SearXNG MCP servers: which one to use

Use mcp-searxng for plain private web search. Pick searxNcrawl to also crawl pages, or a Docker bundle if you have no SearXNG yet.

Servers: 39; active
Local: 21; runs on your machine

SearXNG has no official MCP server, so the choice is between community projects that give your assistant private web search. Most of them need a SearXNG instance of your own with JSON output switched on. mcp-searxng by Ihor Sokoliuk is the most starred and the simplest. Pick searxNcrawl if you also want pages turned into clean Markdown, or the SearXNG HTTP MCP image if you want search and the server in one container.

Good for

Anyone who wants Claude, Cursor or Codex to search the web without a paid search API key
Self-hosters who already run SearXNG and want their assistant to use it
Privacy-minded users who do not want every query sent to a search vendor
Researchers who need search plus page reading in one server

Which SearXNG MCP server to use

Use mcp-searxng unless you need more. Pick searxNcrawl to crawl whole sites, SearXNG HTTP MCP to run search and server in one Docker image, and bumbarasch for the widest tool set.

Server	Runs	Needs	Reads web pages	Tools	GitHub stars
mcp-searxngThis page	Local	Your SearXNG	Yes	4	1.3K
searxNcrawl	Local	SearXNG or You.com	Yes	–	183
SearXNG Enhanced	Local	Your SearXNG	Yes	–	55
kevinwatt	Local	Your SearXNG	–	–	39
SearXNG HTTP MCP	Local	Docker image	–	–	13
bumbarasch	Local	Your SearXNG	Yes	13	2

All SearXNG MCP servers

39 active · official first, then by GitHub stars

Show all 39

Questions

Is there an official SearXNG MCP server?

No. The searxng GitHub organization lists no MCP server among its repositories, so every option here is a community project. mcp-searxng by Ihor Sokoliuk has the most stars.

Do I need my own SearXNG instance?

Usually yes. mcp-searxng says you need an instance with JSON search enabled, and it does not install SearXNG for you. The SearXNG HTTP MCP image bundles SearXNG in one Docker container.

Do I need an API key?

Not for SearXNG itself. The bumbarasch README says it needs no search API keys because it talks to your own SearXNG. searxNcrawl can also use a You.com key (YDC_API_KEY), which is optional.

Can I use a public SearXNG instance?

mcp-searxng tells you to use an instance you run or trust, and links a guide for public instances. A private instance keeps your queries under your control.

Which one can also read web pages?

mcp-searxng has a tool that reads a URL as Markdown. searxNcrawl crawls pages and whole sites to Markdown. SearXNG Enhanced scrapes pages and reads PDFs. bumbarasch can fetch a page or crawl a site.

Which one has the most tools?

bumbarasch lists 13 tools, including image, news, video and paper search plus page fetch and site crawling. mcp-searxng has 4.

Does it work in Claude Desktop and Cursor?

Yes. mcp-searxng's README gives a config for clients that use mcpServers JSON, such as Claude Desktop, and names Cursor. See the install box on its page for the exact config.

Is it free?

Yes. All six are open source under the MIT licence, and SearXNG is free. You pay only for the machine you run SearXNG on.

Can the assistant change anything with these?

These servers search the web and read pages. A page you ask it to read can still contain text that tries to steer the assistant, so be careful with pages you do not trust.