Argus Retrieval

Name: Argus Retrieval
Author: Khamel83

by Khamel83version 1.6.5i★ –iRuns on your computer

Registry nameio.github.Khamel83/argus

Install

Overview

Description from the maker (original English)

Multi-provider search broker for AI agents: 14 providers, 12-step extraction, retrieval workflows.

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
UsageiNot measured yet★ –

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: ARGUS_WOLFRAM_API_KEY, ARGUS_BRAVE_API_KEY, ARGUS_TAVILY_API_KEY, ARGUS_EXA_API_KEY, ARGUS_SERPER_API_KEY, ARGUS_LINKUP_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: ARGUS_WOLFRAM_API_KEY, ARGUS_BRAVE_API_KEY, ARGUS_TAVILY_API_KEY, ARGUS_EXA_API_KEY, ARGUS_SERPER_API_KEY, ARGUS_LINKUP_API_KEY, ARGUS_SEARXNG_BASE_URL, ARGUS_DATA_ROOT

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

You need

PyPIPython’s uv installed (for the uvx 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": {
    "argus": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "argus-search"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ARGUS_WOLFRAM_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "ARGUS_BRAVE_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "ARGUS_TAVILY_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "ARGUS_EXA_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "ARGUS_SERPER_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "ARGUS_LINKUP_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "ARGUS_SEARXNG_BASE_URL": "your-value",
        "ARGUS_DATA_ROOT": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Run this in your terminal

claude mcp add argus --env ARGUS_WOLFRAM_API_KEY=your-value --env ARGUS_BRAVE_API_KEY=your-value --env ARGUS_TAVILY_API_KEY=your-value --env ARGUS_EXA_API_KEY=your-value --env ARGUS_SERPER_API_KEY=your-value --env ARGUS_LINKUP_API_KEY=your-value --env ARGUS_SEARXNG_BASE_URL=your-value --env ARGUS_DATA_ROOT=your-value -- uvx argus-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": {
    "argus": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "argus-search"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ARGUS_WOLFRAM_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "ARGUS_BRAVE_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "ARGUS_TAVILY_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "ARGUS_EXA_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "ARGUS_SERPER_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "ARGUS_LINKUP_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "ARGUS_SEARXNG_BASE_URL": "your-value",
        "ARGUS_DATA_ROOT": "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": {
    "argus": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "argus-search"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ARGUS_WOLFRAM_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "ARGUS_BRAVE_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "ARGUS_TAVILY_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "ARGUS_EXA_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "ARGUS_SERPER_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "ARGUS_LINKUP_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "ARGUS_SEARXNG_BASE_URL": "your-value",
        "ARGUS_DATA_ROOT": "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

ARGUS_WOLFRAM_API_KEY secret env
WolframAlpha App ID (2,000 free computed-answer queries/month)
ARGUS_BRAVE_API_KEY secret env
Brave Search API key (2,000 free queries/month)
ARGUS_TAVILY_API_KEY secret env
Tavily API key (1,000 free queries/month)
ARGUS_EXA_API_KEY secret env
Exa API key (1,000 free queries/month)
ARGUS_SERPER_API_KEY secret env
Serper API key (2,500 one-time free queries)
ARGUS_LINKUP_API_KEY secret env
Linkup API key (1,000 free queries/month)
ARGUS_SEARXNG_BASE_URL env
SearXNG instance URL (self-hosted, aggregates 70+ engines)
ARGUS_DATA_ROOT env
Optional override for the writable Argus runtime corpus root

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 7, 2026

✓ Pass
Maker matches the repo
The registry name was verified with the GitHub account Khamel83, 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 7256 servers in this category
Published to the registry more recently than 71% of the other 7256 servers in this category
Basic checks equal to or better than 100% of the other 7256 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 Argus Retrieval 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: ARGUS_WOLFRAM_API_KEY, ARGUS_BRAVE_API_KEY, ARGUS_TAVILY_API_KEY, ARGUS_EXA_API_KEY, ARGUS_SERPER_API_KEY, ARGUS_LINKUP_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 (1.6.5) reached the registry 16 days ago.

Which apps can use it?

Apps that support MCP, such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code. You also need Python (uv) 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:★ GitHub starsiThree pillars: reviews · checks · usageiUpdated = latest version published to the registryi

Context7

by upstash

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

Computer or cloud★ 64,224MITUpdated today

Install

Codebase Memory

by DeusData

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

Runs on your computer★ 48,148MITUpdated 20 days ago

Install

Exa

by exa-labs

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

Runs in the cloud★ 5,213MITUpdated last month

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.

Argus

Retrieval platform for AI agents. Argus routes search across 14 providers, recovers dead URLs, captures important site content, builds local docs-plus-research packs, and persists everything with traceable local artifacts.

