Google MCP Server

MCP server for Google search via warm Chrome profile. No API key.

Local serverstdio

What is the Google MCP server?

MCP server for Google search via warm Chrome profile. No API key. That is what the google mcp server brings to an AI assistant: the same capability, reachable through the Model Context Protocol rather than a separate app or dashboard.

The short version

One MCP replaces three: search + URL fetcher + academic-paper extractor.

The tools it exposes

The server publishes 1 tool. What each one is for:

  • Response — content, title, excerpt, length, is_pdf, page_count, extraction_quality. Failures return { error }, never throw

What it needs from you

Configuration is passed through the environment: CHROME_PATH, ANTHROPIC_API_KEY. Treat anything key-shaped as a real credential — scope it to the minimum the server needs, and rotate it if it ever lands in a shared config.

Getting it running

google-surf-mcp on npm is all you need. Most clients run it directly, so configuration is a few lines and a restart.

How it compares

This sits in the developer tooling group, where several servers overlap in what they claim to do but differ sharply once you actually set them up. Google's toolset — Response — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by harimchoi; 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We check each listing at SyncDev against the project's documentation before it goes live — if something here drifts out of date, it is a bug worth reporting.

Things to watch

  • 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.
  • Missing credentials fail quietly in some clients — if no tools show up, check the environment block first.
  • Keep per-call confirmation enabled while you learn its behaviour; it is the cheapest safeguard you have.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
Responsecontent, title, excerpt, length, is_pdf, page_count, extraction_quality. Failures return { error }, never throw.

How to install the Google MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-surf": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "google-surf-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

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

Configuration

VariableDescriptionRequired
CHROME_PATHFilesystem location the server is allowed to use.Optional
ANTHROPIC_API_KEYCredential the server authenticates with.Yes

Example prompts to try

  • Use Google to Response.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Google to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 1 tool (Response) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Google directly.