MCP Google Custom Search Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides web search capabilities through Google's Custom Search API. This server enables Language Learning Models (LLMs) to perform web searches using a standardized interface.

🌟 Features

• Seamless integration with Google Custom Search API
• Model Context Protocol (MCP) compliant server implementation
• Type-safe implementation using TypeScript
• Environment variable configuration
• Input validation using Zod
• Configurable search results (up to 10 per query)
• Formatted search results including titles, URLs, and descriptions
• Error handling and validation
• Compatible with Claude Desktop and other MCP clients

📋 Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

1. A Google Cloud Project with Custom Search API enabled

2. A Custom Search Engine ID

3. Local development requirements:

🚀 Quick Start

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/limklister/mcp-google-custom-search-server.git
   cd mcp-google-custom-search-server

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Create a .env file:

GOOGLE_API_KEY=your-api-key
   GOOGLE_SEARCH_ENGINE_ID=your-search-engine-id

4. Build the server:

npm run build

5. Start the server:

npm start

🔧 Configuration

Environment Variables

Claude Desktop Integration

Add this configuration to your Claude Desktop config file (typically located at `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-search": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/absolute/path/to/mcp-google-custom-search-server/build/index.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GOOGLE_API_KEY": "your-api-key",
        "GOOGLE_SEARCH_ENGINE_ID": "your-search-engine-id"
      }
    }
  }
}

📖 API Reference

Available Tools

search

Performs a web search using Google Custom Search API.

Parameters:

• `query` (string, required): The search query to execute
• `numResults` (number, optional): Number of results to return
  • Default: 5
  • Maximum: 10

Example Response:

Result 1:
Title: Example Search Result
URL: https://example.com
Description: This is an example search result description
---

Result 2:
...

🛠️ Development

Project Structure

mcp-google-custom-search-server/
├── src/
│   └── index.ts          # Main server implementation
├── build/                # Compiled JavaScript output
├── .env                  # Environment variables
├── package.json          # Project dependencies and scripts
├── tsconfig.json         # TypeScript configuration
└── README.md            # Project documentation

Available Scripts

• `npm run build`: Compile TypeScript to JavaScript
• `npm start`: Start the MCP server
• `npm run dev`: Watch mode for development

Testing

1. Using MCP Inspector:

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node build/index.js

2. Manual testing with example queries:

# After starting the server
   {"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"callTool","params":{"name":"search","arguments":{"query":"example search"}}}

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Built with Model Context Protocol (MCP)
• Uses Google's Custom Search API
• Inspired by the need for better search capabilities in LLM applications