How to add Brave Search to Windsurf

Official Brave Search MCP server: web, local, image, video, news search and AI summarization. Paste the config into ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json and restart Windsurf.

Last updated June 15, 2026 · 1.2k★ · stdio · apikey · official

Windsurf config for Brave Search

npx -y @brave/brave-search-mcp-server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "brave-search": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@brave/brave-search-mcp-server",
        "--transport",
        "stdio"
      ],
      "env": {
        "BRAVE_API_KEY": "<your-brave-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Setup steps

1Open Windsurf → Cascade → the hammer/MCP icon → Configure (or edit ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json).
2Paste the Brave Search config below.
3Fill in placeholder secrets, then save.
4Click Refresh in the MCP panel.
5Brave Search's tools become available to Cascade.

Before you start

Node.js 22.x or later (or Docker)
A Brave Search API key from https://brave.com/search/api/ (set as BRAVE_API_KEY)
An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop, VS Code, or MCP Inspector

What Brave Search can do in Windsurf

brave_web_search

General web search with filtering options.

brave_local_search

Find local businesses and places.

brave_image_search

Search for images with metadata.

brave_video_search

Search for video content.

brave_news_search

Search current news articles.

brave_place_search

Find points of interest in a geographic area.

brave_llm_context

Return pre-extracted web content optimized for AI/RAG.

brave_summarizer

Generate an AI summary from search results.

Security

Requires a Brave Search API key passed via BRAVE_API_KEY; treat it as a secret and avoid committing it to source control. Search results are arbitrary third-party web content, so downstream tools should treat returned text as untrusted.

Brave Search + Windsurf FAQ

Where is the Windsurf config file?

Windsurf reads MCP servers from ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json. Paste the Brave Search config there under the "mcpServers" key and restart the client.

Is Brave Search safe to use with Windsurf?

Is there a free tier?

Brave offers a free Search API plan with a monthly query allowance and rate limits, plus paid tiers for higher volume. Check brave.com/search/api for current quotas, as they vary by plan.

Can it run as a remote HTTP server?

Yes. By default it uses stdio, but version 2.x supports `--transport http` with a configurable host (default 0.0.0.0) and port (default 8000).

Which clients does it support?

The README documents Claude Desktop, VS Code, and MCP Inspector, with both npx and Docker run options. Any standard MCP client works.

View repo Full Brave Search page