io.github.zoharbabin/google-researcher

Official

by zoharbabin · TypeScript

MCP server providing Google Search, web scraping, and multi-source research tools for AI assistants

Google Search, web scraping, and multi-source research tools for AI agents.

Topics

academic-searchai-assistantai-toolsanthropicclaudegoogle-searchllmmcpmcp-servermodel-context-protocolpatent-searchresearchtypescriptweb-scraping

README.md4 KBView on GitHub

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⚠️ This project has been superseded by web-researcher-mcp.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

bash

# 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:

jsonc

// 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.

→ Full migration guide

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.

Install

Configuration

Environment variables

GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_KEYrequiredsecret

Google Custom Search API key

GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_IDrequired

Google Programmable Search Engine ID

claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-researcher": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "google-researcher-mcp@6.3.3"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_KEY": "<YOUR_GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_KEY>",
        "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_ID": "<YOUR_GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_ID>"
      }
    }
  }
}