Duckduckgo MCP Server

Search for words, documents, images, news, maps and text translation using the DuckDuckGo.com search engine.

Local serverstdioPython

What is the Duckduckgo MCP server?

Search for words, documents, images, news, maps and text translation using the DuckDuckGo.com search engine. Exposed over MCP by the duckduckgo mcp server, that capability becomes something an assistant can invoke while it works, not something you go and do afterwards.

What it actually does

A metasearch library that aggregates results from diverse web search services.

Its toolset

Everything the assistant can do here goes through one of these:

  • search_text — Web text search
  • search_images — Image search
  • search_news — News search
  • search_videos — Video search
  • search_books — Book search
  • extract_content — Extract content from a URL
  • Endpoints — The Endpoints tool exposed by this server

Adding it to your client

Setup follows the usual MCP pattern — install or clone the server, register it in your client's configuration file, restart the client. The configuration blocks on this page cover the common clients.

When to reach for it

This sits in the search and retrieval group, where several servers overlap in what they claim to do but differ sharply once you actually set them up. Duckduckgo's toolset — search_text, search_images, search_news and 4 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by deedy5; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

We check each listing at SyncDev against the project's documentation before it goes live — if something here drifts out of date, it is a bug worth reporting.

Caveats

  • It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
  • MCP clients confirm each tool call by default. Leave that on until you have watched what the duckduckgo mcp server does with a few real requests.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
search_textWeb text search
search_imagesImage search
search_newsNews search
search_videosVideo search
search_booksBook search
extract_contentExtract content from a URL
EndpointsThe Endpoints tool exposed by this server.

How to install the Duckduckgo MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ddgs": {
      "command": "ddgs",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Configuration as documented by the project. Restart the client after saving.

Example prompts to try

  • Use Duckduckgo to search text.
  • Use Duckduckgo to search images.
  • Use Duckduckgo to search news.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Duckduckgo to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 7 tools (search_text, search_images, search_news, and more) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Duckduckgo directly.