Best for
- Developers needing real-time web capabilities to enhance AI responses.
- Users working within Claude Code, Cursor, or any compatible MCP client.
- Teams that require quick and reliable data extraction and search.
T
Tavily MCP Server
Official
Production-ready MCP server with real-time search, extract, map & crawl.
GitHub source repository ↗
58FMRS · C
The Tavily MCP server is used to provide real-time web search and extraction to AI assistants, offering local or remote deployment and support for multiple clients.
The Tavily MCP server provides real-time web search, data extraction, website mapping, and crawling tools for AI agents. It can be run locally via npx or accessed through a remote server URL, with support for API key and OAuth authentication.
Tools
tavily-search
Real-time web search tool that provides up-to-date information.
tavily-extract
Intelligently extracts structured data from web pages.
tavily-map
Creates a structured map of a website to understand its layout.
tavily-crawl
Systematically explores websites to collect content.
Setup
- Get a Tavily API key from https://app.tavily.com/home.
- For local installation, ensure Node.js v20+ and run
npx -y tavily-mcp@latest. - For remote installation, use the URL
https://mcp.tavily.com/mcp/?tavilyApiKey=<your-api-key>. - Configure your MCP client (e.g., Claude Code, Cursor) with the server.
claude_desktop_config.json
{
"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\"}"
}
}
}
}
Fit and risk
Not for
- Offline applications that don't require real-time web features.
- Scenarios requiring extensive crawling that may exceed free tier limits and need careful management.
- Environments with strict data privacy concerns where sending data to external services is problematic.
Required permissions
- Access to real-time web search and extraction APIs.
- Data transmission over the internet.
- Requires a valid Tavily API key for authentication.
Risks and side effects
- API keys might be misused or leaked.
- Potential costs depending on the Tavily plan's quota.
- May encounter rate limits or service outages.
- Do not treat this server as fully trustworthy; verify its behavior before use.
Troubleshooting
- Check that the API key is correct and valid.
- Ensure network connectivity is stable.
- Verify environment variables like `TAVILY_API_KEY` and `DEFAULT_PARAMETERS` are set correctly.
- If using OAuth, clear `~/.mcp-auth` to re-authenticate.
- Ensure Node.js version meets requirements (v20+).
Use cases
Providing real-time web search to AI agents for current information.
Extracting structured data from specific web pages for knowledge graphs or analysis.
Generating website maps to understand site structure.
Crawling websites to collect comprehensive data.
Supported clients
Claude DesktopFull support
Claude CodeFull support
CursorFull support