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brave-search-mcp-server

MCP.Pizza Chef: brave

This tool plugs Brave's search engine into your AI assistant so it can look things up on your behalf instead of relying only on what it already knows. It handles regular web searches, local business lookups, place and address details, images, videos, breaking news, and even short AI-written summaries of search results. It works with Claude Desktop and VS Code, and you will need a Brave Search API key to turn it on.

Web/Research

Use This MCP server To

Search the web for answers that are fresher than what my AI already knows Find local restaurants, shops, or services near a specific address Look up a business's hours, ratings, and contact details Find images for a project, mood board, or presentation Find videos related to a topic I'm researching Check today's breaking news on a topic Get a short summary instead of a long list of search results

README

Brave Search MCP Server

An MCP server implementation that integrates the Brave Search API, providing comprehensive search capabilities including web search, local business search, place search, image search, video search, news search, LLM context, and AI-powered summarization. This project supports both STDIO and HTTP transports, with STDIO as the default mode.

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Migration

1.x to 2.x

Default transport now STDIO

To follow established MCP conventions, the server now defaults to STDIO. If you would like to continue using HTTP, you will need to set the BRAVE_MCP_TRANSPORT environment variable to http, or provide the runtime argument --transport http when launching the server.

Response structure of brave_image_search

Version 1.x of the MCP server would return base64-encoded image data along with image URLs. This dramatically slowed down the response, as well as consumed unnecessarily context in the session. Version 2.x removes the base64-encoded data, and returns a response object that more closely reflects the original Brave Search API response. The updated output schema is defined in src/tools/images/schemas/output.ts.

Tools

Web Search (brave_web_search)

brave-search-mcp-server FAQ

Can I use this to search the web from inside my AI assistant?
Yes — you can ask your assistant to look something up, and it will run a real Brave web search and bring back current results instead of relying only on what the model already knows.
Can I use this to find a business near me, like a coffee shop or a plumber?
Yes — it can search for local businesses and places and return details like hours, ratings, and contact information.
Which AI apps does this work with?
It's built to work with Claude Desktop and VS Code, and because it follows the open MCP standard, it can also work with other compatible assistants, including ChatGPT and Gemini-based tools that support MCP connections.
Do I need an account or API key to use this?
Yes — you need a Brave Search API key from Brave's developer site. There is a free tier with limited monthly searches, plus paid tiers for heavier use.
How hard is this to set up?
It takes some technical setup, including installing a recent version of Node.js and adding a configuration entry with your API key, so it's best handled by someone comfortable with basic developer tools or with a bit of help.
Can it search for images and videos, not just web pages?
Yes — it has dedicated searches for images, videos, and news, each returning useful details like thumbnails, dimensions, or publish dates.
Can I limit results to recent news instead of anything ever published?
Yes — you can ask for results from the last day, week, month, or year, which is useful for news or fast-moving topics.
Can it summarize search results instead of giving me a list of links?
Yes — it includes an AI-generated summary feature that condenses web search results into a short, readable answer.