search the live web with an independent, privacy-focused index instead of a major engine.
• Use it when you need location-aware answers about local businesses, places, or points of interest.
• Use it when you want image, video, or news results surfaced directly into a chat.
• Use it when you want RAG-ready page content (brave_llm_context) without scraping pages yourself.
• Use it when you want a one-call AI summary synthesized from fresh search results.

Quick setup

1. 1Get a Brave Search API key at https://brave.com/search/api/.
2. 2Add the server to your client config using npx (`npx @brave/brave-search-mcp-server`) or Docker.
3. 3Set the BRAVE_API_KEY environment variable.
4. 4Optionally pass `--transport http` with a host/port to run as a remote HTTP server.
5. 5Restart your MCP client and verify with a test web search.

Brave Search FAQ