MCP100 Assessment

Editorial verdict

Promising search infrastructure, but it remains on the Shortlist until result quality, query privacy, API cost and limits, and downstream handling of web content receive fuller independent review.

Reviewed July 24, 2026

Task Fit

Mapped

Specialized workflows

Trust

Status warning

open_http_batch_amplification_quota_financial_risk_fix_unmerged

Maintenance

Activity observed

A dated repository or package update is available; editorial maintenance review is still pending.

Popularity

Signals available

Visible usage signals are shown for discovery only, not as proof of safety.

Best for

Connect compatible AI clients to Brave's documented MCP capabilities.

Not ideal for

Users who need a fully reviewed MCP100 recommendation today

Avoid if

Permissions, credentials, and connected data cannot be tested with least privilege

Trade-offs

Publisher attribution supports discovery, but does not replace an independent permissions and usability review.

Evidence scope

Evidence

Current source snapshot

Popularity

1.5k MCP repository stars

64.3k package downloads / 30 days

Repository identity: brave/brave-search-mcp-server

Package identity: @brave/brave-search-mcp-server

Official npm package @brave/brave-search-mcp-server: 64,348 downloads / 30 days.

Stars observed September 24, 2026 · Downloads observed September 8, 2026

Exact reviewed repository metric.

Exact reviewed package distribution.

Maintenance

Publisher activity observed August 11, 2026

Current source snapshot

Trust review

Source relationship: First-party MCP

Reviewed July 24, 2026

Sources

GitHub repository ↗Publisher README ↗

Evidence-backed setup

Install & Agents

Choose your MCP client. A client connects to the MCP server; the language model is selected inside that client. Only stored, source-backed configurations are shown.

Claude Code

Local stdio

MCP100 logic checked

claude mcp add brave-search -e BRAVE_API_KEY="YOUR_API_KEY" -- npx "-y" "@brave/brave-search-mcp-server" "--transport" "stdio"

The publisher connection details were combined with this client's official MCP transport configuration; installation was not executed by MCP100.

Verify safely: Restart Claude Code, confirm brave-search tools are listed, and perform one read-only test with non-sensitive data.

Uninstall and revoke

Remove brave-search from Claude Code, restart the client, remove any separately installed package, and revoke dedicated credentials if used.

Evidence & methodology

Publisher-documented setup is not the same as MCP100 execution testing. “MCP100 logic checked” means the stored configuration shape was reviewed, not that third-party MCP software was run.

Evidence checked 2026-07-24

Evidence 1 ↗Evidence 2 ↗

Capability

What it does

Connect compatible AI clients to Brave's documented MCP capabilities.

Search & ResearchEducation & Research

Representative uses

Connect compatible AI clients to Brave's documented MCP capabilities.

Important limits

Users who need a fully reviewed MCP100 recommendation today

Tools8 toolsView tools

brave_web_search
Search the web with Brave Search.
brave_local_search
Search for local businesses and places; full local results can depend on the Brave plan.
brave_video_search
Search for videos with Brave Search.
brave_image_search
Search for images with Brave Search.
brave_news_search
Search recent news with Brave Search.
brave_summarizer
Generate a Brave Search-powered summary for supported queries.
brave_place_search
Look up place information through the Brave Search API.
brave_llm_context
Retrieve Brave LLM Context results designed for grounding language-model responses.

Current official catalog has 8 tools.

Source: Official source

Context Footprint

Varies by configuration

Estimated token footprint of the MCP tool schemas exposed to the agent.

~1,600 is the full-catalog reference only.

Reviewed access

Access & risk

Review the exact access boundary before connecting this MCP to accounts, credentials, or sensitive data.

Authentication: Follow only the publisher source; credential storage, scopes, and revocation remain under review.
Permissions: Exact permissions and read/write boundaries have not completed MCP100 review.
Data handling: Candidate-specific retention, subprocess, telemetry, and model-data behavior remain review items.
Cost: Publisher plans, API usage, infrastructure, or per-action charges may apply; MCP100 has not published a cost conclusion.
Risk and cautions: Use a test account, least privilege, read-only controls where available, and explicit approval for mutations.

Related reviewed MCPs

Other options

Exa MCP

MCP100 Recommended

Search the web, retrieve pages, find code, and run research workflows through Exa.

Choose this instead if

Choose Exa MCP instead if search the web, retrieve pages, find code, and run research workflows through Exa.

Search the web, retrieve pages, find code, and run research workflows through Exa.

Compare with Brave Search MCP View Exa MCP details

meilisearch

MCP100 Recommended

Inspect and operate Meilisearch indexes and application-search workflows.

Choose this instead if

Choose meilisearch instead if application-search development and diagnosis against Meilisearch.

Inspect and operate Meilisearch indexes and application-search workflows.

Compare with Brave Search MCP View meilisearch details

opensearch

MCP100 Recommended

Explore OpenSearch indexes, mappings, cluster state, and search results.

Choose this instead if

Choose opensearch instead if search and observability investigation against governed OpenSearch deployments.

Explore OpenSearch indexes, mappings, cluster state, and search results.

Compare with Brave Search MCP View opensearch details

Read publisher documentation

Publisher documentation

MCP100 source-backed summary

A concise MCP100 summary built from the reviewed publisher sources. It is not a publisher README; use the original link for the latest full documentation.

View original documentation ↗

Brave Search MCP

Connect compatible AI clients to Brave's documented MCP capabilities.

What it can help with

Connect compatible AI clients to Brave's documented MCP capabilities.

Important limits

Users who need a fully reviewed MCP100 recommendation today

Loading optional publisher documentation…

FAQ

What can Brave Search MCP search?

Connect compatible AI clients to Brave's documented MCP capabilities.

Can Brave Search MCP return web results for an AI agent?

Yes. The official server includes Brave web search and can also expose local, video, image, news, place, summarizer, and LLM-context tools. Enabled and disabled tool settings can narrow the active surface.

Does Brave Search MCP work with Codex?

Yes. MCP100 reviewed an evidence-backed setup for Codex, but has not independently verified it with a live runtime test.

Is this an official MCP?

Brave is listed as First-party MCP in MCP100’s current evidence.

Current official resources: