Skip to main content
Glama
bartdorlandt

web-search-mcp

by bartdorlandt
OverviewSchemaRelated ServersScoreDiscussions
Python
Local

web-search-mcp

An MCP server that exposes a real, cited web_search tool by shelling out to the Claude Code CLI running inside an isolated Docker container, logged into a personal claude.ai Pro subscription.

Why this exists

Some environments proxy Claude Code through a gateway (e.g. an internal LiteLLM-style proxy) that doesn't support Anthropic's built-in web_search server tool for the model it routes to. This project sidesteps that entirely: it's a separate, single-purpose MCP tool backed by its own Claude Code CLI session, running in a container so its login never touches the host's own Claude Code config.

See docs/superpowers/specs/2026-07-28-web-search-mcp-design.md for the full design rationale, including why a raw Anthropic API key doesn't work for this and why Docker isolation is necessary.

Related MCP server: SearXNG-Crawl4AI MCP Server

How it works

MCP client ──tool call──▶ server.py (FastMCP, stdio) ──subprocess──▶ docker run --rm -v claude-pro-home:/root web-search-claude:latest
                                                                            │
                                                                            ▼
                                                            Claude Code CLI, logged into a Pro account
                                                            (real web_search tool, real Anthropic models)

server.py runs docker run per query, parses the CLI's JSON output, and returns the answer text (which includes a Sources: section whenever the CLI actually searched).

Setup

Requires Docker and uv.

git clone https://github.com/bartdorlandt/web-search-mcp.git
cd web-search-mcp
uv sync

# Build the image (bundles the Claude Code CLI)
docker build -t web-search-claude:latest .

# Create a volume to hold the Pro-account login, then log in (interactive, opens a browser)
docker volume create claude-pro-home
docker run --rm -it -v claude-pro-home:/root web-search-claude:latest /login

The login only needs to happen once — the OAuth session persists in the claude-pro-home volume across container runs.

Manual test

uv run python -c "from server import _web_search_impl; print(_web_search_impl('What are today\'s top technology news headlines?'))"

Using it standalone

uv run python server.py

This starts the MCP server over stdio — point any MCP client at that command directly.

Adding it to gridctl

If you're using gridctl as an MCP gateway, add it as a local-process server in your stack.yaml:

mcp-servers:
  - name: web-search
    command: [uv, run, --directory, /path/to/web-search-mcp, python, server.py]
    transport: stdio

Clone this repo to /path/to/web-search-mcp (or wherever you like) and update the path above, then gridctl reload. No env: block is needed — the only credential this tool uses lives in the claude-pro-home Docker volume, not in gridctl's variable store.

Repo: https://github.com/bartdorlandt/web-search-mcp

Notes

  • No automated test suite — the wrapper's logic is thin enough that its correctness is verified functionally (see the design doc's Testing section).

  • Calls are assumed serial, not concurrent — see "Operational assumptions" in the design doc.

  • Every query bills against the logged-in account's subscription usage.

Available Tools

1 tool
Install Server
RayrunBuild, deploy, and operate MCP servers without becoming an infrastructure team.ray.runAd

TDQS

A3.6/5.0
Disambiguation5/5

Only one tool exists, so there is no possibility of confusion or overlap.

Naming Consistency5/5

With a single tool named 'web_search', naming is trivially consistent.

Tool Count4/5

One tool is slightly minimal but acceptable for a focused web search server; the scope is clear and the tool appears self-contained.

Completeness4/5

The tool provides search with synthesized cited answers, covering the core need. Minor gaps like different search modes or filters exist but are not critical.

Maintenance

ActivitySlowing
ResponsivenessSyncing

Resources

Unclaimed servers have limited discoverability.

Looking for Admin?

If you are the server author, to access and configure the admin panel.

Related MCP Connectors

Related MCP Servers

  • CC Web MCP

    JcDizzy
    A
    license
    Not graded
    quality
    D
    maintenance
    Provides web search and page fetching tools for third-party models (e.g., DeepSeek, Qwen, Kimi) in Claude Code, with configurable search backends, Markdown output, and safety boundaries.
    63
    MIT

  • tracked-search

    MikeyBeez
    F
    license
    Not graded
    quality
    C
    maintenance
    A drop-in replacement for Claude's built-in web_search tool that automatically tracks usage and provides multiple search backends.

Latest Blog Posts

MCP directory API

We provide all the information about MCP servers via our MCP API.

curl -X GET 'https://glama.ai/api/mcp/v1/servers/bartdorlandt/web-search-mcp'

If you have feedback or need assistance with the MCP directory API, please join our Discord server