Search1API MCP Server

1# Search1API MCP Server
2 
3[中文文档](./README_zh.md)
4 
5A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides search and crawl functionality using Search1API.
6 
7## Prerequisites
8 
9- Node.js >= 18.0.0
10- A valid Search1API API key (See **Setup Guide** below on how to obtain and configure)
11 
12## Installation (Standalone / General)
13 
141.  **Clone the repository:**
15    ```bash
16    git clone https://github.com/fatwang2/search1api-mcp.git
17    cd search1api-mcp
18    ```
19 
202.  **Configure API Key:** Before building, you need to provide your Search1API key. See the **Setup Guide** section below for different methods (e.g., using a `.env` file or environment variables).
21 
223.  **Install dependencies and build:**
23    ```bash
24    npm install
25    npm run build
26    ```
27    *Note: If using the project's `.env` file method for the API key, ensure it exists before this step.*
28 
29## Usage (Standalone / General)
30 
31Ensure your API key is configured (see **Setup Guide**).
32 
33Start the server:
34```bash
35npm start
36```
37 
38The server will then be ready to accept connections from MCP clients.
39 
40## Setup Guide
41 
42### 1. Get Search1API Key
43 
441.  Register at [Search1API](https://www.search1api.com/?utm_source=mcp)
452.  Get your API key from your dashboard.
46 
47### 2. Configure API Key
48 
49You need to make your API key available to the server. Choose **one** of the following methods:
50 
51**Method A: Project `.env` File (Recommended for Standalone or LibreChat)**
52 
53This method is required if integrating with the current version of LibreChat (see specific section below).
54 
551.  In the `search1api-mcp` project root directory, create a file named `.env`:
56    ```bash
57    # In the search1api-mcp directory
58    echo "SEARCH1API_KEY=your_api_key_here" > .env
59    ```
602.  Replace `your_api_key_here` with your actual key.
613.  Make sure this file exists **before** running `npm install && npm run build`.
62 
63**Method B: Environment Variable (Standalone Only)**
64 
65Set the `SEARCH1API_KEY` environment variable before starting the server.
66 
67```bash
68export SEARCH1API_KEY="your_api_key_here"
69npm start
70```
71 
72**Method C: MCP Client Configuration (Advanced)**
73 
74Some MCP clients allow specifying environment variables directly in their configuration. This is useful for clients like Cursor, VS Code extensions, etc.
75 
76```json
77{
78  "mcpServers": {
79    "search1api": {
80      "command": "npx",
81      "args": [
82        "-y",
83        "search1api-mcp"
84      ],
85      "env": {
86        "SEARCH1API_KEY": "YOUR_SEARCH1API_KEY"
87      }
88    }
89  }
90}
91```
92 
93**Note for LibreChat Users:** Due to current limitations in LibreChat, Method A (Project `.env` File) is the **required** method. See the dedicated integration section below for full instructions.
94 
95## Integration with LibreChat (Docker)
96 
97This section details the required steps for integrating with LibreChat via Docker.
98 
99**Overview:**
100 
1011.  Clone this server's repository into a location accessible by your LibreChat `docker-compose.yml`.
1022.  Configure the required API key using the **Project `.env` File method** within this server's directory.
1033.  Build this server.
1044.  Tell LibreChat how to run this server by editing `librechat.yaml`.
1055.  Make sure the built server code is available inside the LibreChat container via a Docker volume bind.
1066.  Restart LibreChat.
107 
108**Step-by-Step:**
109 
1101.  **Clone the Repository:**
111    Navigate to the directory on your host machine where you manage external services for LibreChat (this is often alongside your `docker-compose.yml`). A common location is a dedicated `mcp-server` directory.
112    ```bash
113    # Example: Navigate to where docker-compose.yml lives, then into mcp-server
114    cd /path/to/your/librechat/setup/mcp-server
115    git clone https://github.com/fatwang2/search1api-mcp.git
116    ```
117 
1182.  **Navigate into the Server Directory:**
119    ```bash
120    cd search1api-mcp
121    ```
122 
1233.  **Configure API Key (Project `.env` File Method - Required for LibreChat):**
124    ```bash
125    # Create the .env file
126    echo "SEARCH1API_KEY=your_api_key_here" > .env
127    # IMPORTANT: Replace 'your_api_key_here' with your actual Search1API key
128    ```
129 
1304.  **Install Dependencies and Build:**
131    This step compiles the server code into the `build` directory.
132    ```bash
133    npm install
134    npm run build
135    ```
136 
1375.  **Configure `librechat.yaml`:**
138    Edit your main `librechat.yaml` file to tell LibreChat how to execute this MCP server. Add an entry under `mcp_servers`:
139    ```yaml
140    # In your main librechat.yaml
141    mcp_servers:
142      # You can add other MCP servers here too
143      search1api:
144        # Optional: Display name for the server in LibreChat UI
145        # name: Search1API Tools
146 
147        # Command tells LibreChat to use 'node'
148        command: node
149 
150        # Args specify the script for 'node' to run *inside the container*
151        args:
152          - /app/mcp-server/search1api-mcp/build/index.js
153    ```
154    *   The `args` path (`/app/...`) is the location *inside* the LibreChat API container where the built server will be accessed (thanks to the volume bind in the next step).
