In simple English
This tool lets your AI assistant search the web through a private search engine called SearXNG. You do not need to pay for a commercial search API key. You must already have a working SearXNG server that allows JSON output. It connects to AI clients like Claude Desktop or Cursor using the Model Context Protocol. Your search queries stay private if you run your own search server.
What it is
A TypeScript (a programming language that adds strict types to JavaScript, making large codebases easier to maintain) server that connects the Model Context Protocol to a SearXNG instance. It exposes web search, search suggestions, instance information and a URL reader tool to AI assistants.
What it is good for
Solo builders who want to give their local or desktop AI assistants web search abilities without paying monthly fees to commercial search providers or sharing queries with big tech companies.
- No paid API key required for web search.
- Keeps your search queries private if you host your own search server.
- Supports pagination, direct answers, and reading web pages or PDFs as text.
- Requires an existing, working SearXNG instance with JSON search enabled.
- Setup requires editing JSON configuration files for your AI client.
- Public search instances may block automated queries or fail to return JSON.
Paid search API subscriptions for AI tools
Claude Desktop
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npm install -g mcp-searxng