Brave Search MCP Server

Overview

Brave Search is an MCP server that integrates with the Brave Search API to provide comprehensive search capabilities. It offers both web search for general queries and local search for finding businesses and services in specific locations.

Features

• Web Search: Search the web for general queries, news, and articles with pagination and freshness controls
• Local Search: Find businesses, restaurants, and services with detailed location information
• Flexible Filtering: Control result types, safety levels, and content freshness
• Smart Fallbacks: Local search automatically falls back to web search when no results are found

Getting Started

API Key Setup

To use the Brave Search MCP server, you'll need to obtain an API key:

1. Sign up for a Brave Search API account
2. Choose a plan (Free tier available with 2,000 queries/month)
3. Generate your API key from the developer dashboard

Installation Options

You can install the Brave Search MCP server using either Docker or NPX.

Docker Installation

Add the following configuration to your client's settings:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "brave-search": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-e",
        "BRAVE_API_KEY",
        "mcp/brave-search"
      ],
      "env": {
        "BRAVE_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

NPX Installation

Add the following configuration to your client's settings:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "brave-search": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-search"
      ],
      "env": {
        "BRAVE_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Code Integration

For VS Code users, you can add the Brave Search MCP server to your settings by adding the following to your User Settings (JSON) file:

{
  "mcp": {
    "inputs": [
      {
        "type": "promptString",
        "id": "brave_api_key",
        "description": "Brave Search API Key",
        "password": true
      }
    ],
    "servers": {
      "brave-search": {
        "command": "npx",
        "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-search"],
        "env": {
          "BRAVE_API_KEY": "${input:brave_api_key}"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Alternatively, you can create a .vscode/mcp.json file in your workspace with the same configuration (without the mcp key) to share it with others.

Usage Examples

Web Search

To perform a web search, use the brave_web_search tool:

I need information about renewable energy sources. Can you search for that?

Local Search

To find local businesses or services, use the brave_local_search tool:

Find Italian restaurants in Boston

Advanced Configuration

The Brave Search MCP server supports various configuration options through environment variables:

• BRAVE_API_KEY: Your Brave Search API key (required)
• BRAVE_SEARCH_ENDPOINT: Custom API endpoint (optional)
• BRAVE_SEARCH_TIMEOUT: Request timeout in milliseconds (optional)

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues with the Brave Search MCP server:

1. Verify your API key is correct and has sufficient quota
2. Check your network connection
3. Ensure Docker or NPX is properly installed on your system
4. Review the server logs for error messages

For additional help, refer to the Brave Search API documentation.