155 
1566.  **Configure Docker Volume Bind:**
157    Edit your `docker-compose.yml` (or more likely, your `docker-compose.override.yml`) to map the `search1api-mcp` directory from your host machine into the LibreChat API container. Find the `volumes:` section for the `api:` service:
158    ```yaml
159    # In your docker-compose.yml or docker-compose.override.yml
160    services:
161      api:
162        # ... other service config ...
163        volumes:
164          # ... other volumes likely exist here ...
165 
166          # Add this volume bind:
167          - ./mcp-server/search1api-mcp:/app/mcp-server/search1api-mcp
168    ```
169    *   **Host Path (`./mcp-server/search1api-mcp`):** This is the path on your host machine *relative* to where your `docker-compose.yml` file is located. Adjust it if you cloned the repo elsewhere.
170    *   **Container Path (`:/app/mcp-server/search1api-mcp`):** This is the path *inside* the container. It **must match** the directory structure used in the `librechat.yaml` `args` path.
171 
1727.  **Restart LibreChat:**
173    Apply the changes by rebuilding (if you modified `docker-compose.yml`) and restarting your LibreChat stack.
174    ```bash
175    docker compose down && docker compose up -d --build
176    # Or: docker compose restart api (if only librechat.yaml changed)
177    ```
178 
179Now, the Search1API server should be available as a tool provider within LibreChat.
180 
181## Features
182 
183- Web search functionality
184- News search functionality
185- Web page content extraction
186- Website sitemap extraction
187- Deep thinking and complex problem solving with DeepSeek R1
188- Seamless integration with Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline and other MCP clients
189 
190## Tools
191 
192### 1. Search Tool
193- Name: `search`
194- Description: Search the web using Search1API
195- Parameters:
196  * `query` (required): Search query in natural language. Be specific and concise for better results
197  * `max_results` (optional, default: 10): Number of results to return
198  * `search_service` (optional, default: "google"): Search service to use (google, bing, duckduckgo, yahoo, x, reddit, github, youtube, arxiv, wechat, bilibili, imdb, wikipedia)
199  * `crawl_results` (optional, default: 0): Number of results to crawl for full webpage content
200  * `include_sites` (optional): List of sites to include in search
201  * `exclude_sites` (optional): List of sites to exclude from search
202  * `time_range` (optional): Time range for search results ("day", "month", "year")
203 
204### 2. News Tool
205- Name: `news`
206- Description: Search for news articles using Search1API
207- Parameters:
208  * `query` (required): Search query in natural language. Be specific and concise for better results
209  * `max_results` (optional, default: 10): Number of results to return
210  * `search_service` (optional, default: "bing"): Search service to use (google, bing, duckduckgo, yahoo, hackernews)
211  * `crawl_results` (optional, default: 0): Number of results to crawl for full webpage content
212  * `include_sites` (optional): List of sites to include in search
213  * `exclude_sites` (optional): List of sites to exclude from search
214  * `time_range` (optional): Time range for search results ("day", "month", "year")
215 
216### 3. Crawl Tool
217- Name: `crawl`
218- Description: Extract content from a URL using Search1API
219- Parameters:
220  * `url` (required): URL to crawl
221 
222### 4. Sitemap Tool
223- Name: `sitemap`
224- Description: Get all related links from a URL
225- Parameters:
226  * `url` (required): URL to get sitemap
227 
228### 5. Reasoning Tool
229- Name: `reasoning`
230- Description: A tool for deep thinking and complex problem solving with fast deepseek r1 model and web search ability(You can change to any other model in search1api website but the speed is not guaranteed)
231- Parameters:
232  * `content` (required): The question or problem that needs deep thinking
233 
234### 6. Trending Tool
235- Name: `trending`
236- Description: Get trending topics from popular platforms
237- Parameters:
238  * `search_service` (required): Specify the platform to get trending topics from (github, hackernews)
239  * `max_results` (optional, default: 10): Maximum number of trending items to return
240 
241## Version History
242 
243- v0.2.0: Added fallback `.env` support for LibreChat integration and updated dependencies.
244- v0.1.8: Added X(Twitter) and Reddit search services
245- v0.1.7: Added Trending tool for GitHub and Hacker News
246- v0.1.6: Added Wikipedia search service
247- v0.1.5: Added new search parameters (include_sites, exclude_sites, time_range) and new search services (arxiv, wechat, bilibili, imdb)
248- v0.1.4: Added reasoning tool with deepseek r1 and updated the Cursor and Windsurf configuration guide
249- v0.1.3: Added news search functionality
250- v0.1.2: Added sitemap functionality
251- v0.1.1: Added web crawling functionality
252- v0.1.0: Initial release with search functionality
253 
254## License
255 
256This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.
257