Features at a glance:

Topology-aware acquisition — Argus knows if it's on a residential IP or datacenter, routing search and extraction automatically to avoid blocks and minimize network hops.
14 providers, one API — free-first tier routing, budget-exhausted providers skipped automatically
Zero-key start — pip install argus-search gives you DuckDuckGo + Yahoo immediately, no accounts needed
SearXNG self-host = 70+ engines — Google, Bing, Yahoo, Startpage, Ecosia, Qwant and more via one Docker container
12-step content extraction — returns full page text with quality gates, not just links
Opinionated retrieval workflows — recover dead articles, capture important pages from a site, and build local docs-plus-research packs
Argus-owned corpus storage — runtime data goes to a writable user data directory, not your repo checkout
Multi-turn sessions — pass session_id for conversational context across searches
Score attribution — optionally show which providers contributed to each fused RRF score
Usage dashboard — inspect provider budgets, recent query volume, and machine-level usage at /dashboard
4 search modes — discovery, research, recovery, grounding
Dead URL recovery — /recover-url with Wayback Machine and archive fallbacks
4 integration paths — HTTP API, CLI, MCP server, Python SDK

_Built for AI agent builders, RAG pipelines, and ops teams who need reliable search, capture, and local evidence without stitching APIs together._

Status: beta. The retrieval workflows and corpus model are production-oriented, but still maturing.

Status: see the public status page. Authorized maintainers

can use the private argus-ops README for the latest dated reports.

Current production checkpoint — September 7, 2026: The authenticated

HTTP API and MCP adapter are operational, and sampled free search works

through SearXNG, Yahoo, and GitHub. DuckDuckGo is intermittent and fails

closed after acquisition-policy blocks. Production readiness is

ready=true, degraded; paid providers are not currently admitted until

their non-secret credential-version and account-scope bindings are recorded.

Browser capability and recovery metadata evidence remain open. See the

current status matrix before relying on a provider.

Quickstart
Development
Where Argus Writes Data
Opinionated Workflows
Providers
HTTP API
Dashboard
Integration
CLI
MCP
Python
Content Extraction
Architecture
Configuration
When Not To Use Argus
FAQ

Quickstart

Mode 1: Local CLI (zero config)

pip install argus-search && argus search -q "python web frameworks"

That's it. DuckDuckGo handles the search — no accounts, no keys, no containers. You get unlimited free search from your laptop right now. Add API keys whenever you want more providers, or don't.

argus extract -u "https://example.com/article"       # extract clean text from any URL

argus recover-article -u "https://example.com/dead-post" argus capture-site -u "https://docs.example.com" argus build-research-pack -t "example sdk" --official-url "https://docs.example.com"

Works on any machine with Python 3.11+ — laptop, Mac Mini, Raspberry Pi, cloud VM. Nothing to host.

For MCP (Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Cursor, VS Code):

pipx install argus-search[mcp]

export ARGUS_MCP_STANDALONE=true # explicit development-only local broker argus mcp init --global --client all

That writes native config for Claude Code, Codex CLI, OpenCode, and Cursor. Restart the client after configuration. For manual stdio setup:

{"mcpServers": {"argus": {"command": "argus", "args": ["mcp", "serve"], "env": {"ARGUS_MCP_STANDALONE": "true"}}}}

Or install from the MCP Registry:

"mcpServers": { "argus": { "registryType": "pypi", "identifier": "argus-search", "runtimeHint": "uvx", "env": {"ARGUS_MCP_STANDALONE": "true"} } } }

Standalone development needs no server or keys, but it must be explicitly enabled. Production MCP always delegates to an authenticated HTTP authority.

See MCP Client Setup for exact config files, verification commands, remote HTTP setup, and troubleshooting.

Mode 2: Full Stack Server

Got a Raspberry Pi running Pi-hole? A Mac Mini on your desk? An old laptop? That's enough to run the full stack — SearXNG (your own private search engine, disabled by default) plus local JS-rendering content extraction.

# Optional: tell Argus it has residential egress to optimize routing

export ARGUS_EGRESS_TYPE=residential ARGUS_SEARXNG_ENABLED=true docker compose up -d # SearXNG + Argus

What you have	What you get
Any machine with Python 3.11+	DuckDuckGo + API providers (no server)
Home server / old laptop (4GB+)	Everything — SearXNG, all providers, Crawl4AI, Obscura
Mac Mini M1+ (8GB+)	Full stack with headroom
Free cloud VM (1GB)	SearXNG + search providers (use residential workers for extraction)

SearXNG takes 512MB of RAM and gives you a private Google-style search engine (disabled by default — set ARGUS_SEARXNG_ENABLED=true) that nobody can rate-limit, block, or charge for. It runs alongside Pi-hole on hardware millions of people already own.

