How do I install Google Researcher?

Copy the stdio 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 Researcher need an API key?

The publisher lists these environment variables: GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_KEY, GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_ID.

What transport does Google Researcher use?

Google Researcher runs locally over stdio.

When was Google Researcher last checked?

Last checked 2026-10-27. MCP server providing Google Search, web scraping, and multi-source research tools for AI assistants

Google Researcher MCP server

Power your agent

Add this server

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

Add to Cursor Add to VS Code Run on PlugMCP

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

Local command

npx -y [email protected]

Credentials from the publisher

GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_KEY — Google Custom Search API key
GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_ID — Google Programmable Search Engine ID

Claude Code has no install link for a local command. Copy the command below and run it in a terminal.

shClaude Code

1GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_KEY=<secret> GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_ID=<value> claude mcp add io.github.zoharbabin-google-researcher -- npx -y google-researcher-mcp@6.3.3

Run in a terminal.

jsonClaude Desktop

1{2  "mcpServers": {3    "io.github.zoharbabin-google-researcher": {4      "command": "npx",5      "args": [6        "-y",7        "[email protected]"8      ],9      "env": {10        "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_KEY": "<secret>",11        "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_ID": "<value>"12      }13    }14  }15}

claude_desktop_config.json

Local · npmPublisher 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

Local

Transport: stdio
Version: 6.3.3
API key

Tools

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

FAQ

Questions

google-researcher-mcp — DEPRECATED

⚠️ This project has been superseded by web-researcher-mcp.

A complete rewrite in Go: same tools, but it cites real sources and stays honest — citation verification, retraction flagging, eight search providers behind one interface, and a single signed static binary. No Node.js, no npm.

Migrate in one line

Your API keys and tool calls don't change — only how the server is launched. Pick whichever you prefer (no Node required):

# macOS / Linux — installs the binary and registers it with Claude Code automatically: curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zoharbabin/web-researcher-mcp/main/install.sh | sh # Windows (PowerShell): powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -c "irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zoharbabin/web-researcher-mcp/main/install.ps1 | iex" # Python users (uv) — run with no install: uvx web-researcher-mcp

Before / after (MCP client config)

The config keeps the same shape — swap the command/args, keep your env:

// BEFORE — google-researcher-mcp (npx / Node) { "mcpServers": { "google-researcher": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "google-researcher-mcp"], "env": { "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_KEY": "…", "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_ID": "…" } } } } // AFTER — web-researcher-mcp (installed binary; or use "uvx" + args ["web-researcher-mcp"]) { "mcpServers": { "web-researcher": { "command": "web-researcher-mcp", "env": { "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_KEY": "…", "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_ID": "…" } } } }

Don't run both at once — they register identical tool names. Remove the google-researcher entry before adding web-researcher.

Your existing GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_KEY and GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_ID work unchanged.

Why the Rewrite?

Open Issue	Resolution in web-researcher-mcp
#108 — Orphan detection fails via npx	Go binary has native process lifecycle (EOF/SIGPIPE) — no npm wrapper
#107 — Google discontinuing 'entire web' search	Eight providers (Brave, Serper, SearXNG, SearchAPI, Tavily, Exa, DuckDuckGo + Google PSE for lenses) with automatic fallback
#55 — Support alternative search engines	Multiple engines behind one interface, plus a zero-config DuckDuckGo default
#72 — Add Redis caching	Hybrid cache: memory + AES-encrypted disk + optional Redis
#40 — Split server.ts into modules	Fully modular Go architecture (one package per concern)

Plus what's new: verify_citation and audit_bibliography (catch fabricated/retracted citations), academic / patent / SEC-filing / US-case-law / economic / clinical-trial search, and authority-weighted search lenses.

Links

Add this server

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

Server facts

Tools

Questions

How do I install Google Researcher?

Does Google Researcher need an API key?

What transport does Google Researcher use?

When was Google Researcher last checked?

Documentation

google-researcher-mcp — DEPRECATED

Migrate in one line

Before / after (MCP client config)

Why the Rewrite?

Links