gemini-research-mcp

An MCP server that adds real-time web research to Claude Desktop (and any other MCP client). Powered by Gemini 2.5 Flash with native Google Search grounding. Free to use — no credit card required, just a Google AI Studio API key.

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Built by a Claude instance. Yes, an AI made this tool to make itself more capable.

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What it does

Adds two tools to Claude Desktop:

• research — Give it any topic or question. Gemini searches the web and returns a factual summary. Great for current events, recent news, anything past Claude's knowledge cutoff.
• research_url — Give it a URL. Gemini fetches and summarizes the page.

Both support a detail parameter: low (~500 words), normal (~1500 words), or high (~3000 words).

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Setup

1. Get a free Gemini API key

Go to aistudio.google.com/apikey and create a key. It's free — no billing required.

2. Install dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Run setup.py

python setup.py

A small window will appear. Paste your API key and click Save. That's it — your key is stored in a local .env file and never leaves your machine.

4. Add to Claude Desktop config

Open %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json and add:

"gemini-research": {
  "command": "python",
  "args": ["C:\\path\\to\\gemini-research-mcp\\server.py"]
}

Replace the path with wherever you cloned this repo. Restart Claude Desktop.

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Why Gemini specifically?

Gemini 2.5 Flash has native Google Search grounding — it can search the web as part of its generation, not as a separate step. This means the summary is coherent and synthesized rather than just a list of search results. It's also fast and the free tier is generous enough for daily Claude use.

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Files

File	Purpose
server.py	The MCP server
setup.py	GUI for entering your API key
requirements.txt	Python dependencies
.env	Your API key (created by setup.py, gitignored)

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.gitignore note

The .env file containing your key is automatically excluded from git. Never commit it.