Brave Search MCP

Overview

Brave Search MCP is a Model Context Protocol server that provides AI agents with access to Brave's privacy-focused web search API. It enables agents to perform real-time web searches, retrieve search results, and access web content — all while maintaining user privacy.

Key Features

🔍 Web Search Capabilities

• Real-Time Search: Query the web for current information
• Privacy-Focused: Brave's search doesn't track user data
• Rich Results: Get titles, snippets, URLs, and more
• Configurable Parameters: Control count, freshness, and more

📊 Search Parameters

{
  "q": "search query",
  "count": 10,
  "offset": 0,
  "search_lang": "en",
  "ui_lang": "en-US",
  "country": "us",
  "freshness": "day|week|month|year",
  "safe_search": "off|moderate|strict",
  "text_format": "raw|html"
}

🛠️ Available Tools

Tool	Description
brave_search	Perform a web search and return results
brave_search_autocomplete	Get search suggestions for a query

Installation

# Using npx (recommended)
npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-search

# With environment variable
BRAVE_API_KEY=your-api-key npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-search

Configuration

Required Setup

1. Get a Brave Search API Key:

   • Visit Brave Search API
   • Sign up for a free tier (2,000 queries/month)
   • Or purchase a paid plan for higher limits

2. Set Environment Variable:

   export BRAVE_API_KEY=your-api-key-here
   

3. Configure in Claude Desktop:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "brave-search": {
         "command": "npx",
         "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-search"],
         "env": {
           "BRAVE_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
         }
       }
     }
   }
   

Usage Examples

Basic Search

Search for: "latest AI agent frameworks 2025"

The MCP server will return:

• Search result titles
• Snippets/descriptions
• URLs
• Date published
• Related searches

Search with Filters

Find recent articles about MCP servers from the past week

Use the freshness parameter to filter by time:

• day - Last 24 hours
• week - Last 7 days
• month - Last 30 days
• year - Last 365 days

Safe Search

Search with safe search enabled for: "appropriate content query"

Safe search levels:

• off - No filtering
• moderate - Filter explicit content
• strict - Aggressive filtering

Integration with AI Agents

Claude Desktop

Once configured, Claude can use Brave Search naturally:

Claude: "Let me search for the latest information on that topic..."
[Uses brave_search tool]
Claude: "Based on my search, here's what I found..."

Cursor / Windsurf / Zed

All MCP-compatible editors support Brave Search:

1. Open MCP settings
2. Add Brave Search server configuration
3. Start asking questions that require web search

Custom Agent Integration

from mcp import ClientSession, StdioServerParameters
from mcp.client.stdio import stdio_client

# Connect to Brave Search MCP
server_params = StdioServerParameters(
    command="npx",
    args=["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-search"],
    env={"BRAVE_API_KEY": "your-key"}
)

async with stdio_client(server_params) as (read, write):
    async with ClientSession(read, write) as session:
        # Initialize
        await session.initialize()
        
        # List available tools
        tools = await session.list_tools()
        
        # Call search
        result = await session.call_tool(
            "brave_search",
            arguments={"q": "AI agent frameworks"}
        )

Pros

• ✅ Privacy-First: Brave doesn't track or profile users
• ✅ Free Tier Available: 2,000 queries/month for free
• ✅ Fast Response: Optimized search infrastructure
• ✅ Rich Results: Detailed search result metadata
• ✅ Easy Setup: Simple npx installation
• ✅ Wide Compatibility: Works with all MCP clients

Cons

• ❌ Rate Limits: Free tier has monthly limits
• ❌ API Key Required: Must sign up for Brave Search
• ❌ Limited to Web Search: No other data sources
• ❌ Search Quality: May not match Google's comprehensiveness

Pricing

Plan	Queries/Month	Price
Free	2,000	$0
Basic	10,000	$15/month
Pro	100,000	$100/month
Enterprise	Custom	Contact sales

Resources

• GitHub: https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers/tree/main/src/brave-search
• Brave Search API: https://brave.com/search/api/
• MCP Servers Repo: https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers
• Documentation: https://modelcontextprotocol.io/introduction

Comparison

Feature	Brave Search	Google Search	DuckDuckGo
Privacy	✅ Excellent	❌ Tracks users	✅ Good
Free Tier	✅ 2,000/mo	❌ Limited	✅ Unlimited
API Quality	✅ Good	✅ Excellent	⚠️ Moderate
Setup Ease	✅ Easy	⚠️ Complex	✅ Easy
Result Quality	✅ Good	✅ Best	⚠️ Moderate

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Last updated: May 2026