Search MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for integrating Google Search capabilities into AI applications

🤖 Native Claude Desktop integration - Use Google search directly in Claude!

Language / 语言: English | 中文

⚠️ Disclaimer

This project is for educational and research purposes only. It is a personal tool designed to help developers integrate search capabilities into their AI applications. Users are responsible for ensuring their use complies with applicable terms of service and applicable laws and regulations.

Important:

• This is NOT an official product of any search engine

• This is NOT affiliated with or endorsed by any search provider

• Google and Google Search are trademarks of Google LLC. This project is independent and not endorsed by or affiliated with Google.

• Users must comply with Google's Terms of Service

• Users must comply with Google's Automated Query Guidelines

• Respect rate limits and robots.txt

• Use at your own risk

Related MCP server: MCP Google Custom Search Server

Features

• ✅ Google Search Integration - Leverage Google's powerful search engine

• ✅ MCP Protocol Support - Native Claude Desktop integration via Model Context Protocol

• ✅ REST API - Standard HTTP interface for web applications

• ✅ Localized Search - Geographic location-based search results

• ✅ Session Management - Cookie-based session persistence

• ✅ Rate Limiting - Built-in request throttling for responsible use

• ✅ Smart Retry - Automatic recovery with exponential backoff

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+

• npm or yarn

Installation

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/CodeMK/search-mcp.git
cd search-mcp

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Install Playwright browser
npx playwright install chromium

# Copy environment config
cp .env.example .env

# Build the project
npm run build

Choose Your Mode

This project supports two modes - choose based on your use case:

🤖 MCP Server Mode (Recommended for Claude Desktop)

Perfect for AI-assisted development with Claude Desktop:

search-mcp mcp

Then configure Claude Desktop following the MCP Setup Guide below.

🌐 REST API Mode (For Web Applications)

Traditional HTTP API for web applications:

search-mcp start

Server runs on http://localhost:3000/api/search

🤖 Claude Desktop Setup

Step 1: Find Config File

Windows:

%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

macOS:

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Step 2: Add Configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "search": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["D:\\search-mcp\\dist\\mcp-server.js"],
      "env": {
        "HEADLESS": "true",
        "LOG_LEVEL": "info"
      }
    }
  }
}

Important: Replace D:\\search-mcp with your actual project path. On macOS/Linux, use forward slashes: /path/to/search-mcp/dist/mcp-server.js

Step 3: Restart Claude Desktop

Completely quit and restart Claude Desktop.

Step 4: Test

In Claude Desktop, type:

Please use search to find "TypeScript tutorial"

API Usage

REST API Endpoint

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/search \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query": "TypeScript", "region": "US"}'

MCP Tool (Claude Desktop)

Available as the search tool in Claude Desktop conversations.

Request Parameters:

Response Example:

{
  "statusCode": 200,
  "result": {
    "success": true,
    "meta": {
      "regionCode": "US",
      "regionName": "United States",
      "resultCount": 5,
      "latency": 15000
    },
    "results": [
      {
        "rank": 1,
        "title": "TypeScript: JavaScript with syntax for types",
        "link": "https://www.typescriptlang.org/",
        "snippet": "TypeScript is a strongly typed programming language..."
      }
    ]
  }
}

Configuration

Environment Variables

# Server Configuration
PORT=3000                    # REST API server port
HOST=0.0.0.0                 # Server host
LOG_LEVEL=info               # Log level

# Browser Configuration
HEADLESS=true                # Headless mode
DEVTOOLS=false               # Enable DevTools
SLOW_MO=0                    # Slow motion (ms)

# Search Configuration
DEFAULT_REGION=US            # Default region
MAX_RESULTS=10               # Max results per search

Responsible Use

Rate Limiting

To ensure respectful and responsible use:

• Min Delay: 15 seconds between requests

• Max Delay: 30 seconds between requests

• Burst Limit: Max 2 requests per 3 minutes

Best Practices

1. Respect robots.txt - Follow website guidelines

2. Limit request frequency - Don't overload servers

3. Use for legitimate purposes - Educational and research only

4. Comply with Google ToS - Follow Google's Terms of Service

5. Avoid automated queries - Respect Google's Automated Query Guidelines

Project Structure

search-mcp/
├── src/
│   ├── mcp-server.ts      # MCP server entry point
│   ├── index.ts           # REST API entry point
│   ├── cli.ts             # CLI tool entry point
│   ├── api/               # REST API routes
│   ├── services/          # Core business logic
│   ├── engines/           # Browser automation
│   ├── utils/             # Utilities
│   └── config/            # Configuration
├── dist/                  # Compiled output
├── data/                  # Runtime data (cookies)
├── logs/                  # Application logs
└── scripts/               # Utility scripts

Development

npm run dev          # REST API development mode
npm run dev:mcp      # MCP server development mode
npm run build        # Build TypeScript
npm run start        # Production REST API mode
npm run start:mcp    # Production MCP mode
npm run test         # Run tests

Documentation

• 📘 MCP_GUIDE.md - Complete MCP setup and usage guide

• 🍪 Cookie Management - See MCP_GUIDE.md

• 📝 Development Guide - See MCP_GUIDE.md

Troubleshooting

Claude Desktop Cannot Connect

1. ✅ Build project: npm run build

2. ✅ Check config: Ensure path to mcp-server.js is correct

3. ✅ Check dependencies: npm install

4. ✅ Restart Claude Desktop completely

CAPTCHA Detected

1. Set HEADLESS=false in .env

2. Restart the server

3. Complete CAPTCHA manually in browser

4. Cookies will be saved for future use

Connection Closed

• Wait 3-5 minutes before retrying

• System has automatic retry mechanism

• Check if burst limit was triggered

Legal & Ethics

Compliance

Users of this project must:

• ✅ Comply with Google's Terms of Service

• ✅ Respect Google's Automated Query Guidelines

• ✅ Follow applicable laws and regulations

• ✅ Respect website policies and guidelines (robots.txt)

• ✅ Use only for legitimate educational purposes

Prohibited Uses

• ❌ Commercial exploitation without permission

• ❌ Spam or abuse of services

• ❌ Violating intellectual property rights

• ❌ Bypassing security measures for malicious purposes

• ❌ Violating Google's Terms of Service or automated query policies

License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository

2. Create a feature branch

3. Make your changes

4. Submit a pull request

Acknowledgments

• Built with Playwright

• Implements Model Context Protocol

• Inspired by the AI development community

Resources

• MCP Protocol Specification

• Claude Desktop Documentation

• Playwright Documentation

Note: This is a personal project for learning purposes. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any search provider or other company.