Earch MCP

The Universal MCP Server exposes tools for your workflows and is designed for prompt-first usage in MCP-compatible clients.

Installation

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• Set EARCH_MCP_API_KEY in your environment (or BRAVE_API_KEY)

Get an API key

• If your tools require an external API, obtain a key from the provider’s docs/console.
• Otherwise, you can skip this step.

Build locally

cd /path/to/earch-mcp
npm i
npm run build

Setup: Claude Code (CLI)

Use this one-liner (replace with your real values):

claude mcp add Earch MCP -s user -e EARCH_MCP_API_KEY="sk-your-real-key" -- npx earch-mcp

To remove:

claude mcp remove Earch MCP

Setup: Cursor

Create .cursor/mcp.json in your client (do not commit it here):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "earch-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["earch-mcp"],
      "env": { "EARCH_MCP_API_KEY": "sk-your-real-key" },
      "autoStart": true
    }
  }
}

Other Clients and Agents

<details> <summary>VS Code</summary>

Install via URI or CLI:

code --add-mcp '{"name":"earch-mcp","command":"npx","args":["earch-mcp"],"env":{"EARCH_MCP_API_KEY":"sk-your-real-key"}}'

</details>

<details> <summary>Claude Desktop</summary>

Follow the MCP install guide and reuse the standard config above.

</details>

<details> <summary>LM Studio</summary>

• Command: npx
• Args: ["earch-mcp"]
• Env: EARCH_MCP_API_KEY=sk-your-real-key

</details>

<details> <summary>Goose</summary>

• Type: STDIO
• Command: npx
• Args: earch-mcp
• Enabled: true

</details>

<details> <summary>opencode</summary>

Example ~/.config/opencode/opencode.json:

{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "earch-mcp": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": ["npx", "earch-mcp"],
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}

</details>

<details> <summary>Qodo Gen</summary>

Add a new MCP and paste the standard JSON config.

</details>

<details> <summary>Windsurf</summary>

See docs and reuse the standard config above.

</details>

Setup: Codex (TOML)

Example (Serena):

[mcp_servers.serena]
command = "uvx"
args = ["--from", "git+https://github.com/oraios/serena", "serena", "start-mcp-server", "--context", "codex"]

This server (minimal):

[mcp_servers.earch-mcp]
command = "npx"
args = ["earch-mcp"]
# Optional environment variables:
# EARCH_MCP_API_KEY = "sk-your-real-key"
# MCP_NAME = "earch-mcp"

Configuration (Env)

• EARCH_MCP_API_KEY: Your API key (or BRAVE_API_KEY)
• MCP_NAME: Server name override (default: earch-mcp)

Available Tools

• web.search
  • inputs: { q: string, count?: number (<=50), country?: string, safesearch?: "off"|"moderate"|"strict", freshness?: "pd"|"pw"|"pm"|"py" }
  • outputs: JSON from Brave Web Search API
• local.pois
  • inputs: { ids: string[1..20] }
  • outputs: JSON from Brave Local POIs API
• local.descriptions
  • inputs: { ids: string[1..20] }
  • outputs: JSON from Brave Local Descriptions API
• web.rich
  • inputs: { q: string }
  • outputs: JSON containing hint and rich callback result

Example invocation (MCP tool call)

{
  "tool": "web.search",
  "arguments": { "q": "brave search" }
}

Troubleshooting

• 401 auth errors: check EARCH_MCP_API_KEY or BRAVE_API_KEY
• Ensure Node 18+
• Local runs: npx earch-mcp after npm run build
• Inspect publish artifacts: npm pack --dry-run

References

• MCP SDK: https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/sdks
• Architecture: https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/learn/architecture
• Server Concepts: https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/learn/server-concepts
• Server Spec: https://modelcontextprotocol.io/specification/2025-06-18/server/index
• Brave Search API: https://api.search.brave.com/res/v1/web/search
• Brave Local API: https://api.search.brave.com/res/v1/local/pois
• Brave Rich API: https://api.search.brave.com/res/v1/web/rich

Name Consistency & Troubleshooting

• Always use CANONICAL_ID (earch-mcp) for identifiers and keys.
• Use CANONICAL_DISPLAY (Earch MCP) only for UI labels.
• Do not mix legacy keys after registration.

Consistency Matrix:

• npm package name → earch-mcp
• Binary name → earch-mcp
• MCP server name (SDK metadata) → earch-mcp
• Env default MCP_NAME → earch-mcp
• Client registry key → earch-mcp
• UI label → Earch MCP

Conflict Cleanup:

• Remove any stale keys (e.g., old display names) and re-add with earch-mcp only.
• Cursor: configure in the UI; this project intentionally omits .cursor/mcp.json.