Google Custom Search MCP

Name: Google Custom Search MCP
Author: A1-x-Tech

by A1-x-Techversion 1.1.1i★ –iRuns on your computer

Registry nameio.github.A1-x-Tech/mcp-google-custom-search

Install

Overview

Description from the maker (original English)

MCP server for Google Custom Search: web and image search via a Programmable Search Engine.

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

These three are never merged into one score: opinions, measurements and popularity are different things.

User voiceiNo reviews yetReviews open together with accounts in a later step
Our basic checksi1 of 1 passedChecked from public information; code not scanned yet
UsageiEarly↓ 508/wk · ★ –

What you can do with it

We have not written a plain-language summary for this one yet. Below are the facts we read from the registry.

Connection: Runs on your computer
Transport: stdio
Category: Search & AI memory
You need to fill in: GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_KEY

Install

Pick the AI app you use, then copy the settings.

Before you install

Basic checks: 1 of 1 passed
Runs on your computer with your user’s permissions (files, network, apps).
You fill in yourself: GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_KEY, GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_ENGINE_ID, GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_BASE, GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_TIMEOUT_MS, GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_MAX_RETRIES

Values marked secret are keys to your account. Never share them or paste them into a chat.

You need

npmNode.js installed (for the npx command)

Which app do you use?

ClaudeClaude CodeCursorVS CodeChatGPT

Pick your app above. We remember it, so next time the button says “Install in …”.

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config, and paste this into claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-custom-search": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-google-custom-search"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_ENGINE_ID": "your-value",
        "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_BASE": "your-value",
        "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_TIMEOUT_MS": "your-value",
        "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_MAX_RETRIES": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Run this in your terminal

claude mcp add google-custom-search --env GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_KEY=your-value --env GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_ENGINE_ID=your-value --env GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_BASE=your-value --env GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_TIMEOUT_MS=your-value --env GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_MAX_RETRIES=your-value -- npx -y mcp-google-custom-search

Fill in the empty values before running it.

Open in Cursor

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .cursor/mcp.json in your project, or ~/.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-custom-search": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-google-custom-search"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_ENGINE_ID": "your-value",
        "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_BASE": "your-value",
        "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_TIMEOUT_MS": "your-value",
        "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_MAX_RETRIES": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

Open in VS Code

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .vscode/mcp.json in your project

{
  "servers": {
    "google-custom-search": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-google-custom-search"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_ENGINE_ID": "your-value",
        "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_BASE": "your-value",
        "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_TIMEOUT_MS": "your-value",
        "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_MAX_RETRIES": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

This one runs on your computer, and ChatGPT can only connect to servers on the internet. Pick another app.

Your choice stays on this device in a cookie; no account needed.

Values you fill in

GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_KEY secret required env
Google Cloud API key with the Custom Search API enabled. Treat it as a secret.
GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_ENGINE_ID env
Default Programmable Search Engine id (cx). Tools accept a per-call engine_id override.
GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_BASE env
API root override.
GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_TIMEOUT_MS env
Per-request timeout in milliseconds.
GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_MAX_RETRIES env
Retries on transient errors (429, and 5xx/network — the API is idempotent GETs only).

These settings are generated from the maker’s registry entry. If the README says otherwise, follow the README.

What it can do

Runs on your computer; the tool list appears in your AI app after you install it.

Basic checksi

We check information anyone can see; we have not read the code. Checks that do not apply are left out of the count. · Checked Nov 8, 2026

✓ Pass
Maker matches the repo
The registry name was verified with the GitHub account A1-x-Tech, which owns the repo
… Not checked yet
Still maintained
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
… Not checked yet
Has a licence
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
– Not applicable
Endpoint responds
This one runs on your computer; there is no internet endpoint
– Not applicable
Sign-in with OAuth
Runs on your computer and uses local settings instead
… Not checked yet
No hidden instructions in tool descriptions
Runs on your computer; we can only read tool lists from internet endpoints

Compared with others in Search & AI memoryi

More stars than 0% of the other 5696 servers in this category
Published to the registry more recently than 84% of the other 5696 servers in this category
Basic checks equal to or better than 100% of the other 5696 servers in this category

Compared with every active server in this category in the registry. Stars count only when the publisher owns the repo.

Common questions

Is Google Custom Search MCP safe?

It passed 1 of 1 applicable basic checks. We have not read the code. Before adding a key or token, see what access the server asks for and use a key with only the permissions you need.

What keys or codes does it need?

You need to fill in: GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_KEY

Does it run on my computer or in the cloud?

It runs on your computer. Your AI app starts it when needed, and data does not pass through the maker’s servers (unless it calls an online service itself).

Is it still maintained?

The GitHub repo last changed –, and the latest version (1.1.1) reached the registry 8 days ago.

Which apps can use it?

Apps that support MCP, such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code. You also need Node.js on your computer.

What can I use instead?

