brave-search

Web search via Brave Search API with a generous free tier.

Overview

Why Brave Search?

• 2000 searches/month free
• Privacy-focused (no tracking)
• Works globally, no geographic restrictions

Capabilities

• Web search
• News search
• Image search
• Local search

Installation

1. Get API Key

1. Visit brave.com/search/api
2. Sign up for the “Data for AI” plan
3. Create an API key (free tier: 2000 queries/month)

2. Install via Setup

./install.sh        # Fresh install
./install.sh --add  # Add to existing

The installer will prompt for your API key.

3. Manual Configuration

Add to ~/.claude.json:

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

Usage

Once installed, Claude can search the web:

"Search for recent news about AI regulations"
"Find tutorials on React Server Components"
"What's the current weather in Berlin?"

vs Built-in WebSearch

If you want web search and don’t need Google’s research_topic, brave-search is the simpler option.

vs google-search

Both serve the same purpose. Choose one:

For most users, brave-search is simpler to set up.