MCP Web Search for Agent Tools (Desearch)

Coding agents plan better when they can search the live web. MCP web search is how you give Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, and similar clients Desearch search tools through the Model Context Protocol, without pasting results into the prompt by hand.

Desearch MCP is available over hosted Streamable HTTP. The documented path is the hosted server at https://mcp.desearch.ai/mcp. Create an API key in Console, add that URL plus an auth header in your client, then call tools from the live tools list.

Canonical reference: Desearch MCP guide. Re-check that page before you ship internal runbooks; tool inventory can change.

What MCP changes for search

Without MCP you usually:

• call the Desearch REST API from your backend, or
• paste search results into the chat yourself

With hosted MCP, a compatible client can:

• connect to Desearch as an MCP server over HTTP
• call search and related tools during a session
• keep DESEARCH_API_KEY in client config / headers instead of in the transcript

That shift matters for day-to-day builder work. The model can decide when to search, you stay out of the copy-paste loop, and secrets stay out of chat history if you configure them correctly.

Source of truth = live MCP docs

Use the live docs page as the install contract:

• Endpoint: https://mcp.desearch.ai/mcp
• Auth: Authorization: <DESEARCH_API_KEY> (raw key preferred; no Bearer prefix in the preferred docs examples) or x-api-key: <DESEARCH_API_KEY>
• Requests without a key return 401

The host health endpoint at https://mcp.desearch.ai/ returns a small JSON service record when the service is up. That is useful for a quick connectivity check. The MCP session itself runs at /mcp.

Do not treat local npm / stdio install as the documented default. Live docs keep local npm out of the page until a signed smoke exists. Do not claim an official MCP Registry listing.

Prerequisites

• A Desearch API key from Console API keys
• A client that supports MCP over HTTP URLs (Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, or another HTTP-capable host)

Never commit live keys to git. Never paste keys into public prompts or shared notes.

Hosted endpoint + auth

Minimum shape:

{
  "url": "https://mcp.desearch.ai/mcp",
  "headers": {
    "Authorization": "<DESEARCH_API_KEY>"
  }
}

Some clients accept x-api-key instead of Authorization. Both work on the hosted server. Prefer the raw key in Authorization as shown in the docs examples.

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http desearch https://mcp.desearch.ai/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: ${DESEARCH_API_KEY}"

If your CLI build expects a different header flag, use the equivalent custom-header option and keep the same key value.

Cursor

Open your MCP config (often ~/.cursor/mcp.json) and add:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "desearch": {
      "url": "https://mcp.desearch.ai/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "<DESEARCH_API_KEY>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Fully quit and restart Cursor after edits. Partial reloads can leave a stale MCP session.

VS Code

VS Code uses a servers key (not mcpServers):

{
  "servers": {
    "desearch": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.desearch.ai/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "<DESEARCH_API_KEY>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Verify with tools/list

After reload:

1. Confirm the Desearch server shows as connected.
2. Confirm tools appear from live tools/list. Do not hard-code a tool count. Inventory can change.
3. Call a simple tool such as web-search with {"query":"desearch"} or ai-search with {"prompt":"desearch docs"}.

Docs currently document deep examples for several tools (including ai-search, web-search, x-search, extract, and web-crawl) plus additional X helpers. Always prefer your client's live schema over any frozen list in a blog post.

MCP vs REST / SDK

Many teams use both: MCP for builder workflows, REST/SDK for production agents. MCP does not replace Desearch API docs; it is another way to call the product from agent hosts.

Troubleshooting

Claims we are not making

• Desearch is not claimed here as listed in the official MCP Registry.
• Local npm / stdio is not claimed as a proven default.
• Tool counts and schemas are not frozen forever; use live tools/list.
• No invented latency or cost benchmarks.

Next steps

1. Create a key in Console.
2. Add https://mcp.desearch.ai/mcp with your auth header in Claude Code, Cursor, or VS Code.
3. Confirm tools from live tools/list, then run a simple search call.
4. Keep the canonical reference open: Desearch MCP guide.

FAQ

Is this the official MCP Registry?

Do not assume that. This article does not claim an official Registry listing. Use the hosted HTTP endpoint documented by Desearch.

Do I need npm install?

Not for the documented path. Hosted Streamable HTTP is what the live MCP guide documents. Local npm stays out until Desearch publishes a signed smoke.

Which tools can I call?

Whatever your client receives from live tools/list. Docs include examples for web / AI / X search and extract-style tools; treat those as illustrations, not a permanent inventory.

Does this replace the REST API?

No. MCP is for agent/IDE tool wiring. REST/SDK remains the path for app backends.