Brave Search MCP Server

What it does

Brave's official MCP server for the Brave Search API. It adds web, local, place, image, video and news search tools, plus LLM context and AI summarization. Version 2.x uses stdio by default, with HTTP as an option. MIT licensed.

Who it's for

Builders who want their agent to search the web through an independent search index. Needs a Brave Search API key; some features (like extra snippets and full local search) need a Pro plan.

How to set it up

1. Sign up for the Brave Search API at brave.com/search/api, pick a plan and create an API key.

2. Add to your MCP client config:

   jsonCopy

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "brave-search": {
         "command": "npx",
         "args": [
           "-y",
           "@brave/brave-search-mcp-server",
           "--transport",
           "stdio"
         ],
         "env": {
           "BRAVE_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
         }
       }
     }
   }

3. Docker also works with the image mcp/brave-search (see the README).

Check the official Brave Search MCP Server docs for the latest steps.

Example prompts

Search the web for the latest Next.js release notes and summarize them.

Find recent news about MCP security and list the sources.

Search for coffee shops near Denver, CO and give me the top 5.

Demo