web-researcher-mcp

<!-- mcp-name: io.github.zoharbabin/web-researcher-mcp -->
<p align="center">
  <img src="assets/logo-final.svg" width="120" alt="web-researcher-mcp logo">
</p>
<h1 align="center">web-researcher-mcp</h1>
<p align="center">
  <strong>Your AI research assistant that cites real sources and stays honest.</strong>
</p>
<p align="center">
  Search the entire web or narrow it down to just the sites you trust;<br/>
  medical journals, court databases, news outlets, academic papers.<br/>
  Analyze the full source, not just snippets. Links that work, citations you can trust,<br/>
  no made up closed garden pre-synthesized results.
</p>

<p align="center">
  <a href="https://github.com/zoharbabin/web-researcher-mcp/actions/workflows/ci.yml"><img src="https://github.com/zoharbabin/web-researcher-mcp/actions/workflows/ci.yml/badge.svg" alt="CI"></a>
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  <a href="https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/zoharbabin/web-researcher-mcp"><img src="https://pkg.go.dev/badge/github.com/zoharbabin/web-researcher-mcp.svg" alt="Go Reference"></a>
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  <a href="https://github.com/zoharbabin/web-researcher-mcp/releases"><img src="https://img.shields.io/github/v/release/zoharbabin/web-researcher-mcp" alt="Release"></a>
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</p>

### Get started in 30 seconds

**Python users — `uvx` (no compile, any OS):**
```bash
# One-time: install uv (skip if you already have it)
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh        # macOS/Linux  (Windows: winget install astral-sh.uv)

claude mcp add --scope user web-researcher -- uvx web-researcher-mcp
```
[`uv`](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/) fetches the right prebuilt binary for your platform and runs it — no Go, no compile, no manual PATH. Point any MCP client at `uvx web-researcher-mcp`. Also works with `uv tool install web-researcher-mcp` or `pip install web-researcher-mcp`.

**macOS (Homebrew):**
```bash
brew install zoharbabin/tap/web-researcher-mcp
claude mcp add --scope user web-researcher -- web-researcher-mcp
```

**macOS / Linux (no package manager):**
```bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zoharbabin/web-researcher-mcp/main/install.sh | sh
```

**Windows (PowerShell):**
```powershell
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -c "irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zoharbabin/web-researcher-mcp/main/install.ps1 | iex"
```

No dev tools needed — every method ships the same signed binary (the PyPI wheels vendor it; the others download it and verify its checksum) and puts it on your PATH. The `curl`/PowerShell installers also register it with Claude Code automatically when the `claude` CLI is present; Homebrew installs the binary, so run the `claude mcp add` line above to connect it.

**One-click install:**

<p>
  <a href="https://cursor.com/en/install-mcp?name=web-researcher&config=eyJjb21tYW5kIjoidXZ4IiwiYXJncyI6WyJ3ZWItcmVzZWFyY2hlci1tY3AiXX0%3D"><img src="https://cursor.com/deeplink/mcp-install-dark.svg" alt="Add to Cursor" height="28"></a>
  <a href="https://vscode.dev/redirect?url=vscode%3Amcp%2Finstall%3F%257B%2522name%2522%253A%2522web-researcher%2522%252C%2522command%2522%253A%2522uvx%2522%252C%2522args%2522%253A%255B%2522web-researcher-mcp%2522%255D%257D"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/VS_Code-Install_Server-0098FF?style=flat-square" alt="Install in VS Code" height="28"></a>
  <a href="https://lmstudio.ai/install-mcp?name=web-researcher&config=eyJjb21tYW5kIjoidXZ4IiwiYXJncyI6WyJ3ZWItcmVzZWFyY2hlci1tY3AiXX0%3D"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/LM_Studio-Add_MCP-4A2DB8?style=flat-square" alt="Add to LM Studio" height="28"></a>
</p>

The Cursor / VS Code / LM Studio buttons install the zero-config `uvx` setup (your editor prompts to confirm before adding it; needs [`uv`](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/) — see above). It runs **DuckDuckGo web search with no API key** — great to try instantly; `image_search`/`news_search` and richer providers need a key (2 min, see [Configuration](#configuration)). **Claude Desktop:** download the [`.mcpb` bundle](https://github.com/zoharbabin/web-researcher-mcp/releases/latest) for your platform and double-click it (Settings → Extensions), or use the `uvx` line above.