In the same category: Context7, Codebase Memory, Exa

Alternatives

Servers in the same category from other makers, sorted by stars.

Reading a card:↓ Downloads per weeki★ GitHub starsiThree pillars: reviews · checks · usageiUpdated = latest version published to the registryi

Context7

Feeds AI the latest docs for libraries and frameworks before it answers, so code it writes does not use outdated, removed functions.

by upstashWidely used↓ 972.7K/wk★ 64.2KUpdated 2 days ago

Computer or cloud

Install

Codebase Memory

Codebase knowledge graph for AI agents — 162 languages, sub-ms queries, 99% fewer tokens.

by DeusDataWidely used↓ 18K/wk★ 48.1KUpdated 22 days ago

Runs on your computer

Install

Exa

Connect AI agents to Exa for web search, content fetching, and multi-step research.

by exa-labsGrowing★ 5.2KUpdated 2 months ago

Runs in the cloud✓ exa.ai

Install

README from the maker

Open the README

Copied from the maker’s repo as written. PopNx MCP has not reviewed or endorsed it. HTML, images and scripts are removed. Links lead off this site.

Google Custom Search MCP

English | Русский

A1 Google Custom Search MCP lets an AI app search the web and images in plain language through your Programmable Search Engine. Ask for pages, narrow by language, country, date or site, page through results and pull image files with thumbnails.

It uses the Google Custom Search JSON API with your Google Cloud API key. You decide what the engine covers — a handful of sites or the entire web — and the server makes the limits of the JSON API explicit instead of implying that every search task is possible.

3 tools. Web search, image search, and a raw GET escape hatch for parameters the typed tools don't expose.
Read-only end to end. The Custom Search JSON API has no write endpoint; every tool is marked read-only and nothing here can modify data.
You control the coverage. The engine's configuration decides what gets searched; results and ranking can differ from google.com.
The key stays in a header. API-key authentication — no OAuth, no scopes; the key travels in the X-Goog-Api-Key header and never appears in a URL.
Not Google Search Console. It cannot report how your own site is indexed or ranked.

Start with a read-only question:

Find recent articles about passkey adoption from the last month and summarize the top three results.

Connect the server · Explore use cases · Open technical documentation

See it work in a minute

You: Find recent articles about passkey adoption, English only, from the last month.

Assistant: Runs one search through your engine and shows each result's title, link and snippet. Nothing changes — every tool is read-only.

You: Show the next page.

Assistant: Continues from the next_start cursor and shows results 11–20 of the same query.

You: Now find large press photos on the same topic.

Assistant: Switches to image search and returns image files with their dimensions, thumbnails and the pages that host them.

Quick start
What you can ask it to do
How a search works
What can change
Getting access
Configuration
Data, limits and background work
Technical documentation
Support

Quick start

You need Node.js 20+, a Google Cloud API key with the Custom Search API enabled and a Programmable Search Engine id (cx).

Get an API key and an engine id.
Add the server to your AI app.
Ask the read-only question above.

Codex

In the app: open Settings → MCP servers, select Add server, choose STDIO, enter the command npx -y mcp-google-custom-search@latest and environment variables GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_KEY, GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_ENGINE_ID, then select Save and Restart.

From the command line:

codex mcp add google-custom-search \

--env GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_KEY=your_api_key \ --env GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_ENGINE_ID=your_engine_id \ -- npx -y mcp-google-custom-search@latest

codex mcp list

Codex MCP documentation

Claude Code

claude mcp add \

--env GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_KEY=your_api_key \ --env GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_ENGINE_ID=your_engine_id \ --transport stdio --scope user google-custom-search \ -- npx -y mcp-google-custom-search@latest

claude mcp list

Claude Code MCP documentation

Claude Desktop

The current official path is Settings → Extensions. For a custom desktop extension, open Advanced settings → Extension Developer → Install Extension…, select a .mcpb file and follow the prompts.

This repository currently publishes an npm stdio package and does not contain a .mcpb bundle. For Claude Desktop builds that still support local configuration, use the following JSON stdio configuration as a fallback:

"mcpServers": { "google-custom-search": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "mcp-google-custom-search@latest"], "env": { "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_KEY": "your_api_key", "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_ENGINE_ID": "your_engine_id" } } } }

In those builds, save it to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json on Windows.

Claude Desktop MCP documentation

Cursor

Add this to ~/.cursor/mcp.json on macOS/Linux or %USERPROFILE%\.cursor\mcp.json on Windows:

"mcpServers": { "google-custom-search": { "type": "stdio", "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "mcp-google-custom-search@latest"], "env": { "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_KEY": "your_api_key", "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_ENGINE_ID": "your_engine_id" } } } }

Cursor MCP documentation

VS Code

Run MCP: Open User Configuration and add:

"servers": { "google-custom-search": { "type": "stdio", "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "mcp-google-custom-search@latest"], "env": { "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_KEY": "${input:custom_search_api_key}", "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_ENGINE_ID": "${input:custom_search_engine_id}" } } }, "inputs": [ { "type": "promptString", "id": "custom_search_api_key", "description": "Google Cloud API key", "password": true }, { "type": "promptString", "id": "custom_search_engine_id", "description": "Programmable Search Engine id (cx)" } ] }

Check it with MCP: List Servers.

