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SearXNG Server

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🔍 SearXNG MCP Server

Privacy-respecting web search for AI assistants — use an operator-controlled or trusted SearXNG instance with Claude, Cursor, and more.

GitHub Stars npm version npm downloads Docker Pulls License: MIT OpenSSF Scorecard OpenSSF Best Practices mcp-searxng MCP server GitHub MCP Registry

An MCP server that integrates the SearXNG API, giving AI assistants web search capabilities.

✨ Featured in the GitHub MCP Registry.

Quick Start

You need an existing SearXNG instance with JSON search enabled. This project connects an MCP client to SearXNG; it does not install SearXNG. Use an instance you operate or trust. Start with the self-hosted or public-instance guide if needed.

Choose how to connect:

Your setup

Start here

Client starts the server locally

Install Node.js 22 or later, then use the NPX example below or your client recipe.

Client starts a Docker container

Use the Docker/STDIO recipe in Installation.

You have an independently running HTTP service

Use your client's HTTP recipe with the full /mcp URL.

You need to operate an HTTP service

Follow the HTTP server guide.

For clients using mcpServers JSON (such as Claude Desktop), add:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "searxng": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-searxng"],
      "env": { "SEARXNG_URL": "https://search.example.com" }
    }
  }
}

Replace the example URL with your SearXNG base URL. Other clients use different configuration shapes: choose your client recipe. Leave MCP_HTTP_PORT unset for local STDIO. Docker also needs environment forwarding into the container.

Reload the client, inspect its MCP tool inventory, then ask it to search for SearXNG documentation. A simple tool call is searxng_web_search with {"query":"SearXNG"}. Discovery alone does not test SearXNG connectivity. If the call fails, start with troubleshooting.

Related MCP server: SearXNG MCP Server

Features

  • Search with pagination, filters, direct answers and full or compact text/JSON output.

  • Read HTML, structured text and bounded PDF text; inspect headings or selected sections.

  • Discover instance capabilities and get query suggestions.

  • Optional replica failover/fan-out, HTML fallback, caching, proxies and browser solvers.

  • Local STDIO or Streamable HTTP, with static bearer and optional OAuth protection.

See the tool guide for capabilities and limits, configuration reference for settings, and historical deployment measurements for bounded resource-planning evidence.

Why mcp-searxng?

As of 2026-07-29, the capability comparison below reflects the official Brave MCP, Exa MCP, and Firecrawl MCP projects. “Pagination” means an exposed page or offset control. “Self-hosted” means the search service can run under your control. “Free / No API key” means this MCP server does not require a paid search-vendor API key; you still operate or select the underlying SearXNG instance.

Brave MCP

Exa MCP

Firecrawl MCP

mcp-searxng

Web Search

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Read URL

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Pagination

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Self-hosted

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Partial

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Free / No API key

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Privacy depends on the SearXNG deployment. An operator-controlled instance can avoid trusting a third-party search operator, while a public instance receives the query and may log it. SearXNG and this MCP integration do not by themselves provide anonymity.

How It Works

MCP client → mcp-searxng → SearXNG → search engines

The client either starts its own STDIO process or connects to an HTTP service. SEARXNG_URL identifies the SearXNG service, not the MCP endpoint. URL reading fetches the selected website directly. A semicolon-separated replica list is supported for interchangeable SearXNG deployments; see replica configuration.

STDIO is the default. Legacy Streamable HTTP sessions are stateful by default: clients should send DELETE /mcp when finished, then reinitialize if a later request receives HTTP 404 for the terminated session. Modern HTTP requests and the MCP_HTTP_STATELESS=true legacy mode are sessionless; see HTTP transport configuration.

Tools

Tool

Use it to

searxng_web_search

Find sources and refine results

searxng_search_suggestions

Complete or refine a query

searxng_instance_info

Inspect categories, engines and defaults

web_url_read

Read a known URL as text/Markdown

The tool guide contains examples and the full parameter reference. The optional research workflow explains how to inspect sources and cite evidence.