**Using a different MCP client** or want to pass API keys? See [Connect to Your AI Assistant](#connect-to-your-ai-assistant) for the per-app config, and [Configuration](#configuration) to pick a search provider.

Your AI can now search the web, read full articles, find academic papers, look up patents, and run multi-step research — only from sources you pick.

---

## Why does this exist?

Perplexity [gets its citations wrong over a third of the time](https://www.cjr.org/tow_center/we-compared-eight-ai-search-engines-theyre-all-bad-at-citing-news.php). It links to papers that don't exist, invents DOIs, and presents SEO spam with the same confidence as peer-reviewed research. ChatGPT's web search isn't much better — it can't tell a blog post from a court filing.

If your work gets cited, published, submitted to a court, or shown to a client — you can't afford "probably real" sources.

**This tool fixes the root cause:** instead of searching the entire web and hoping, you tell your AI *exactly which sources to search*. We call these "search lenses" — curated lists of trusted sites for each field.

| What you get | What that means for you |
|---|---|
| **Search lenses** — choose your sources by field | Your AI only sees the sites you trust (PubMed, SEC.gov, arXiv — not random blogs) |
| **Research tools for every source type** | Papers, patents, SEC filings, US court records, economic data, news, web pages, images, full-text reading, grounded answers with citations, structured extraction, and multi-step deep research |
| **Always has a backup** | Multiple search engines working together — if one has issues, the others pick up automatically |
| **Reads full articles** | Doesn't just give you snippets — extracts and reads entire pages, PDFs, Word docs, even YouTube transcripts |
| **Real citations, formatted** | Every source comes with a proper APA/MLA citation and a link that actually works |
| **Your queries stay private** | Runs on your machine — nobody sees what you're researching. Not us, not anyone. |
| **Paper trail** | Every search is logged so you can reproduce your research process months later |

Works with Claude, Claude Desktop, Cursor, and any AI assistant that supports tool use.

### Who uses this

- **Academic researchers** — "I need a literature review with real DOIs, not made-up citations"
- **Business analysts** — "My deliverable needs sources a client can actually click and verify"
- **Lawyers** — "If I cite a case that doesn't exist, I get fined $50,000"
- **Journalists** — "I need to cross-check government records and court filings, not Perplexity summaries"
- **Medical researchers** — "Clinical decisions based on a health blog could hurt someone"
- **Graduate students** — "I spent 3 hours tracking down a citation my AI invented"
- **Enterprise teams** — "Our competitive research can't go through a third party's servers"

---

![web-researcher-mcp demo — citation verification, grounded answers, and trusted search](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zoharbabin/web-researcher-mcp/main/assets/demo.gif)

---

## How It Compares

|  | web-researcher-mcp | Perplexity | Scite.ai | Elicit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| You pick which sources are searched | **Yes** (built-in + custom lenses) | No | No | No |
| Makes up citations | **Never** — every link is real | ~37% incorrect | Rare (journals only) | Rare |
| Works across all fields | **Yes** — legal, medical, news, patents, everything | Yes | Journals only | Papers only |
| Keeps your research private | **Yes** — runs on your machine | No (they see everything) | No | No |
| Works inside your existing AI (Claude, Cursor, etc.) | **Yes** | No (separate app) | Partially | No (separate app) |
| Can read full articles, not just snippets | **Yes** — pages, PDFs, Word docs, YouTube | No | No | Limited |
| Cost | **Free forever** (open source) | $20/mo | $20/mo | $10-49/mo |

### When to use what

- **Perplexity** — Quick casual lookups where you don't need to cite your sources
- **Scite.ai / Elicit** — Browsing a specific database of academic papers
- **web-researcher-mcp** — Anything where your reputation is attached to the research: client work, court filings, publications, grant proposals, medical decisions, journalism
- **Claude built-in search** — Quick one-off lookups mid-conversation

---

## What your AI can do with this

| Tool | What it does |
|------|-------------|
| `web_search` | Search the web — optionally restricted to only the sources you trust via lenses |
| `scrape_page` | Read any URL in full — web pages, PDFs, Word docs, slideshows, YouTube transcripts; supports `mode: raw` for verbatim, unsanitized source (e.g. inspecting JSON or HTML) |
| `search_and_scrape` | Search and then read the best results — with quality scoring to surface the most reliable sources |
| `image_search` | Find images by size, type, color, or format |
| `news_search` | Search recent news with date controls and source filtering |
| `academic_search` | Find real papers with