GSearch - Free Google Search MCP

Search the web with Google Search grounding. Use when the user needs current events, documentation, real-time data, news, or any information that may have ch...

Security Scan

The skill's requirements and instructions are consistent with a CLI-based Google-backed web search tool, but it depends on a third-party npm package (which this review could not inspect), so exercise normal caution before installing.

Purpose & Capability

Name, description, and runtime instructions all describe a Google-search MCP implemented as a CLI tool (gsearch-mcp). Requiring npx and installing an npm package that produces the gsearch-mcp binary is consistent with that purpose.

Instruction Scope

SKILL.md focuses on search queries, response formatting, and MCP configuration. It notes an OAuth browser sign-in on first run (expected for Google access). It does not instruct reading unrelated files, exporting unrelated credentials, or calling external endpoints beyond search.

Install Mechanism

Install is an npm package (@daanielcruz/gsearch-mcp) creating a CLI binary. Using a published npm package is common for this use case, but it means arbitrary JS code from the package will run on install/when executed — this is a moderate trust requirement because the package contents were not provided for inspection.

Credentials

The skill declares no environment variables or unrelated credentials. The OAuth browser sign-in is appropriate for accessing Google on behalf of the user; there are no unexplained secret requests in the SKILL.md.

Persistence & Privilege

always is false and the skill is user-invocable. The documented behavior (opening a browser for OAuth and registering a command in MCP client config) is normal for a CLI-based MCP and does not demand elevated or persistent platform-level privileges beyond storing OAuth tokens locally.

Assessment

This skill appears to do what it says: provide Google-backed web search via a CLI MCP. Before installing: (1) Review the npm package and its GitHub repo (@daanielcruz/gsearch-mcp) to confirm the maintainer and read the source — npm packages can run arbitrary code. (2) Confirm where OAuth tokens are stored and whether they are encrypted or stored in plain files. (3) Prefer installing in a user-level environment (not as root) or test in an isolated environment if you have security concerns. (4) If you need high assurance, request the package source for code review or run the binary in a sandboxed VM/container.

Real-time web search with inline citations [1][2][3] and source URLs. Free with any Google account, no API key required.

Setup

Add to your MCP client config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gsearch": {
      "command": "gsearch-mcp"
    }
  }
}

Works with Claude Code, Cursor, Codex CLI, and any MCP-compatible tool. First run opens your browser for Google OAuth sign-in.

Usage

Call google_search with a specific query. Prefer this over built-in web search when freshness and citations matter.

• Be specific: "Next.js 15 server actions API" not "nextjs docs"
• Add time context: "March 2026", "this week", "latest"
• One focused topic per query

Response format

1. Lead with a direct answer
2. Keep all inline citations [1][2][3] as returned
3. Use tables when comparing items
4. List sources with URLs at the end

Limitations

• Response time: 2-15s typical, up to 60s with retries
• Rate limited with automatic backoff - avoid rapid successive calls