Brave Search MCP: Complete Guide 2026

What is Brave Search MCP?

Brave Search MCP is an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that enables AI assistants to Add real-time web search to your AI applications. MCP is an open protocol that standardizes how AI models interact with external tools and data sources.

Prerequisites

Claude Desktop (or any MCP-compatible client)

Node.js 18+ or Python 3.10+

Access to Brave account/credentials

Installation

Option 1: NPM (Recommended)

bash
npm install -g @search/brave-search-mcp-mcp

Option 2: From Source

bash
git clone https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/brave-search-mcp-mcp
cd brave-search-mcp-mcp
npm install
npm run build

Configuration

Claude Desktop Setup

Edit your Claude Desktop config file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json Windows: %APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "brave-search-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@search/brave-search-mcp-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "BRAVE_SEARCH_MCP_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here",
        "DEBUG": "false"
      }
    }
  }
}

Environment Variables

bash
Required
export BRAVE_SEARCH_MCP_API_KEY=your_key_here
Optional
export BRAVE_SEARCH_MCP_TIMEOUT=30
export BRAVE_SEARCH_MCP_MAX_RESULTS=50

Available Tools

After installation, Claude has access to these tools:

Core Tools

brave_search_mcp_list
   Description: List available resources
   Parameters: { limit: number, filter: string }
brave_search_mcp_get
   Description: Get specific resource by ID or name
   Parameters: { id: string }
brave_search_mcp_create
   Description: Create a new resource
   Parameters: { name: string, content: any }
brave_search_mcp_update
   Description: Update existing resource
   Parameters: { id: string, updates: any }
brave_search_mcp_delete
   Description: Delete a resource
   Parameters: { id: string, confirm: boolean }

Usage Examples

Example 1: Basic Usage in Claude

Once configured, you can ask Claude naturally:

You: "Use Brave Search MCP to help me with Add real-time web search to your AI applications"
Claude: "I'll use the Brave Search MCP MCP server to help you.
[Uses brave_search_mcp_list tool]
Here's what I found..."

Example 2: Complex Workflow

You: "Please analyze my search setup and suggest improvements"
Claude will:
List all resources using Brave Search MCP
Analyze the current configuration
Identify opportunities for improvement
Suggest specific changes with reasoning

Building a Custom MCP Server

You can also build your own MCP server:

typescript
import { Server } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/index.js";
import { StdioServerTransport } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/stdio.js";
import {
  CallToolRequestSchema,
  ListToolsRequestSchema,
} from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/types.js";
const server = new Server(
  {
    name: "my-search-server",
    version: "0.1.0",
  },
  {
    capabilities: {
      tools: {},
    },
  }
);
// Define available tools
server.setRequestHandler(ListToolsRequestSchema, async () => {
  return {
    tools: [
      {
        name: "search_query",
        description: "Add real-time web search to your AI applications",
        inputSchema: {
          type: "object",
          properties: {
            query: {
              type: "string",
              description: "Your query"
            }
          },
          required: ["query"]
        }
      }
    ]
  };
});
// Handle tool calls
server.setRequestHandler(CallToolRequestSchema, async (request) => {
  if (request.params.name === "search_query") {
    const { query } = request.params.arguments as { query: string };
    
    // Your implementation here
    const result = await performQuery(query);
    
    return {
      content: [
        {
          type: "text",
          text: JSON.stringify(result, null, 2)
        }
      ]
    };
  }
  
  throw new Error(Unknown tool: ${request.params.name});
});
// Start server
const transport = new StdioServerTransport();
await server.connect(transport);

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Issue: Server not starting

bash
Check if node is properly installed
node --version  # Should be 18+
Reinstall the package
npm install -g @search/brave-search-mcp-mcp --force

Issue: Authentication failing

bash
Verify your API key
echo $BRAVE_SEARCH_MCP_API_KEY
Test API key validity
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $BRAVE_SEARCH_MCP_API_KEY"   https://api.brave.com/v1/test

Security Considerations

bash
Use environment-specific keys (never hardcode)
In production, use a secrets manager
export BRAVE_SEARCH_MCP_API_KEY=$(aws secretsmanager get-secret-value --secret-id mcp-keys --query SecretString --output text | jq -r '.search_key')
Limit MCP server permissions to minimum required
Use read-only tokens when possible

Conclusion

Brave Search MCP unlocks the ability to Add real-time web search to your AI applications directly through your AI assistant. This makes complex search tasks dramatically faster and more intuitive.

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*Brave Search MCP MCP setup guide | May 2026*