How do I install Google Search (via Apify)?

Copy the http config for Cursor, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or VS Code on this page. It uses the publisher's install, not a PlugMCP proxy.

Does Google Search (via Apify) need an API key?

No required environment variable is listed on this record.

What transport does Google Search (via Apify) use?

Google Search (via Apify) is reached over HTTP.

When was Google Search (via Apify) last checked?

Last checked 2026-11-10. Google web search for AI agents: title, link and snippet in Custom Search JSON API format.

Google Search (via Apify) MCP server

Power your agent

Add this server

The publisher's own URL. Not a PlugMCP endpoint.

Add to Cursor Add in Claude Add to VS Code Run on PlugMCP

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

Server URL

https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=automationnation/google-custom-search-api

The Claude button above opens Claude with the name and URL filled in. You still confirm it there.

shClaude Code

1claude mcp add --transport http io.github.retracn-google-search https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=automationnation/google-custom-search-api

Run in a terminal.

jsonClaude Desktop

1{2  "mcpServers": {3    "io.github.retracn-google-search": {4      "command": "npx",5      "args": [6        "-y",7        "mcp-remote",8        "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=automationnation/google-custom-search-api"9      ]10    }11  }12}

claude_desktop_config.json

Remote · HTTPPublisher installStep-by-step: add this in Claude

Remote URL or a command on your machine? How the two installs differ

Run on PlugMCP

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

A new server you create. It is not this listing's official endpoint. Use the publisher install when you want their URL and their credentials.

Launch

Server facts

Remote

Transport: http
Version: 1.0.0
Last checked

Tools

No tool list yet. Remote servers get one after the first health check.

FAQ

Questions

Google Custom Search JSON API alternative: same requests, same JSON

Google Custom Search API Alternative is an Apify Actor that replaces Google's Custom Search JSON API, which Google has closed to new customers and retires on 1 January 2027. It answers the same /customsearch/v1 requests with the same JSON (items with title, link, displayLink and snippet, plus image search), built from live Google results, at $5 per 1,000 searches with no daily cap.

Price: $5 per 1,000 searches of up to 10 results ($4 on Gold and above) · Run it: https://apify.com/automationnation/google-custom-search-api · Guide: https://retracn.github.io/automationnation-actors/google-custom-search-api/

Quick facts

Drop-in endpoint: replace https://www.googleapis.com/customsearch/v1 with https://automationnation--google-custom-search-api.apify.actor/customsearch/v1 and send your Apify token (token=… or Authorization: Bearer) instead of key=.
Same parameters: q, num, start, gl, hl, lr, cr, safe, dateRestrict, siteSearch, exactTerms, excludeTerms, orTerms, fileType and searchType=image with its image filters; cx is accepted and ignored.
Open WebUI: pick the External web search engine with URL https://automationnation--google-custom-search-api.apify.actor/search and your Apify token as the key, to keep Google results now that Google PSE is closed to new customers.
SearXNG-compatible route for AnythingLLM and other SearXNG clients: https://automationnation--google-custom-search-api.apify.actor/searxng?token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN returns Google results in SearXNG's JSON format.
Same JSON: kind, queries.request and nextPage, searchInformation and items[] with title, htmlTitle, link, displayLink, snippet, htmlSnippet and formattedUrl (image items add mime and image.contextLink, width, height, byteSize, thumbnailLink).
Web searches use Google's "Web" results view: ten plain results per page without the AI Overview, ads or video and forum boxes, close to what the API returned.
Differences: it searches the whole web (pass site lists as siteSearch or site: operators), totalResults is a lower bound, there is no pagemap, and a request takes about 4–10 seconds.
Price: $5 per 1,000 searches of up to 10 results, the price Google charged; searches with no results are free and there is no daily cap.

Use it as a drop-in Custom Search JSON API

Change the endpoint and the key; keep the rest of your code:

	Before	After
Endpoint	`https://www.googleapis.com/customsearch/v1`	`https://automationnation--google-custom-search-api.apify.actor/customsearch/v1`
Auth	`key=YOUR_GOOGLE_KEY&cx=YOUR_ENGINE_ID`	`token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN` or header `Authorization: Bearer YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN`

curl "https://automationnation--google-custom-search-api.apify.actor/customsearch/v1?q=best+crm+for+startups&num=10&token=$APIFY_TOKEN"

Python (examples/cse_requests.py) and JavaScript (examples/cse_fetch.mjs) versions are in examples/. The response is the API's JSON: items[].title, link, displayLink, snippet, queries.nextPage and searchInformation; searchType=image works too.

Example input

{
  "queries": [
    "best project management software"
  ],
  "maxResultsPerQuery": 10
}

Run it from code

REST API

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/automationnation~google-custom-search-api/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"queries": ["best project management software"], "maxResultsPerQuery": 10}'

Python — see examples/python_example.py

# pip install apify-client
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN")
run = client.actor("automationnation/google-custom-search-api").call(run_input={
  "queries": [
    "best project management software"
  ],
  "maxResultsPerQuery": 10
})
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item.get("title"), item.get("link"), item.get("displayLink"), item.get("snippet"))

JavaScript — see examples/node_example.mjs

// npm install apify-client
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: 'YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN' });
const run = await client.actor('automationnation/google-custom-search-api').call({
  "queries": [
    "best project management software"
  ],
  "maxResultsPerQuery": 10
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
for (const item of items) console.log(item.title, item.link, item.displayLink, item.snippet);

Use it with AI agents (MCP)

Hosted MCP server URL (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and other clients with remote MCP support):

https://mcp.apify.com?tools=automationnation/google-custom-search-api

Local config for Claude Desktop / Cursor — mcp/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-custom-search-api": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@apify/actors-mcp-server",
        "--tools",
        "automationnation/google-custom-search-api"
      ],
      "env": {
        "APIFY_TOKEN": "YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN"
      }
    }
  }
}

FAQ

When does the Custom Search JSON API stop working? Google closed it to new customers and says existing customers have until 1 January 2027 to move to an alternative.

Do I have to rewrite my code? No. Change the endpoint to https://automationnation--google-custom-search-api.apify.actor/customsearch/v1 and send an Apify API token instead of the Google key; the parameters and the JSON response stay the same.

Can I keep my Programmable Search Engine's site list? Not through cx, which is ignored. Pass one site as siteSearch, or several in the query as site:a.com OR site:b.com.

What does it cost? $5 per 1,000 searches of up to 10 results ($4.50 on Silver, $4 on Gold and above), with no daily cap. Google charged $5 per 1,000 after 100 free queries a day; Apify's free plan includes $5 of monthly credit, about 1,000 searches.

Google Search (via Apify)

Add this server

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

Server facts

Tools

Questions

How do I install Google Search (via Apify)?

Does Google Search (via Apify) need an API key?

What transport does Google Search (via Apify) use?

When was Google Search (via Apify) last checked?

Documentation

Google Custom Search JSON API alternative: same requests, same JSON

Quick facts

Use it as a drop-in Custom Search JSON API

Example input

Run it from code

Use it with AI agents (MCP)

FAQ

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