Web Research MCP server

The MCP Web Research Server enables real-time information retrieval in Claude by integrating Google search and webpage content extraction, allowing for seamless research on any topic directly within your conversations.

Prerequisites

• Node.js >= 18 (includes npm and npx)
• Claude Desktop app

Installation

Ensure you've downloaded and installed the Claude Desktop app and have npm installed before proceeding.

Add this entry to your claude_desktop_config.json file:

• On Mac: Located at ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "webresearch": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@mzxrai/mcp-webresearch@latest"]
    }
  }
}

This configuration allows Claude Desktop to automatically start the web research MCP server when needed.

Usage

Start a chat with Claude and send a prompt that would benefit from web research. For a prebuilt prompt customized for deeper research, use the agentic-research prompt included with the package:

1. Click the Paperclip icon in the chat input
2. Select Choose an integration → webresearch → agentic-research

Available Tools

The server provides several research tools:

Search Google

Performs Google searches and extracts results:

Arguments: { query: string }

Visit Page

Visits a webpage and extracts its content:

Arguments: { url: string, takeScreenshot?: boolean }

Take Screenshot

Takes a screenshot of the current page:

No arguments required

Resource Access

The MCP server makes two types of resources available:

Screenshots

When you take a screenshot, it's saved as an MCP resource. Access captured screenshots in Claude Desktop via the Paperclip icon.

Research Session

The server maintains a session that includes:

• Search queries
• Visited pages
• Extracted content
• Screenshots
• Timestamps

Tips for Better Results

If you choose not to use the agentic-research prompt, it helps to suggest high-quality sources for Claude. For example, prompt "news today from Reuters or AP" instead of simply "news today".

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues, check Claude Desktop's MCP logs:

tail -n 20 -f ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log

Currently, the server has been verified to work on macOS, with Linux support still being tested.

How to add this MCP server to Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > MCP and click "Add new global MCP server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "cursor-rules-mcp": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "cursor-rules-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explictly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.