Where Argus Writes Data

Argus code and Argus runtime data are different things.

Code lives wherever you install or clone Argus.
Runtime corpus data lives in a writable user data directory resolved by platformdirs, or in ARGUS_DATA_ROOT if you override it.

Inspect the exact paths on your machine:

argus paths

By default Argus writes:

official docs cache under the resolved docs/cache/
research packs under docs/research/
workflow run state under workflows/runs/
versioned workflow snapshots under snapshots/

This means Argus does not require a sibling ../docs-cache checkout. If you have an older docs-cache tree, import it once with:

argus corpus import-docs-cache -s /path/to/docs-cache

Opinionated Workflows

These workflows build local artifacts, not just transient JSON responses.

Recover A Dead Article

argus recover-article -u "https://example.com/old-post" -t "Example Post"

Argus searches for recovery candidates, extracts the best result, saves the recovered sources locally, and writes a citation-backed report plus manifest.

Capture The Important Parts Of A Site

argus capture-site -u "https://docs.example.com"

Argus stays on-domain, uses sitemap-assisted discovery plus heuristic link scoring, saves the important pages it finds, and writes a detailed summary with references.

Build A Docs + Research Pack

argus build-research-pack -t "example sdk"

argus build-research-pack -t "example sdk" --official-url "https://docs.example.com"

Argus captures official docs into its local docs cache, adds non-official supporting sources from search, and writes a combined research pack with traceable artifacts.

Development

Repo development is pinned to Python 3.12. The package runtime floor is Python 3.11, the production image runs Python 3.12.3, and Python 3.13 is the compatibility CI lane. Required CI passes all three; contributors should use the uv workflow below so local verification matches the canonical lane and does not accidentally use an older system interpreter.

uv sync --python 3.12 --extra dev --extra mcp

uv run pytest tests/ -v --tb=short

The repo includes .python-version with 3.12 so uv, pyenv, and similar tools pick the right interpreter by default. More contributor guidance lives in CONTRIBUTING.md.

Providers

Provider	Credit type	Free capacity	Setup
DuckDuckGo	Free (scraped)	Unlimited	None
Yahoo	Free (scraped)	Unlimited	None — fragile, auto-skipped if broken
SearXNG	Free (self-hosted, off by default)	Unlimited — 70+ engines¹	Docker
GitHub	Free (API)	Unlimited	None (token for higher rate limit)
WolframAlpha	Free (API key)	2,000 queries/month	free key
Brave Search	Monthly recurring	2,000 queries/month	dashboard
Tavily	Monthly recurring	1,000 queries/month	signup
Exa	Monthly recurring	1,000 queries/month	signup
Linkup	Monthly recurring	1,000 queries/month	signup
Parallel AI	Monthly recurring	$5 credit with card on file, up to 5,000 searches/month	signup
Serper	One-time signup	2,500 credits	signup
You.com	One-time signup	$20 credit	platform
Valyu	One-time signup	$10 credit	platform

¹ SearXNG aggregates Google, Bing, Yahoo, Startpage, Ecosia, Qwant, Wikipedia, and 60+ more — all behind a single self-hosted endpoint. Run docker compose up -d on any machine with 512MB of free RAM.

² WolframAlpha returns computed answers (math, unit conversions, factual lookups), not web search results. It only activates in grounding and research modes. Queries it can't compute (general web searches) return empty — no error, no health penalty.

7,000+ free queries/month from recurring free-tier providers with API keys (WolframAlpha 2k + Brave 2k + Tavily 1k + Exa 1k + Linkup 1k), or up to 12,000+ when Parallel's monthly credit is available to an eligible account with a card on file. DuckDuckGo, Yahoo, and GitHub have no monthly cap. SearXNG is disabled by default (enable in .env). Routing priority: Tier 0 (free: SearXNG*, DuckDuckGo, Yahoo, GitHub, WolframAlpha) → Tier 1 (monthly recurring: Brave, Tavily, Exa, Linkup, Parallel) → Tier 3 (one-time: Serper, You.com, Valyu, SearchAPI). Budget-exhausted providers are skipped automatically.

These are package-level provider tiers and advertised quotas, not proof of current production availability. The production authority fails closed for a credentialed provider until its registration fingerprint, account scope, budget, and approved test evidence are present. A protected key value alone does not prove th

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

Argus Retrieval

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

Argus

Contents

Quickstart

Mode 1: Local CLI (zero config)

Mode 2: Full Stack Server

Where Argus Writes Data

Opinionated Workflows

Recover A Dead Article

Capture The Important Parts Of A Site

Build A Docs + Research Pack

Development

Providers