Tinysearch MCP Server

Self-hosted web research for MCP agents.

Remote serverstreamable-httpPython

What is the Tinysearch MCP server?

If you already use Tinysearch, the tinysearch mcp server is the piece that lets your assistant work with it directly. Self-hosted web research for MCP agents.

What the server does

TinySearch searches, crawls, and reranks the web locally, then gives your agent only the evidence worth putting in its context.

  • Built around token efficiency. — Page selection and passage selection
  • Source-grounded by construction. — Every evidence group stays attached to
  • Useful without paid infrastructure. — DDGS search and local ONNX embeddings
  • Bring your own stack when needed. — SearXNG and OpenAI-compatible embedding
  • Works where agents already work. — Use MCP over stdio, Streamable HTTP,
  • Self-hosted and inspectable. — No TinySearch account, analytics service, or

Installation

Because this one is hosted, setup is mostly authentication — you point your client at the endpoint and approve access. Nothing runs on your machine, so there is no runtime to keep patched.

Credentials and setup notes

Configuration is passed through the environment: BRAVE_SEARCH_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.

Where it fits

Among the AI and media services options, the useful question is rarely "what can it do" but "what does it cost you to run" — permissions, credentials, and how much of your context its toolset consumes. It is maintained by MarcellM01; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

SyncDev reviews every entry in this directory against the project's own documentation before publishing, and revisits them as servers change.

Worth knowing first

  • Your data travels to the provider's service, so the usual questions apply about what you send and what they retain.
  • 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.

How to install the Tinysearch MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tinysearch": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["tinysuite-search"],
      "env": {
        "BRAVE_SEARCH_API_KEY": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.

Configuration

VariableDescriptionRequired
BRAVE_SEARCH_API_KEYCredential the server authenticates with.Yes

Frequently asked questions

It connects Tinysearch to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Tinysearch directly.