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Developer Research MCP Server

Provides web search capabilities via OpenRouter and supports extensibility to add more providers.

Installation

Add the following to your MCP client configuration file.

Configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ali-nr-developer-research-server": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/full/path/to/your/developer-research-server/build/index.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "your_openrouter_api_key_here",
        "OPENROUTER_API_URL": "https://openrouter.ai/api/v1"
      }
    }
  }
}

You are deploying a modular MCP server that enables developers to perform web searches via standard MCP tools. This server focuses on research-oriented web search, using providers like OpenRouter, and is designed to be extended with additional providers. It exposes a structured tool interface you can use from MCP clients to obtain search results in a consistent JSON format.

How to use

To use this MCP server with an MCP client, run the server locally and connect through the standard MCP interface. You will access the web search capability through the search_web tool, which queries your configured research provider and returns a structured set of results.

How to install

Prerequisites: Node.js v18 or higher and npm. You will also need an API key for the research provider you choose to use (for example, OpenRouter).

Step-by-step commands to set up the server locally:

# 1. Clone the project
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/developer-research-server.git
cd developer-research-server

# 2. Install dependencies
npm install

# 3. Build the project (TypeScript to JavaScript)
npm run build

# 4. Run or prepare configuration as described below

Additional configuration and usage notes

Configuration is done via environment variables. Create a .env file in the project root and set the necessary keys for the research provider you intend to use. For OpenRouter, you typically need the API key and, optionally, the base API URL.

OPENROUTER_API_KEY=your_openrouter_api_key_here
OPENROUTER_API_URL=https://openrouter.ai/api/v1

Notes on consuming the server with Roo Code

The server is designed to listen on standard input/output when started. You can integrate it with Roo Code by providing the MCP configuration that points to the locally built server.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "developer_research": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/full/path/to/your/developer-research-server/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "your_openrouter_api_key_here",
        "OPENROUTER_API_URL": "https://openrouter.ai/api/v1"
      },
      "alwaysAllow": ["search_web"],
      "timeout": 60
    }
  }
}

Available tools

search_web

Performs a web search using the configured provider and returns relevant results in a structured JSON format.