What can you do with this server?

The npm-search-mcp-server allows you to search for npm packages via the Model Context Protocol (MCP). * Search for npm packages: The server provides a tool called search_npm_packages that takes a query string as input to find relevant npm packages. * Integration with tools: Can be installed and configured in applications like Claude and Zed. * Debugging support: Includes an MCP inspector for debugging. * Cross-platform installation: Supports installation via npm, uv, or Docker.

Which integrations are available for this server?

Allows searching for npm packages by executing the npm search command, enabling users to find and explore available packages in the npm registry with their name, description, version, author, and license information.

How do I use npm-search-mcp-server?

1. Click on "Install Server". 2. Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state. 3. In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@npm-search-mcp-server search for react packages" That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed. Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.

npm-search MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol server that allows you to search for npm packages by calling the npm search command.

Features:

Search npm packages using the npm search command
Supports both stdio and HTTP (streamable-http) transport modes
HTTP mode automatically enabled when PORT environment variable is set
Structured logging with Pino
Graceful shutdown handling
Health check endpoint (/health)
Session management for HTTP transport

Available Tools

search_npm_packages - Search for npm packages.
- Required arguments:
  - query (string): The search query.

Installation

Installing via Smithery

To install npm-search for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli install npm-search-mcp-server --client claude

Using NPM (recommended)

Alternatively you can install npm-search-mcp-server via npm:

npm install -g npm-search-mcp-server

After installation, you can run it as a command using:

npm-search-mcp-server

Using uv

When using uv no specific installation is needed. We will use uvx to directly run npm-search-mcp-server.

Related MCP server: mcp-registry-server

Configuration

Configure for Claude.app

Add to your Claude settings:

"mcpServers": { "npm-search": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "npm-search-mcp-server"] } }

"mcpServers": { "npm-search": { "command": "uvx", "args": ["npm-search-mcp-server"] } }

Configure for Zed

Add to your Zed settings.json:

"context_servers": { "npm-search-mcp-server": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "npm-search-mcp-server"] } },

"context_servers": [ "npm-search-mcp-server": { "command": "uvx", "args": ["npm-search-mcp-server"] } ],

Example Interactions

Search for npm packages:

{ "name": "search_npm_packages", "arguments": { "query": "express" } }

Response:

{ "results": [ { "name": "express", "description": "Fast, unopinionated, minimalist web framework", "version": "4.17.1", "author": "TJ Holowaychuk", "license": "MIT" }, ... ] }

Debugging

You can use the MCP inspector to debug the server. For uvx installations:

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector npx -y npm-search-mcp-server

Or if you've installed the package in a specific directory or are developing on it:

cd path/to/servers/src/npm-search npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector uv run npm-search-mcp-server

Examples of Questions for Claude

"Search for express package on npm"
"Find packages related to react"
"Show me npm packages for web development"

Docker

The server can be run in a Docker container with HTTP transport support:

# Build the image docker build -t mcp/npm-search . # Run the container (default port 3009) docker run -p 3009:3009 mcp/npm-search # Run with custom port via environment variable docker run -p 3009:3009 -e PORT=3009 mcp/npm-search

The Docker image uses HTTP transport when the PORT environment variable is set. The server exposes:

POST /mcp - Main MCP endpoint for tool calls and session initialization
GET /mcp - SSE stream endpoint for streaming responses (requires session ID)
DELETE /mcp - Session termination endpoint
GET /health - Health check endpoint with service status and active session count

For Docker Compose integration:

services: npm-search-mcp: build: . ports: - "3009:3009" environment: PORT: 3009

Contributing

We encourage contributions to help expand and improve npm-search-mcp-server. Whether you want to add new npm-related tools, enhance existing functionality, or improve documentation, your input is valuable.

For examples of other MCP servers and implementation patterns, see: https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers

Pull requests are welcome! Feel free to contribute new ideas, bug fixes, or enhancements to make npm-search-mcp-server even more powerful and useful.

License

npm-search-mcp-server is licensed under the MIT License. This means you are free to use, modify, and distribute the software, subject to the terms and conditions of the MIT License. For more details, please see the LICENSE file in the project repository.