Installation

For NPX and npm installs, Node.js 22 or later is required. The Docker image includes its Node.js runtime.

npm install -g mcp-searxng
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "searxng": {
      "command": "mcp-searxng",
      "env": {
        "SEARXNG_URL": "YOUR_SEARXNG_INSTANCE_URL"
      }
    }
  }
}

Pre-built image:

docker pull isokoliuk/mcp-searxng:latest

Image signatures can be verified with Cosign — see SECURITY.md for instructions.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "searxng": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run", "-i", "--rm",
        "-e", "SEARXNG_URL",
        "isokoliuk/mcp-searxng:latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SEARXNG_URL": "YOUR_SEARXNG_INSTANCE_URL"
      }
    }
  }
}

To pass additional env vars, add -e VAR_NAME to args and the variable to env. For browser-solver integration, pass FLARESOLVERR_URL, BYPARR_URL, or both and make the configured services reachable from this container. Dual mode has a fixed FlareSolverr-first order and no automatic reverse failover. See URL Reader Controls for the complete behavior and Docker Compose example.

Build locally:

docker build -t mcp-searxng:latest -f Dockerfile .

Use the same config above, replacing isokoliuk/mcp-searxng:latest with mcp-searxng:latest.

docker-compose.yml:

services:
  mcp-searxng:
    image: isokoliuk/mcp-searxng:latest
    stdin_open: true
    environment:
      - SEARXNG_URL=${SEARXNG_URL:?Set SEARXNG_URL in the environment}
      # Add optional variables as needed — see CONFIGURATION.md

The tracked Compose file is intentionally STDIO-only and publishes no network ports; MCP clients launch it with an absolute Compose-file path and docker compose run --rm -T, not docker compose up. The -T flag prevents pseudo-TTY allocation so MCP JSON-RPC stays on raw standard input and output. Compose fails before launch unless the MCP client supplies SEARXNG_URL.

MCP client config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "searxng": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "compose",
        "-f", "/absolute/path/to/docker-compose.yml",
        "run", "--rm", "-T", "mcp-searxng"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SEARXNG_URL": "YOUR_SEARXNG_INSTANCE_URL"
      }
    }
  }
}

If you previously used the tracked file as an HTTP service on port 8080, put the HTTP settings in an untracked docker-compose.override.yml:

services:
  mcp-searxng:
    ports:
      - "127.0.0.1:8080:8080"
    environment:
      - MCP_HTTP_PORT=8080
      - MCP_HTTP_HOST=0.0.0.0

Here 0.0.0.0 is the container-side bind address; the host-side port remains loopback-only. This override has no authentication and is only a temporary single-host migration path. Before adding co-located containers or exposing the service beyond the local machine, follow the hardened deployment guidance.

HTTP Transport

Run HTTP independently, then connect the client. See the HTTP server guide for local checks, static bearer authentication, OAuth requirements and deployment verification.

Configuration

For the default local setup, SEARXNG_URL is the required setting. Optional modes such as hardened HTTP and OAuth have companion requirements. Use the configuration reference for environment variables, defaults, caching, timeouts, proxies, TLS, and limits.

Optional MCP OAuth

An HTTP deployment can use OAuth with an external authorization provider. See authentication choices. Static bearer authentication and SearXNG Basic Auth protect different connections.

Troubleshooting

Symptom

Next check

Server absent or disconnected

Client/process startup

HTTP auth, session or proxy error

HTTP connection

Tools appear but search fails

SearXNG connection

Empty, poor or stale results

Filters, upstream metadata and cache

URL/PDF failure or timeout

URL reading

403 Forbidden from SearXNG

JSON output may be disabled, or an access-control layer may have denied the request. Follow the direct checks before changing settings. A working browser page does not prove the JSON API works.

Can't enable JSON? (HTML fallback)

SEARXNG_HTML_FALLBACK=true can retry 403/404/non-JSON search responses as HTML. Parsing is best-effort and metadata is limited; compact output omits fallback markers. Read the public-instance guidance before enabling it on a service you do not control.

