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n2-free-search

Free search MCP server powered by SearXNG — no API keys, no credit cards, just search. 70+ search engines.

Updated
Feb 13, 2026

Quick Install

npx -y n2-free-search

N2 Free Search

Free search MCP server for AI agents — No API keys, No credit cards, Just search.
nton2.com

npm version npm downloads license MCP compatible


Why N2 Free Search?

Brave Search APIGoogle Custom SearchN2 Free Search
Cost$5 / 1,000 queries$5 / 1,000 queriesFree forever
API KeyRequiredRequiredNot needed
Credit CardRequiredRequiredNot needed
Search EnginesBrave onlyGoogle only70+ engines
Self-hostedNoNoYes
PrivacyThird-partyThird-party100% yours

N2 Free Search gives your AI agent free, unlimited access to 70+ search engines through SearXNG, the privacy-respecting open-source metasearch engine.


Quick Start

Add this to your MCP config file and restart your AI client:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n2-search": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "n2-free-search"]
    }
  }
}

Done. Works immediately with public SearXNG instances — zero configuration needed.


Self-Hosted Mode (Recommended)

For faster, private, unlimited searches, run your own SearXNG instance with Docker.

Step 1: Create a project folder

mkdir n2-search && cd n2-search

Step 2: Create docker-compose.yml

services:
  searxng:
    image: searxng/searxng:latest
    container_name: n2-search
    ports:
      - "8888:8080"
    volumes:
      - ./searxng:/etc/searxng
    restart: always

Step 3: Create searxng/settings.yml

mkdir -p searxng
# searxng/settings.yml
use_default_settings: true
search:
  formats:
    - html
    - json
server:
  secret_key: "change-me-to-something-random"
  limiter: false
  image_proxy: true

Step 4: Start SearXNG

docker compose up -d

Step 5: Verify it works

curl "http://localhost:8888/search?q=test&format=json"

If you see JSON output with search results, you're good.

Step 6: Update your MCP config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n2-search": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "n2-free-search"],
      "env": {
        "SEARXNG_URL": "http://localhost:8888"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart your AI client. You now have free, private, unlimited search.


Available Tools

n2_web_search

Search the web across 70+ engines simultaneously.

ParameterTypeDefaultDescription
querystring(required)Search query
countnumber10Number of results (1-50)
languagestring"auto"Language code ("en", "ko", "ja", etc.)
safesearchnumber00=off, 1=moderate, 2=strict

n2_news_search

Search for recent news articles from multiple sources.

ParameterTypeDefaultDescription
querystring(required)News search query
countnumber10Number of results (1-50)
freshnessstring(none)"day", "week", "month", or "year"
languagestring"auto"Language code

n2_image_search

Search for images across multiple platforms.

ParameterTypeDefaultDescription
querystring(required)Image search query
countnumber10Number of results (1-50)
languagestring"auto"Language code

n2_video_search

Search for videos (YouTube, Vimeo, etc).

ParameterTypeDefaultDescription
querystring(required)Video search query
countnumber10Number of results (1-50)
languagestring"auto"Language code

n2_suggest

Get search autocomplete suggestions.

ParameterTypeDefaultDescription
querystring(required)Partial search query

How It Works

Your AI Agent
    |  (MCP protocol)
N2 Free Search Server
    |  (HTTP)
SearXNG Instance (local or public)
    |  (aggregation)
Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Brave, Wikipedia, and 70+ more

Dual Mode

ModeWhenHow
PublicNo SEARXNG_URL setAuto-selects fastest available public instance
LocalSEARXNG_URL is setUses your self-hosted SearXNG

Public mode works instantly with no setup. Local mode is faster, private, and has no rate limits.


Configuration

Environment Variables

VariableDefaultDescription
SEARXNG_URL(auto)URL of your SearXNG instance

Examples

# Public mode (zero config)
npx n2-free-search

# Local mode
SEARXNG_URL=http://localhost:8888 npx n2-free-search

# Remote mode (SearXNG on another machine)
SEARXNG_URL=http://192.168.1.100:8888 npx n2-free-search

Supported Platforms

Works with any MCP-compatible AI client:

  • Claude (Anthropic)
  • Cursor
  • Cline / Roo Code
  • Any MCP client

Public vs Self-Hosted

Public ModeSelf-Hosted
Speed2-5 seconds0.5-1 second
Rate LimitVaries by instanceUnlimited
PrivacyShared instancesFully private
ReliabilityDepends on instanceYou control it
SetupNoneDocker (5 minutes)
CostFreeFree

Part of the N2 AI Body Series

N2 Free Search is the first tool in the N2 AI Body series — a collection of free, open-source MCP tools that give AI agents real-world capabilities:

ToolRoleStatus
N2-SearchSearch the webReleased
N2-BrowserControl a browserComing soon
N2-MemoryPersistent memoryPlanned
N2-VoiceText-to-speechPlanned

"If humans can do it, AI should be able to too."


License

MIT - Nton2


Star this repo if it saved you money.
Made by Nton2 — AI tools for AI agents

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