Kagi Search vs Fetch (Reference)

A side-by-side comparison of two Search & Web servers — tools, transport, auth, maintenance, and copy-paste config for each.

	Kagi Search Official Kagi MCP server (Python/uvx) — privacy-first web search and URL/video summarization. Verified stdio (local) API key Python	Fetch (Reference) Official MCP reference server that fetches a URL and returns its content as clean Markdown, with chunking. Verified stdio (local) No auth Python
Category	Search & Web	Search & Web
Language	Python	Python
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	API key	None
GitHub stars	417	87k
Last commit	21 days ago	10 days ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`uvx kagimcp`	`uvx mcp-server-fetch`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Kagi Search if you prefer its approach (official kagi mcp server (python/uvx) — privacy-first web search and url/video summarization).

Pick Fetch (Reference) if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want zero-setup with no API key.

Add Kagi Search

Install / run

uvx kagimcp

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kagi-search": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "kagimcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "KAGI_API_KEY": "<your-kagi-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Requires `uv` (the Python package runner). Install it from https://docs.astral.sh/uv/ if `uvx` is not found.

Add Fetch (Reference)

Install / run

uvx mcp-server-fetch

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "fetch-reference": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-server-fetch"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Requires `uv` (the Python package runner). Install it from https://docs.astral.sh/uv/ if `uvx` is not found.

FAQ

Kagi Search or Fetch (Reference) — which is better?

Pick Kagi Search if you prefer its approach (official kagi mcp server (python/uvx) — privacy-first web search and url/video summarization). Pick Fetch (Reference) if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want zero-setup with no API key.

Can I use both Kagi Search and Fetch (Reference)?

Yes — MCP clients let you enable multiple servers at once. Add both configs to your client's mcpServers and use whichever tool fits the task.

Do Kagi Search and Fetch (Reference) work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

Both do. Copy the per-client config below into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf.

View Kagi Search →View Fetch (Reference) →More comparisons →