Tavily MCP

Name: Tavily MCP
Author: tavily-ai

by tavily-aiversion 0.2.15i★ 2,478iRuns on your computer

Registry nameio.github.tavily-ai/tavily-mcp

Overview

Description from the maker (original English)

MCP server for advanced web search using Tavily

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 checksi3 of 3 passedChecked from public information; code not scanned yet
UsageiGrowing★ 2,478

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: TAVILY_API_KEY

Install

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

You need

npmNode.js installed (for the npx command)

Claude DesktopClaude CodeCursorVS Code

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tavily": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "tavily-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "TAVILY_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "DEFAULT_PARAMETERS": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Run this in your terminal

claude mcp add tavily --env TAVILY_API_KEY=your-value --env DEFAULT_PARAMETERS=your-value -- npx -y tavily-mcp

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tavily": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "tavily-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "TAVILY_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "DEFAULT_PARAMETERS": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Paste into .vscode/mcp.json in your project

{
  "servers": {
    "tavily": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "tavily-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "TAVILY_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "DEFAULT_PARAMETERS": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Values you fill in

TAVILY_API_KEY secret required env
Your Tavily API key from tavily.com
DEFAULT_PARAMETERS env
JSON string with default search parameters (e.g., {"include_images": true, "max_results": 15})

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

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

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 5, 2026

✓ Pass
Maker matches the repo
The registry name was verified with the GitHub account tavily-ai, which owns the repo
✓ Pass
Still maintained
Code last changed yesterday
✓ Pass
Has a licence
Uses MIT
– 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
Needs the server’s tool list first; this check starts in the next step

Compared with others in Search & AI memoryi

More stars than 70% of the other 10 servers in this category
Published to the registry more recently than 0% of the other 10 servers in this category
Basic checks equal to or better than 100% of the other 10 servers in this category

Compared only with servers in this prototype, not the whole registry.

Common questions

Is Tavily MCP safe?

It passed 3 of 3 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: TAVILY_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 yesterday, and the latest version (0.2.15) reached the registry 9 months 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:★ 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 2 days ago

Codebase Memory

by DeusData

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

Runs on your computer★ 48,148MITUpdated 19 days ago

Exa

by exa-labs

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

Runs in the cloud★ 5,213MITUpdated 43 days ago

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.

Tavily MCP Server

The Tavily MCP server provides:

search, extract, map, crawl tools
Real-time web search capabilities through the tavily-search tool
Intelligent data extraction from web pages via the tavily-extract tool
Powerful web mapping tool that creates a structured map of website
Web crawler that systematically explores websites

📚 Helpful Resources

Tutorial on combining Tavily MCP with Neo4j MCP server
Tutorial on integrating Tavily MCP with Cline in VS Code

Remote MCP Server

Connect directly to Tavily's remote MCP server instead of running it locally. This provides a seamless experience without requiring local installation or configuration.

Simply use the remote MCP server URL with your Tavily API key:

https://mcp.tavily.com/mcp/?tavilyApiKey=<your-api-key>

Get your Tavily API key from tavily.com.

Alternatively, you can pass your API key through an Authorization header if the MCP client supports this:

Authorization: Bearer <your-api-key>

Note: When using the remote MCP, you can specify default parameters for all requests by including a DEFAULT_PARAMETERS header containing a JSON object with your desired defaults. Example:

{"include_images":true, "search_depth": "basic", "max_results": 10}

Connect to Claude Code

Claude Code is Anthropic's official CLI tool for Claude. You can add the Tavily MCP server using the claude mcp add command. There are two ways to authenticate:

Option 1: API Key in URL

Pass your API key directly in the URL. Replace with your actual Tavily API key:

claude mcp add --transport http tavily https://mcp.tavily.com/mcp/?tavilyApiKey=<your-api-key>

Option 2: OAuth Authentication Flow

Add the server without an API key in the URL:

claude mcp add --transport http tavily https://mcp.tavily.com/mcp

After adding, you'll need to complete the authentication flow:

Run claude to start Claude Code
Type /mcp to open the MCP server management
Select the Tavily server and complete the authentication process

Tip: Add --scope user to either command to make the Tavily MCP server available globally across all your projects:

claude mcp add --transport http --scope user tavily https://mcp.tavily.com/mcp/?tavilyApiKey=<your-api-key>

Once configured, you'll have access to the Tavily search, extract, map, and crawl tools.