VS Code MCP documentation

What you can ask it to do

Search the web

Find recent tutorials on a topic and summarize the top results.
Search only within docs.python.org — or everywhere except a site you distrust.
Show the next page of results for the same query.

Narrow the results

Only English pages published in the last month.
Only PDF files; require an exact phrase or exclude a term.
Restrict to one country's content, or to material with specific usage rights.

Find images

Find large photos on a topic, with dimensions and thumbnails.
Only clipart or line drawings, black and white ones.
Show the page each image comes from.

Go beyond the typed tools

Call the API with parameters the typed tools don't expose — fields to trim the response, lowRange/highRange, hq.
Fetch the raw response envelope with promotions and the full pagemap.

How a search works

Every query runs through a Programmable Search Engine, identified by its cx id — the configured default or a per-call engine_id. The engine's configuration decides coverage: a list of specific sites, or the entire web when "Search the entire web" is enabled.
Results come back normalized — title, URL, snippet and metadata — with next_start/previous_start cursors for paging. total_results is Google's estimate and can shrink while paging.
The API returns at most 10 results per call and 100 per query (start + num - 1 must stay ≤ 100). The server rejects a wider window before the request — the API would answer 400 after burning a quota unit.
Image search requires Image search enabled in the engine's control panel; otherwise the API answers 400.

A corrected_query in the response is a spelling suggestion only — the results are still for the original query. And this is Programmable Search, not Google Search Console: the API cannot report how your own site is indexed or ranked.

What can change

Operation	What happens	Confirmation boundary
Web search (`search`)	Reads search results from your engine	No change
Image search (`search_images`)	Reads image results from your engine	No change
Raw API request (`raw_request`)	GET against any Custom Search API path	No change — the API has no write endpoint

Every tool carries the read-only annotation, the escape hatch included. The Custom Search JSON API is a single GET endpoint with no writes, so the only thing a call spends is a unit of your daily quota.

Getting access

Google Custom Search authenticates with an API key; no OAuth and no scopes are involved.

Create or select a Google Cloud project and enable the Custom Search API.
Create an API key under APIs & Services → Credentials. Restricting the key to the Custom Search API is a good habit.
Create a Programmable Search Engine in the control panel and copy its Search engine ID (cx). Enable Search the entire web for open-web search and Image search for the image tool.

Treat the API key as a password. The server sends it in the X-Goog-Api-Key header, never in a URL, so logged or echoed URLs cannot leak it.

Configuration

Variable	Required	Description
`GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_KEY`	Yes	Google Cloud API key with the Custom Search API enabled. Secret.
`GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_ENGINE_ID`	Recommended	Default Programmable Search Engine id (`cx`); tools accept a per-call `engine_id` override.
`GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_BASE`	No	Custom Search API base URL override.
`GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_TIMEOUT_MS`	No	Per-request timeout; default `30000` ms.
`GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_MAX_RETRIES`	No	Transient-error retries (429/5xx/network); default `3`.

Without credentials the server still starts and completes the MCP handshake; the first tool call explains exactly which variables to set. The one malformed setup is an engine id without an API key — the key cannot be supplied per call, so both must be set together.

Data, limits and background work

Requests go to Google. The local server calls the Custom Search JSON API. Its anonymous telemetry contains an installation ID, package version, AI client and platform versions, and tool names — never the API key, search queries, results or tool arguments. For each tool call it also sends the outcome and, on failure, an excerpt of the error text with e-mails, addresses, tokens, numbers of 4+ digits and quoted text replaced by #; a value from your request can appear in it if the error text contains it. Set ASKADS_TELEMETRY=0 to opt out.
Google applies a daily quota. Every call from any of the three tools costs one unit of the per-project quota — 100 queries per day free, up to 10,000 per day with billing. On 429, the server backs off honoring Retry-After; because the whole API is idempotent GETs, 5xx and network errors

Only the beginning is shown; read the rest in the repo

Google Custom Search MCP

Overview

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

What you can do with it

Install

Before you install

Values you fill in

What it can do

Basic checksi

Maker matches the repo

Still maintained

Has a licence

Endpoint responds

Sign-in with OAuth

No hidden instructions in tool descriptions

Compared with others in Search & AI memoryi

Common questions

Alternatives

Context7

Codebase Memory

Exa

README from the maker

Google Custom Search MCP

See it work in a minute

Contents

Quick start

What you can ask it to do

Search the web

Narrow the results

Find images

Go beyond the typed tools

How a search works

What can change

Getting access

Configuration

Data, limits and background work