Brave Search: Fast Privacy, No Tracking

Fast, private web & local search powered by Brave’s API – no tracking, just results you can trust.

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About Brave Search

What is Brave Search: Fast Privacy, No Tracking?

Brave Search MCP Server is a privacy-focused search solution that integrates the Brave Search API to deliver fast, ad-free results. It supports both general web queries and localized business searches while ensuring zero tracking of user activity. The server provides robust filtering options and automatic fallback mechanisms to enhance reliability and user control.

Key Features of Brave Search: Fast Privacy, No Tracking?

Web & Local Search Integration: Access global web content and hyperlocal business data in one interface.
Advanced Filtering: Adjust result types, safety levels, and freshness parameters to refine search outcomes.
Smart Fallback System: Automatically switches to web search when local queries yield no results.
Scalable Pagination: Manage search results with page offsets and adjustable result limits (max 20 per request).

Brave Search Features

How to Use Brave Search: Fast Privacy, No Tracking?

Setup Steps

Sign up for a Brave Search API account and generate an API key via the developer dashboard.
Configure the MCP server in your claude_desktop_config.json using Docker or NPX commands provided in the official documentation.

Execution

Use the brave_web_search and brave_local_search tools with parameters like query, offset, and result_count to customize requests.

Use Cases

Rapid research for news, articles, and technical documentation without tracking.
Business directory lookups for nearby services or retail locations.
Content filtering for family-safe browsing environments.
Automated workflows requiring privacy-compliant search integration.

Brave Search FAQ

FAQ

How do I handle API rate limits?

Brave enforces standard API usage policies. Monitor your account dashboard for throttling notifications and adjust query frequency accordingly.

What happens if a local search returns no results?

The smart fallback system automatically reroutes the query to the web index, ensuring uninterrupted service without manual intervention.

Is Docker required for deployment?

No, alternative methods like NPX are supported. See the configuration documentation for platform-specific instructions.

Content

Brave Search MCP Server

An MCP server implementation that integrates the Brave Search API, providing both web and local search capabilities.

Features

Web Search : General queries, news, articles, with pagination and freshness controls
Local Search : Find businesses, restaurants, and services with detailed information
Flexible Filtering : Control result types, safety levels, and content freshness
Smart Fallbacks : Local search automatically falls back to web when no results are found

Tools

brave_web_search
- Execute web searches with pagination and filtering
- Inputs:
  - query (string): Search terms
  - count (number, optional): Results per page (max 20)
  - offset (number, optional): Pagination offset (max 9)
brave_local_search
- Search for local businesses and services
- Inputs:
  - query (string): Local search terms
  - count (number, optional): Number of results (max 20)
- Automatically falls back to web search if no local results found

Configuration

Getting an API Key

Sign up for a Brave Search API account
Choose a plan (Free tier available with 2,000 queries/month)
Generate your API key from the developer dashboard

Usage with Claude Desktop

Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json:

Docker

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "brave-search": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-e",
        "BRAVE_API_KEY",
        "mcp/brave-search"
      ],
      "env": {
        "BRAVE_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

NPX

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

Build

Docker build:

docker build -t mcp/brave-search:latest -f src/brave-search/Dockerfile .

License

This 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.