Synthetic Web Search MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that exposes the Synthetic web search API as a tool for use with Claude and other MCP-compatible applications.

Overview

This server provides a search_web tool that allows MCP clients to perform web searches using the Synthetic API. Search results are returned as formatted JSON containing URL, title, text, and published date fields.

Installation

Install globally to use with any MCP client:

npm install -g synthetic-web-search-mcp

Or with Bun:

bun add -g synthetic-web-search-mcp

Quick Start with Claude Code

Add the MCP server to Claude Code with a single command:

claude mcp add synthetic-web-search -e SYNTHETIC_API_KEY=your_api_key_here -- synthetic-web-search-mcp

Replace your_api_key_here with your actual Synthetic API key.

Configuration

The server requires a Synthetic API key. Set it using the SYNTHETIC_API_KEY environment variable:

export SYNTHETIC_API_KEY=your_actual_api_key_here

Or create a .env file in the project root (copy .env.example):

SYNTHETIC_API_KEY=your_actual_api_key_here

Usage with Claude Desktop

To use this MCP server with Claude Desktop, add the following to your Claude Desktop configuration file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "synthetic-web-search": {
      "command": "synthetic-web-search-mcp",
      "env": {
        "SYNTHETIC_API_KEY": "your_actual_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

If installed locally (not globally), use:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "synthetic-web-search": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/project/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "SYNTHETIC_API_KEY": "your_actual_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

After adding the configuration, restart Claude Desktop. You can then use the web search tool in your conversations.

Testing with MCP Inspector

To test the server without Claude Desktop, use the MCP inspector:

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector synthetic-web-search-mcp

This will open a web interface where you can:

• List available tools
• Test the search_web tool with different queries
• View returned results in real-time

Available Tools

search_web

Search the web using the Synthetic API.

Arguments:

• query (string, required): The search query string

Example:

Search for " TypeScript documentation"

Returns: A JSON array of search results, each containing:

• url: The link to the search result
• title: The title of the page
• text: A snippet or content from the page
• published: Publication date (if available)

API Details

• Endpoint: https://api.synthetic.new/v2/search
• Method: POST
• Authentication: Bearer token via Authorization header
• Request Body: JSON with query field

Development

Setup the development environment:

git clone https://github.com/parnexcodes/synthetic-web-search-mcp.git
cd synthetic-web-search-mcp
bun install

Build the project:

bun run build

Run the dev server with ts-node:

bun run dev

Watch for file changes and rebuild automatically:

bun run watch

Project Structure

synthetic-web-search-mcp/
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
├── .env.example
├── README.md
├── src/
│   └── index.ts
└── dist/          (generated after build)
    ├── index.js
    └── index.d.ts

License

MIT