MCP server, by Brave
Brave Search MCP Server
Official Brave MCP server that exposes Brave Search API tools for web, local, place, image, video, and news search, summarization, and LLM context over STDIO or HTTP.
Quick facts
What it does
The Brave Search MCP Server integrates the Brave Search API with MCP clients. Per the project README, it provides web search, local business search, place search, image search, video search, news search, LLM context, and AI-powered summarization against Brave's independent search index. Version 2.x defaults to STDIO transport to follow MCP conventions; HTTP is available by setting the transport explicitly.
The server runs with npx as @brave/brave-search-mcp-server or as a Docker image, and needs a Brave Search API key from the developer dashboard. The related AgentsUse tool profile for the Brave Search API covers the underlying plans, including the monthly free credits.
Configuration
Run with npx -y @brave/brave-search-mcp-server and BRAVE_API_KEY set, or use the Docker image mcp/brave-search. STDIO is the default transport in 2.x; pass --transport http or set BRAVE_MCP_TRANSPORT=http for HTTP, which binds 127.0.0.1:8080 by default.
{"mcpServers":{"brave-search":{"command":"npx","args":["-y","@brave/brave-search-mcp-server"],"env":{"BRAVE_API_KEY":"YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"}}}}Source: https://github.com/brave/brave-search-mcp-server. Placeholders only. Replace them in your own environment, and never commit real keys to a repository.
| Environment variable | Required | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
BRAVE_API_KEY | Yes | Brave Search API key. Required unless BRAVE_API_KEY_FILE is set. |
BRAVE_API_KEY_FILE | Optional | Path to a file containing the Brave Search API key. Takes precedence over BRAVE_API_KEY and suits Docker secrets setups. |
BRAVE_MCP_TRANSPORT | Optional | Transport mode, http or stdio. Default is stdio in 2.x. |
BRAVE_MCP_PORT | Optional | HTTP server port when the HTTP transport is used. Default 8080. |
Tools and features on record
brave_web_search Config checked
Comprehensive web searches with rich result types, filtering, freshness controls, and optional summary key generation.
brave_local_search and brave_place_search Config checked
Local business search with ratings and hours, and place search returning structured points of interest with address, contact info, and ratings. Full local search requires a Pro plan and falls back to web search otherwise.
brave_image_search and brave_video_search Config checked
Image search with metadata and confidence scores, and video search with metadata and thumbnails.
brave_news_search Config checked
Current news search with freshness controls and breaking news indicators.
brave_summarizer Config checked
AI-powered summaries from web search results, using the summary key returned by a search made with summary enabled.
brave_llm_context Config checked
Pre-extracted web content optimized for AI agents, LLM grounding, and RAG pipelines, with token and snippet budgets.
Security notes
- The API key travels in the client configuration environment. Keep it out of shared configs and repositories, or use BRAVE_API_KEY_FILE with a mounted secret instead.
- The HTTP transport endpoint is unauthenticated per the README and binds to loopback only by default. Binding 0.0.0.0 exposes it to the network; the README advises doing that only on a trusted network.
- Tool whitelists and blacklists (BRAVE_MCP_ENABLED_TOOLS and BRAVE_MCP_DISABLED_TOOLS) can narrow which search tools a client session can call.
An MCP server runs with the permissions of the process you start it from. Scope credentials to the narrowest access the job needs, and review what the client will send before connecting anything sensitive.
Sources and freshness
- Official source: https://github.com/brave/brave-search-mcp-server
- Repository: https://github.com/brave/brave-search-mcp-server
Checked 2026-10-29. Config-checked means the configuration and feature list trace to the official source above; it does not mean AgentsUse ran the server. Send corrections through the contact page. Back to the MCP server index.