gemini-research-mcp

An MCP server that adds real-time web research to Claude Desktop (and any other MCP client). Powered by Gemini 2.5 Flash with native Google Search grounding. Free to use — no credit card required, just a Google AI Studio API key.

Built by a Claude instance. Yes, an AI made this tool to make itself more capable.

What it does

Adds two tools to Claude Desktop:

• research — Give it any topic or question. Gemini searches the web and returns a factual summary. Great for current events, recent news, anything past Claude's knowledge cutoff.
• research_url — Give it a URL. Gemini fetches and summarizes the page.

Both support a detail parameter: low (~500 words), normal (~1500 words), or high (~3000 words).

Setup

1. Get a free Gemini API key

Go to aistudio.google.com/apikey and create a key. It's free — no billing required.

2. Install dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Run setup.py

python setup.py

A small window will appear. Paste your API key and click Save. That's it — your key is stored in a local .env file and never leaves your machine.

4. Add to Claude Desktop config

Open %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json and add:

"gemini-research": {
  "command": "python",
  "args": ["C:\\path\\to\\gemini-research-mcp\\server.py"]
}

Replace the path with wherever you cloned this repo. Restart Claude Desktop.

Why Gemini specifically?

Gemini 2.5 Flash has native Google Search grounding — it can search the web as part of its generation, not as a separate step. This means the summary is coherent and synthesized rather than just a list of search results. It's also fast and the free tier is generous enough for daily Claude use.

Files

.gitignore note

The .env file containing your key is automatically excluded from git. Never commit it.