This MCP (Model Context Protocol) server provides AI assistants with the ability to search the web, get news, and perform research using the You.com API. Feedback welcomed.
Features
- Web Search: Access to You.com's web search functionality
- Smart Search: AI-powered answers with citation support
- Research: Comprehensive, citation-backed answers for academic queries
- News Search: Latest news articles on any topic
Prerequisites
- Node.js (v16 or higher)
- npm or yarn
- You.com API key (get one from api.you.com)
Installation
- Clone this repository:
git clone https://github.com/jimbul/youcom-mcp.git
cd youcom-mcp
- Install dependencies:
- Create a
.env file based on the example: - Add your You.com API key to the
.env file:YOU_API_KEY=your_actual_api_key_here
- Build the project:
Running Locally (Optional)
You can run the server locally for testing:
Setting up with Claude
To use this MCP server with Claude (Anthropic Assistant), you need to configure Claude to use this server:
- Open the Claude extension settings in VS Code:
- Click on the Claude icon in the VS Code sidebar
- Click on the settings icon (⚙️) and select "MCP Settings"
- Add the following configuration to the
mcpServers section:
"youcom-mcp": {
"autoApprove": [],
"disabled": false,
"command": "node",
"args": [
"/absolute/path/to/your/youcom-mcp/dist/index.js"
],
"env": {
"YOU_API_KEY": "your_actual_api_key_here"
},
"transportType": "stdio"
}
Important Notes:
- Replace
/absolute/path/to/your/youcom-mcp/dist/index.js with the actual path on your system - Replace
your_actual_api_key_here with your You.com API key
Usage Examples
Once configured, you can use the MCP tools directly in your conversations with Claude:
Web Search
<use_mcp_tool>
<server_name>youcom-mcp</server_name>
<tool_name>web_search</tool_name>
<arguments>
{
"query": "latest research on renewable energy"
}
</arguments>
</use_mcp_tool>
Smart Search
<use_mcp_tool>
<server_name>youcom-mcp</server_name>
<tool_name>smart_search</tool_name>
<arguments>
{
"query": "how do quantum computers work",
"instructions": "explain in simple terms"
}
</arguments>
</use_mcp_tool>
Research
<use_mcp_tool>
<server_name>youcom-mcp</server_name>
<tool_name>research</tool_name>
<arguments>
{
"query": "effects of climate change on ocean ecosystems",
"instructions": "focus on coral reefs"
}
</arguments>
</use_mcp_tool>
News Search
<use_mcp_tool>
<server_name>youcom-mcp</server_name>
<tool_name>news_search</tool_name>
<arguments>
{
"query": "latest developments in AI"
}
</arguments>
</use_mcp_tool>
Contributing
Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.
Running evals
The evals package loads an mcp client that then runs the index.ts file, so there is no need to rebuild between tests. You can load environment variables by prefixing the npx command. Full documentation can be found here.
OPENAI_API_KEY=your-key npx mcp-eval src/evals/evals.ts src/index.ts
License
MIT
Acknowledgements
This project uses the You.com API for search functionality.