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just-every
by just-every

MCP Deep Search

npm version License: MIT

MCP server for deep web search using @just-every/search. Search across multiple providers including Google, Bing, Brave, DuckDuckGo, Perplexity, and more.

Quick Start

1. Create or use an environment file

Option A: Create a new .llm.env file in your home directory:

# Download example env file
curl -o ~/.llm.env https://raw.githubusercontent.com/just-every/mcp-deep-search/main/.env.example

# Edit with your API keys
nano ~/.llm.env

Option B: Use an existing .env file (must use absolute path):

# Example: /Users/yourname/projects/myproject/.env
# Example: /home/yourname/workspace/.env

2. Install

Claude Code

# Using ~/.llm.env
claude mcp add deep-search -s user -e ENV_FILE=$HOME/.llm.env -- npx -y @just-every/mcp-deep-search

# Using existing .env file (absolute path required)
claude mcp add deep-search -s user -e ENV_FILE=/absolute/path/to/your/.env -- npx -y @just-every/mcp-deep-search

# For debugging, check if ENV_FILE is being passed correctly:
claude mcp list

Other MCP Clients

Add to your MCP configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "deep-search": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@just-every/mcp-deep-search"],
      "env": {
        "ENV_FILE": "/path/to/.llm.env"
      }
    }
  }
}

Related MCP server: MCP MixSearch

MCP Tools

Perform web searches using a specific provider.

Parameters:

  • query (required): The search query

  • provider: Search provider (default: brave)

  • maxResults: Maximum results (default: 10)

  • includeAnswer: Include AI answer if available (default: false)

comprehensive_research

Perform comprehensive research using AI agents that intelligently select and query multiple search engines.

Parameters:

  • query (required): The research topic

  • modelClass: AI model class (default: reasoning_mini)

Search Providers

Provider

API Key Required

Description

brave

BRAVE_API_KEY

Privacy-first search with structured results

anthropic

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY

Deep multi-hop research

openai

OPENAI_API_KEY

ChatGPT-grade contextual search

google

GOOGLE_API_KEY

Gemini grounding search

sonar / sonar-pro

OPENROUTER_API_KEY

Perplexity search variants

xai

XAI_API_KEY

Real-time Grok search

CLI Usage

# Basic search
mcp-deep-search search "your query"

# Search with specific provider
mcp-deep-search search "your query" -p brave

# Get more results
mcp-deep-search search "your query" -n 20

Troubleshooting

MCP Server Shows "Failed" in Claude

If you see "deep-search ✘ failed" in Claude, check these common issues:

  1. Missing API Keys: The most common issue is missing API keys. Check that your ENV_FILE is properly configured:

    # Test if ENV_FILE is working
    ENV_FILE=/path/to/your/.env npx @just-every/mcp-deep-search search "test"
  2. Incorrect Installation Command: Make sure you're using -e for environment variables:

    # Correct - environment variable passed with -e flag before --
    claude mcp add deep-search -s user -e ENV_FILE=$HOME/.llm.env -- npx -y @just-every/mcp-deep-search
    
    # Incorrect - trying to pass as argument
    claude mcp add deep-search -s user -- npx -y @just-every/mcp-deep-search --env ENV_FILE=$HOME/.llm.env
  3. Path Issues: ENV_FILE must use absolute paths:

    # Good
    ENV_FILE=/Users/yourname/.llm.env
    ENV_FILE=$HOME/.llm.env
    
    # Bad
    ENV_FILE=.env
    ENV_FILE=~/.llm.env  # ~ not expanded in some contexts
  4. Verify Installation: Check your MCP configuration:

    claude mcp list
  5. Debug Mode: For detailed error messages, run manually:

    ENV_FILE=/path/to/.env npx @just-every/mcp-deep-search

Getting API Keys

Auto-Restart Feature

The MCP server includes automatic restart capability by default for improved reliability:

  • Automatically restarts the server if it crashes

  • Handles unhandled exceptions and promise rejections

  • Implements exponential backoff (max 10 attempts in 1 minute)

  • Logs all restart attempts for monitoring

  • Gracefully handles shutdown signals (SIGINT, SIGTERM)

For development/debugging without auto-restart:

# Run directly without restart wrapper
npm run serve:dev

License

MIT © Just Every

Available Tools

2 tools
comprehensive_researchA
Read-only

Perform in-depth research on complex topics using AI agents that automatically search multiple sources, analyze findings, and compile comprehensive reports. Ideal for thorough investigations, market research, technical analysis, or any topic requiring deep understanding from multiple perspectives.

ParametersJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
queryYesThe research topic or question to investigate comprehensively
modelClassNoAI model class to use for researchreasoning_mini

TDQS

A3.7/5.0
Behavior4/5

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

The description adds valuable behavioral context beyond annotations: it explains that the tool uses AI agents to 'automatically search multiple sources, analyze findings, and compile comprehensive reports.' This clarifies the multi-step, automated nature of the research process. Annotations already indicate it's read-only, non-destructive, open-world, and non-idempotent, so the description appropriately focuses on operational behavior without contradiction.

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 efficiently structured in two sentences: the first explains the core functionality, and the second provides usage context. Every phrase adds value without redundancy, and it's appropriately front-loaded with the main purpose.

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

Completeness3/5

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

Given the tool's complexity (multi-step AI research), the description adequately covers the high-level process but lacks details about output format (no output schema exists), potential limitations, or error handling. With annotations covering safety aspects, the description provides reasonable context but could be more complete for such a sophisticated tool.

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

Parameters3/5

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

With 100% schema description coverage, the input schema fully documents both parameters ('query' and 'modelClass' with enum values). The description doesn't add any parameter-specific information beyond what's in the schema, so it meets the baseline expectation without providing extra semantic value.

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

Purpose4/5

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

The description clearly states the tool's purpose: 'Perform in-depth research on complex topics using AI agents that automatically search multiple sources, analyze findings, and compile comprehensive reports.' It specifies the verb (perform research), resource (complex topics), and method (using AI agents). However, it doesn't explicitly differentiate from its sibling 'deep_search' tool, which likely has overlapping functionality.

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

Usage Guidelines3/5

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

The description provides implied usage guidance: 'Ideal for thorough investigations, market research, technical analysis, or any topic requiring deep understanding from multiple perspectives.' This suggests appropriate contexts but doesn't explicitly state when to use this tool versus the 'deep_search' sibling or other alternatives, nor does it mention any exclusions or prerequisites.

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. 2 tool updatesv0.1.23
    • First observedcomprehensive_research
    • First observeddeep_search

TDQS

B3.4/5.0

Scored across 2 tools

Disambiguation2/5

The two tools have overlapping purposes, both focused on research and searching for information, with 'comprehensive_research' emphasizing analysis and reports and 'deep_search' focusing on real-time data. The boundaries are unclear, as an agent might struggle to choose between them for tasks like market research or technical analysis, leading to potential misselection.

Naming Consistency3/5

The tool names use a consistent snake_case pattern, but they lack a predictable verb_noun structure. 'comprehensive_research' uses an adjective-noun format, while 'deep_search' uses an adjective-noun format as well, but the verbs are implied rather than explicit, making it readable but not fully consistent in action-oriented naming.

Tool Count2/5

With only 2 tools, the server feels thin for a domain like 'Deep Search' that implies broad research capabilities. This limited set may not adequately cover the scope, as it lacks tools for specific operations like filtering results, saving reports, or handling different data types, making it borderline too few for the apparent purpose.

Completeness2/5

There are significant gaps in the tool surface for a research domain. The server lacks essential operations such as retrieving saved reports, updating research parameters, deleting old data, or managing search sessions. This incompleteness will likely cause agent failures when trying to perform end-to-end research workflows.

Maintenance

ActivityMaintained
ResponsivenessNo issues

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