# Web Search MCP (`silicatelabs/web-search-mcp`) Actor An Apify Actor that runs a persistent **Model Context Protocol (MCP) server**, giving AI assistants real-time web search capabilities. Connect Claude Desktop, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible AI client to search the web without leaving your workflow. - **URL**: https://apify.com/silicatelabs/web-search-mcp.md - **Developed by:** [Silicate Labs](https://apify.com/silicatelabs) (community) - **Categories:** MCP servers, AI, Automation - **Stats:** 1 total users, 0 monthly users, 0.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $0.10 / 1,000 results This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Web Search MCP Server [![Apify Actor](https://img.shields.io/badge/Apify-Actor-brightgreen)](https://apify.com/actors) [![MCP Compatible](https://img.shields.io/badge/MCP-Compatible-blue)](https://modelcontextprotocol.io) [![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-Apache%202.0-blue.svg)](LICENSE) An Apify Actor that runs a persistent **Model Context Protocol (MCP) server**, giving AI assistants real-time web search capabilities. Connect Claude Desktop, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible AI client to search the web without leaving your workflow. ### Features - 🔍 **search_web** — Search the web via DuckDuckGo (free, no key) or Brave Search (higher quality) - 📰 **search_news** — Search for recent news articles - 📄 **fetch_page** — Fetch and extract clean text content from any URL - 🔐 **Domain whitelist** — Restrict `fetch_page` to approved domains - 📊 **Audit log** — Optionally log all searches to an Apify dataset - ⚡ **Always-on** — Runs in Apify Standby mode for persistent 24/7 availability ### Quick Start #### 1. Run on Apify 1. Go to the [Apify Console](https://console.apify.com) and find this actor 2. Click **Try for free** → configure inputs → **Start** 3. Copy the **Standby URL** from the actor run logs (looks like `https://web-search-mcp.username.apify.actor`) #### 2. Connect to Claude Desktop Add the following to your Claude Desktop `claude_desktop_config.json`: ```json { "mcpServers": { "web-search": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://YOUR-STANDBY-URL/sse"] } } } ```` Restart Claude Desktop and you'll see the tools appear in the interface. #### 3. Connect to Cursor / other MCP clients Set the SSE URL to: `https://YOUR-STANDBY-URL/sse` ### Input Configuration | Parameter | Type | Default | Description | |---|---|---|---| | `defaultMaxResults` | integer | `10` | Default number of results returned per search | | `braveApiKey` | string | — | Optional [Brave Search API key](https://brave.com/search/api/) for better results | | `enableFetchTool` | boolean | `true` | Enable the `fetch_page` tool | | `enableNewsTool` | boolean | `true` | Enable the `search_news` tool | | `allowedDomains` | string\[] | `[]` | Whitelist domains for `fetch_page` (empty = all allowed) | | `logSearches` | boolean | `false` | Log all queries to the Apify dataset | ### MCP Tools Reference #### `search_web` Search the web and get ranked results. **Parameters:** - `query` (string, required) — The search query - `maxResults` (integer, optional, default: 10) — Number of results (1–50) - `safeSearch` (enum, optional) — `strict`, `moderate`, or `off` **Returns:** Ranked list of results with title, URL, and snippet. *** #### `search_news` Search for recent news articles. **Parameters:** - `query` (string, required) — News search query - `maxResults` (integer, optional) — Number of articles (1–20) **Returns:** List of news articles with publication time when available. *** #### `fetch_page` Fetch a web page and return its clean text content. **Parameters:** - `url` (string, required) — Full URL to fetch - `maxLength` (integer, optional, default: 8000) — Max characters (500–50000) **Returns:** Page title, meta description, and extracted body text. ### API Endpoints | Endpoint | Method | Description | |---|---|---| | `/sse` | GET | MCP SSE connection endpoint | | `/messages?sessionId=X` | POST | MCP message handler | | `/health` | GET | Health check + active sessions | | `/` | GET | Server info and instructions | ### Architecture ``` AI Client (Claude, Cursor, etc.) │ SSE connection ▼ Express HTTP Server (:3000) │ MCP Server (McpServer) │ ┌─────┴──────────┐ │ Search Tools │ └─────┬──────────┘ │ ┌─────┴─────────────────────┐ │ DuckDuckGo HTML API │ (default, no key needed) │ Brave Search REST API │ (optional, with API key) └────────────────────────────┘ ``` ### Local Development ```bash git clone https://github.com/your-org/web-search-mcp cd web-search-mcp npm install npm start ``` The server starts on `http://localhost:3000`. Connect any MCP client to `http://localhost:3000/sse`. ### Example Usage (in Claude) Once connected, you can ask Claude: > *"Search for the latest news about AI regulations in Europe"* > *"What are the top Python web frameworks in 2025? Search the web and summarize."* > *"Fetch the content from https://example.com/blog/post and summarize the key points."* ### License Apache 2.0 — see [LICENSE](LICENSE) # Actor input Schema ## `defaultMaxResults` (type: `integer`): Default number of search results returned per query (tools can override this). ## `braveApiKey` (type: `string`): Optional Brave Search API key for higher-quality results. Leave empty to use DuckDuckGo (no key required). ## `enableFetchTool` (type: `boolean`): Allow the MCP client to fetch and extract full page content from any URL. ## `enableNewsTool` (type: `boolean`): Allow the MCP client to search for recent news articles. ## `allowedDomains` (type: `array`): Whitelist of domains the fetch\_page tool can access. Leave empty to allow all. ## `logSearches` (type: `boolean`): Save every search query and result count to the Apify dataset for auditing. ## Actor input object example ```json { "defaultMaxResults": 10, "enableFetchTool": true, "enableNewsTool": true, "logSearches": false } ``` # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = {}; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("silicatelabs/web-search-mcp").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = {} # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("silicatelabs/web-search-mcp").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{}' | apify call silicatelabs/web-search-mcp --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=silicatelabs/web-search-mcp", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Web Search MCP", "description": "An Apify Actor that runs a persistent **Model Context Protocol (MCP) server**, giving AI assistants real-time web search capabilities. Connect Claude Desktop, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible AI client to search the web without leaving your workflow.", "version": "0.0", "x-build-id": "JtRHhjmzjX2RNnm5O" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/silicatelabs~web-search-mcp/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-silicatelabs-web-search-mcp", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/silicatelabs~web-search-mcp/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-silicatelabs-web-search-mcp", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/silicatelabs~web-search-mcp/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-silicatelabs-web-search-mcp", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "defaultMaxResults": { "title": "Default max results", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 50, "type": "integer", "description": "Default number of search results returned per query (tools can override this).", "default": 10 }, "braveApiKey": { "title": "Brave Search API key (optional)", "type": "string", "description": "Optional Brave Search API key for higher-quality results. Leave empty to use DuckDuckGo (no key required)." }, "enableFetchTool": { "title": "Enable fetch_page tool", "type": "boolean", "description": "Allow the MCP client to fetch and extract full page content from any URL.", "default": true }, "enableNewsTool": { "title": "Enable search_news tool", "type": "boolean", "description": "Allow the MCP client to search for recent news articles.", "default": true }, "allowedDomains": { "title": "Allowed domains for fetch_page (optional)", "type": "array", "description": "Whitelist of domains the fetch_page tool can access. Leave empty to allow all.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "logSearches": { "title": "Log searches to dataset", "type": "boolean", "description": "Save every search query and result count to the Apify dataset for auditing.", "default": false } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```