For a bug report, collect a minimal reproduction and relevant errors.

Documentation

Find a guide by task. These links open current main-branch documentation. Unreleased behavior is labeled; consult the matching Git tag when investigating an older version.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md.

License

MIT — see LICENSE for details.

Available Tools

2 tools
web_url_readA
Read-only

Fetches a URL and returns its text content converted to markdown. Three modes: (1) Full content — omit filtering params; use startChar/maxLength to paginate large pages. (2) Section extraction — set section to return content under a specific heading. (3) Headings only — set readHeadings: true to list all headings (mutually exclusive with other filtering params). Returns an error string if the URL is unreachable or content cannot be extracted. Use after searxng_web_search to read the full content of individual result URLs.

ParametersJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
urlYesURL
startCharNoStarting character position for content extraction (default: 0)
maxLengthNoMaximum number of characters to return
sectionNoExtract content under a specific heading (searches for heading text)
paragraphRangeNoReturn specific paragraph ranges (e.g., '1-5', '3', '10-')
readHeadingsNoReturn only a list of headings instead of full content

TDQS

A4.6/5.0
Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already indicate readOnlyHint and openWorldHint. Description adds behavioral details: three modes, error handling (returns error string if unreachable), and mutual exclusion. It's transparent about what the tool does but doesn't cover all edge cases (e.g., combining multiple filtering params other than readHeadings).

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

The description is a single but well-structured paragraph that enumerates modes clearly. Every sentence adds value with no redundancy. Front-loaded with main purpose.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness4/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

Covers main functionality, modes, error handling, and relation to sibling tool. No output schema, but return type (text/markdown) is implied. Minor gap: doesn't specify behavior when multiple filtering params are combined beyond readHeadings.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 100%, so parameters are documented. The description adds significant meaning by grouping parameters into modes and explaining relationships (e.g., omit filtering for full content, set section for extraction, readHeadings for headings). It clarifies mutex conditions beyond schema.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description clearly states the tool fetches a URL and converts content to markdown, with three distinct modes. It distinguishes from sibling tools (search tools) by specifying it's for reading individual URLs after a search.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines5/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Explicitly says to use after searxng_web_search to read full content of result URLs. Describes three modes and their parameter usage, including mutual exclusivity of readHeadings. Provides guidance on pagination with startChar/maxLength.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

Tool Schema Changelog

Recent tool additions, removals, and schema changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. 1 tool updatev1.0.4
    • Changedsearxng_web_search1 field changed
      • changedInput schema / properties / query / description
        Previous value: -"The search query. This is the main input for the web search"New value: +"The search query string. This is the required parameter name — use exactly `query`, not `prompt` or `q`."
Deploy Server
One endpoint for every MCP toolRayrun runs every MCP server behind one URL and holds the credentials. Each call is decided per client, tool, and argument, then recorded.ray.runAd

TDQS

A4.2/5.0

Scored across 2 tools

Disambiguation5/5

The two tools have completely distinct purposes: searxng_web_search performs web searches, while web_url_read fetches and extracts content from URLs. There is no overlap or ambiguity between them.

Naming Consistency4/5

Both tools use snake_case and are descriptive, but the naming pattern differs: searxng_web_search includes the service prefix, while web_url_read does not. The verb-noun order is also inconsistent (verb-noun vs noun-verb). Overall, still clear and predictable.

Tool Count3/5

With only 2 tools, the set feels minimal but adequate for a basic web search and content retrieval use case. It does not overcomplicate, though it may leave room for additional utility tools.

Completeness4/5

The tools cover the core workflow: search the web and read full content of results. Minor gaps include advanced search filters (e.g., site, filetype) or management features, but the essential functionality is present.

Maintenance

ActivityActive
ResponsivenessWithin a week

Resources

Related MCP Connectors

Related MCP Servers

  • SearXNG MCP Server

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  • mcp-searxng

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    An MCP server that integrates the SearXNG API for web search and URL content extraction with advanced features like pagination, caching, and proxy support.
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