The OpenAI WebSearch MCP Server enables AI assistants to perform intelligent web searches with advanced reasoning capabilities and real-time information access.
Core Capabilities:
Intelligent web search using OpenAI's reasoning models for up-to-date information retrieval
Multi-model support including GPT-4o, GPT-4o-mini, GPT-5, GPT-5-mini, GPT-5-nano, o3, and o4-mini
Configurable reasoning effort with low, medium, high, or minimal levels for optimal performance
Multiple search modes - fast iterations with lightweight models or comprehensive deep research
Localized search results based on user location (city, timezone, region, country)
Adjustable search context with low, medium, or high settings
Multiple API versions including web_search_preview and web_search_preview_2025_03_11
Integration & Configuration:
Seamless integration with AI assistants like Claude Desktop, Cursor, and Claude Code via MCP protocol
Easy configuration through environment variables for API keys and default models
Flexible parameters for customizing each search query including input type and model selection
Provides access to OpenAI's websearch tool to query for current information from the web
OpenAI WebSearch MCP Server
This MCP server provides access to OpenAI's websearch functionality through the Model Context Protocol. It allows AI assistants to search the web during conversations with users, providing up-to-date information that may not be available in the assistant's training data. The server can be installed and configured for use with Claude.app or Zed editor.
One click installation & Configuration
Claude
!!Can using this command auto update configure file（Recommend）
sk-xxxx is your API key. You can get it from openai's open platform
Cursor
Conming soon
Windsurf
Conming soon
Related MCP server: MCP Google Server
Available Tools
web_search- Call openai websearch as tool.Required arguments:
type(string): web_search_previewsearch_context_size(string): High level guidance for the amount of context window space to use for the search. One of low, medium, or high. medium is the default.user_location(object or null)type(string): The type of location > approximation. Always approximate.city(string): Free text input for the city of the user, e.g. San Francisco.country(string): The two-letter ISO country code of the user, e.g. US.region(string): Free text input for the region of the user, e.g. California.timezone(string): The IANA timezone of the user, e.g. America/Los_Angeles.
Manual installation and configuration
Please make sure uvx is installed before installation
Add to your Claude settings:
1、Using uvx
2、Using pip installation
1）install openai-websearch-mcp via pip:
2）modify your Claude settings
Configure for Zed
Add to your Zed settings.json:
Using uvx
Using pip installation
Debugging
You can use the MCP inspector to debug the server. For uvx installations: