{"skill":{"slug":"brave-search-mcp","displayName":"Brave Search MCP Server","summary":"Privacy-first Brave Search MCP Server offers AI-powered web, image, video, news, and local POI search with summarization and no tracking for agent use.","description":"---\nname: brave-search-mcp\ndescription: Official Brave Search MCP Server for web search, image search, news search, video search, and local POI search. Privacy-focused search API with AI-powered summarization. Connect AI agents to comprehensive search capabilities without Google tracking. Supports web navigation, research, fact-checking, and content discovery. Use when agents need to search the internet, find current information, research topics, verify facts, discover images/videos, or locate businesses/places.\n---\n\n# Brave Search MCP Server\n\n> **Privacy-First Search for AI Agents**\n\nOfficial MCP server from Brave integrating the [Brave Search API](https://brave.com/search/api/). Provides comprehensive search capabilities including web, images, videos, news, and local points of interest with AI-powered summarization.\n\n## Why Brave Search?\n\n### 🔒 Privacy-Focused\nNo user tracking, no profiling, no search history surveillance. Unlike Google, Brave Search doesn't build profiles or track behavior.\n\n### 🤖 AI-Native Features\n- AI-powered summarization (summarizer tool)\n- Structured data for agent consumption\n- Rich context in search results\n\n### 🌐 Comprehensive Coverage\n- **Web Search** - General internet search\n- **Image Search** - Visual content discovery\n- **Video Search** - Video content from multiple platforms\n- **News Search** - Current events and journalism\n- **Local POI** - Businesses, restaurants, services near any location\n\n## Installation\n\n```bash\n# Official Brave Search MCP Server\nnpm install -g @brave/brave-search-mcp-server\n\n# Or via GitHub\ngit clone https://github.com/brave/brave-search-mcp-server\ncd brave-search-mcp-server\nnpm install\nnpm run build\n```\n\n## Configuration\n\nAdd to your MCP client config:\n\n```json\n{\n  \"mcpServers\": {\n    \"brave-search\": {\n      \"command\": \"npx\",\n      \"args\": [\"-y\", \"@brave/brave-search-mcp-server\"],\n      \"env\": {\n        \"BRAVE_API_KEY\": \"YOUR_API_KEY_HERE\"\n      }\n    }\n  }\n}\n```\n\n### Get API Key\n\n1. Visit https://brave.com/search/api/\n2. Sign up for Brave Search API\n3. Free tier: 2,000 queries/month\n4. Paid plans available for higher volume\n\n## Available Tools\n\n### 1. Web Search (`brave_web_search`)\n\nGeneral purpose internet search.\n\n**Agent Usage:**\n```\n\"Search for recent developments in quantum computing\"\n\"Find tutorials on React hooks\"\n\"What are the best practices for Docker security?\"\n```\n\n**Parameters:**\n- `query` (required) - Search terms\n- `count` (optional) - Number of results (default 10, max 20)\n- `offset` (optional) - Pagination offset\n\n### 2. Local Search (`brave_local_search`)\n\nFind businesses, restaurants, services near a location.\n\n**Agent Usage:**\n```\n\"Find coffee shops near San Francisco\"\n\"Pizza restaurants in Brooklyn\"\n\"Gas stations near Times Square\"\n```\n\n**Parameters:**\n- `query` (required) - What to search for\n- `location` (optional) - City, address, coordinates\n\n### 3. Image Search (`brave_image_search`)\n\nVisual content discovery.\n\n**Agent Usage:**\n```\n\"Find images of the Golden Gate Bridge\"\n\"Product photography for smartphones\"\n\"Infographics about climate change\"\n```\n\n### 4. Video Search (`brave_video_search`)\n\nVideo content from YouTube, Vimeo, and other platforms.\n\n**Agent Usage:**\n```\n\"Tutorial videos on machine learning\"\n\"Keynotes from recent tech conferences\"\n\"Documentary about space exploration\"\n```\n\n### 5. News Search (`brave_news_search`)\n\nCurrent events and journalism.\n\n**Agent Usage:**\n```\n\"Latest news about AI regulation\"\n\"Recent developments in renewable energy\"\n\"Tech industry news this week\"\n```\n\n### 6. Summarizer (`brave_web_search` with summarizer)\n\nAI-powered summarization of search results.\n\n**Agent Usage:**\n```\n\"Summarize current state of quantum computing research\"\n\"Give me a summary of recent climate policy changes\"\n```\n\n## Use Cases for Agents\n\n### Research Assistant\n```\nAgent: \"What are the latest findings on CRISPR gene editing?\"\nBrave Search: Returns recent articles, papers, news with summary\n```\n\n### Fact Checking\n```\nAgent: \"Is it true that coffee improves cognitive function?\"\nBrave Search: Provides sources, studies, verification\n```\n\n### Local Discovery\n```\nAgent: \"Find highly-rated sushi restaurants in Seattle\"\nBrave Search: Returns businesses with ratings, addresses, hours\n```\n\n### Content Discovery\n```\nAgent: \"Find video tutorials on Kubernetes deployment\"\nBrave Search: Returns relevant videos from multiple platforms\n```\n\n### News Monitoring\n```\nAgent: \"What's happening with Tesla this week?\"\nBrave Search: Recent news articles, announcements, coverage\n```\n\n## Example Agent Workflow\n\n```\nHuman: \"I'm planning a trip to Tokyo. Help me prepare.\"\n\nAgent:\n1. brave_web_search(\"Tokyo travel guide 2026\")\n2. brave_web_search(\"Tokyo weather forecast\")\n3. brave_local_search(\"best ramen restaurants Tokyo\")\n4. brave_image_search(\"Tokyo metro map\")\n5. brave_news_search(\"Tokyo events 2026\")\n\nAgent: \"Here's your Tokyo trip prep:\n- Weather: [from search results]\n- Top ramen spots: [from local search]\n- Metro map: [image links]\n- Current events: [from news search]\"\n```\n\n## vs Google Search\n\n| Feature | Brave Search | Google Search |\n|---------|--------------|---------------|\n| **Privacy** | ✅ No tracking | ❌ Extensive tracking |\n| **AI Summary** | ✅ Built-in | ⚠️ Limited |\n| **API Cost** | ✅ 2K free/month | ❌ Expensive |\n| **Speed** | ✅ Fast | ✅ Fast |\n| **Coverage** | ✅ Independent index | ✅ Comprehensive |\n| **Agent-Friendly** | ✅ Structured data | ⚠️ Limited |\n\n## Rate Limits\n\n**Free Tier:**\n- 2,000 queries/month\n- 1 query/second\n- Web, image, video, news, local search\n\n**Pro Tier:**\n- Higher volume available\n- Dedicated support\n- See https://brave.com/search/api/ for pricing\n\n## Privacy Guarantee\n\nFrom Brave:\n> \"Brave Search does not collect personal data, build user profiles, or track individual searches. Your queries are anonymous.\"\n\n## Resources\n\n- **Official MCP Server**: https://github.com/brave/brave-search-mcp-server\n- **API Documentation**: https://brave.com/search/api/\n- **API Key Signup**: https://brave.com/search/api/\n- **Brave Search**: https://search.brave.com\n\n## Advanced: Custom Configuration\n\n```json\n{\n  \"mcpServers\": {\n    \"brave-search\": {\n      \"command\": \"node\",\n      \"args\": [\"/path/to/brave-search-mcp-server/build/index.js\"],\n      \"env\": {\n        \"BRAVE_API_KEY\": \"YOUR_API_KEY\",\n        \"DEFAULT_COUNT\": \"15\",\n        \"ENABLE_SUMMARIZER\": \"true\"\n      }\n    }\n  }\n}\n```\n\n---\n\n**The search tool every agent needs**: Privacy-first, AI-native, comprehensive coverage. Install once, search forever.\n","topics":["Privacy","Web Search","Current Information","News"],"tags":{"latest":"1.0.0"},"stats":{"comments":0,"downloads":1370,"installsAllTime":52,"installsCurrent":7,"stars":0,"versions":1},"createdAt":1771084949653,"updatedAt":1778489533630},"latestVersion":{"version":"1.0.0","createdAt":1771084949653,"changelog":"Initial release: Official Brave Search MCP integration. Web, image, video, news, and local POI search with AI summarization. Privacy-first search for AI agents.","license":null},"metadata":null,"owner":{"handle":"buddhasource","userId":"s170rz9nkcfvx4ykg06kwfmtmn83x20q","displayName":"Siddharth Menon","image":"https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/609407?v=4"},"moderation":null}