Connect to Cursor

Click the ⬆️ Add to Cursor ⬆️ button, this will do most of the work for you but you will still need to edit the configuration to add your API-KEY. You can get a Tavily API key here.

once you click the button you should be redirect to Cursor ...

Step 1

Click the install button

Step 2

You should see the MCP is now installed, if the blue slide is not already turned on, manually turn it on. You also need to edit the configuration to include your own Tavily API key.

Step 3

You will then be redirected to your mcp.json file where you have to add your-api-key.

"mcpServers": { "tavily-remote-mcp": { "command": "npx -y mcp-remote https://mcp.tavily.com/mcp/?tavilyApiKey= ", "env": {} } } }

Remote MCP Server OAuth Flow

The Tavily Remote MCP server supports secure OAuth authentication, allowing you to connect and authorize seamlessly with compatible clients.

How to Set Up OAuth Authentication

A. Using MCP Inspector:

Open the MCP Inspector and click "Open Auth Settings".
Select the OAuth flow and complete these steps:

Metadata discovery
Client registration
Preparing authorization
Request authorization and obtain the authorization code
Token request
Authentication complete

Once finished, you will receive an access token that lets you securely make authenticated requests to the Tavily Remote MCP server.

B. Using other MCP Clients (Example: Cursor):

You can configure your MCP client to use OAuth without including your Tavily API key in the URL. For example, in your mcp.json:

"mcpServers": { "tavily-remote-mcp": { "command": "npx mcp-remote https://mcp.tavily.com/mcp", "env": {} } } }

If you need to clear stored OAuth credentials and reauthenticate, run:

rm -rf ~/.mcp-auth

Note:

- OAuth authentication is optional. You can still use API key authentication at any time by including your Tavily API key in the URL query parameter (?tavilyApiKey=...) or by setting it in the Authorization header, as described above.

Selecting Which API Key Is Used for OAuth

After successful OAuth authentication, you can control which API key is used by naming it mcp_auth_default:

If you set a key named mcp_auth_default in your personal account, that key will be used for the auth flow.
If you are part of a team that has a key named mcp_auth_default, that key will be used for the auth flow.
If you have both a personal key and a team key named mcp_auth_default, the personal key will be prioritized.
If no mcp_auth_default key is set, the default key in your personal account will be used. If no default key is set, the first available key will be used.

Local MCP

Prerequisites 🔧

Before you begin, ensure you have:

Tavily API key
If you don't have a Tavily API key, you can sign up for a free account here
Claude Desktop or Cursor
Node.js (v20 or higher)
You can verify your Node.js installation by running:
node --version
Git installed (only needed if using Git installation method)
On macOS: brew install git
On Linux:
Debian/Ubuntu: sudo apt install git
RedHat/CentOS: sudo yum install git
On Windows: Download Git for Windows

Running with NPX

npx -y tavily-mcp@latest

Default Parameters Configuration ⚙️

You can set default parameter values for the tavily-search tool using the DEFAULT_PARAMETERS environment variable. This allows you to configure default search behavior without specifying these parameters in every request.

Example Configuration

export DEFAULT_PARAMETERS='{"include_images": true}'

Example usage from Client

"mcpServers": { "tavily-mcp": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "tavily-mcp@latest"], "env": { "TAVILY_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here", "DEFAULT_PARAMETERS": "{\"include_images\": true, \"max_results\": 15, \"search_depth\": \"advanced\"}" } } } }

Identifying the End User (Optional)

You can optionally identify the end user on whose behalf requests are being made by setting the TAVILY_HUMAN_ID environment variable. When set, Tavily MCP forwards it as the X-Human-Id header on every API call, enabling per-user analytics.

This is entirely optional — leave it unset and behavior is unchanged.

"mcpServers": { "tavily-mcp": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "tavily-mcp@latest"], "env": { "TAVILY_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here", "TAVILY_HUMAN_ID": "your-user-id" } } } }

Privacy note: Tavily hashes human_id server-side (SHA-256) before storage, so the raw value is never persisted. Even so, prefer opaque identifiers (e.g. an internal user ID) over raw PII like emails when possible.

Acknowledgments ✨

Model Context Protocol for the MCP specification
Anthropic for Claude Desktop