How do I configure Tavily for Claude.app?

Add a `mcpServers` section to your Claude settings, defining the command to run the Tavily server and specifying your Tavily API key as an environment variable.

How do I use Tavily with my LLM?

You can use the Tavily MCP (Model Context Protocol) server. It provides tools like `tavily_web_search`, `tavily_answer_search`, and `tavily_news_search`. You'll need a Tavily API key and can install the server using pip or from source.

What credentials does it need?

It reads `TAVILY_API_KEY` from the environment. Store these in your client's env block or a secrets manager — never commit them to a repository — and grant the narrowest scope that still covers your use case.

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Tavily MCP Server

Enables LLMs to perform AI-powered web searches using the Tavily search API.

Local serverstdioPython★ 72

What is the Tavily MCP Server?

Enables LLMs to perform AI-powered web searches using the Tavily search API.

What you get

I built this MCP server back in early March of 2025 when the MCP protocol was brand new and there were no consistent ways to do search in chatbots, predating other implementations.

Configuration and credentials

Python 3.11 or later - A Tavily API key (obtain from Tavily's website) - uv Python package manager (recommended)

More MCP options

Compare MCP servers by category, or browse hosted MCP servers if you prefer an endpoint over a local process.

Maintainer setup documentation.

Recorded tools

Check the linked publisher documentation and your connected client's tool list. Names and availability can vary with the server version and account permissions.

Tool	What it does
tavily_web_search	Performs comprehensive web searches with AI-powered content extraction.
tavily_answer_search	Performs web searches and generates direct answers with supporting evidence.
tavily_news_search	Searches recent news articles with publication dates.

How to install the Tavily MCP Server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tavily-3": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "npx"],
      "env": {
        "TAVILY_API_KEY": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.

Configuration

Python 3.11 or later - A Tavily API key (obtain from Tavily's website) - uv Python package manager (recommended)

Variable	Description	Required
TAVILY_API_KEY	Credential the server authenticates with.	Yes

Example prompts to try

“Use Tavily to tavily web search.”
“Use Tavily to tavily answer search.”
“Use Tavily to tavily news search.”

Frequently asked questions

Tavily offers AI-powered web searches, direct answer generation, news search with publication dates, domain inclusion/exclusion for refined results, and prompt templates for each search type.