MCP Directory

How to add Jina AI Reader & Search to Claude Desktop

Official Jina AI remote MCP server — read web pages as Markdown and run grounded web search over HTTP. Paste the config into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json and restart Claude Desktop.

Last updated June 15, 2026 · 730★ · http · apikey · official

Claude Desktop config for Jina AI Reader & Search

Add remote MCP URL https://mcp.jina.ai/v1 with Authorization: Bearer <jina-api-key>
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jina-ai-reader-search": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.jina.ai/v1",
        "--header",
        "Authorization: Bearer <your-jina-api-key>"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop connects to remote servers through the `mcp-remote` proxy (installed on first run via npx). Restart Claude Desktop after saving.

Setup steps

  1. 1Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config (this opens ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json).
  2. 2Paste the Jina AI Reader & Search config below under the top-level "mcpServers" key.
  3. 3Fill in any placeholder secrets (API keys, paths) in the snippet.
  4. 4Save the file, then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop.
  5. 5Open a chat and confirm Jina AI Reader & Search's tools appear under the 🔌 tools menu.

Before you start

  • A Jina API key (free tier) from https://jina.ai — required for search and reranker tools; some read tools work key-less at lower rate limits
  • An MCP client with remote/HTTP support (e.g. Claude Desktop, Cursor), or `mcp-remote` as a local proxy for clients without it
  • Network access to the hosted endpoint `https://mcp.jina.ai/v1` — no local install needed

What Jina AI Reader & Search can do in Claude Desktop

read_url

Extract the content of a web page as clean Markdown (Jina Reader).

parallel_read_url

Read multiple URLs concurrently.

capture_screenshot_url

Capture a screenshot of a web page.

search_web

Run a grounded web search and return results with content.

search_images

Search for images across the web.

search_arxiv

Search academic papers and preprints on arXiv.

parallel_search_web

Run multiple web searches concurrently.

sort_by_relevance

Rerank a set of documents against a query using the Jina Reranker.

Security

Pass the JINA_API_KEY as a Bearer token stored in your client's secret config, not in shared URLs or logs. Queries and fetched pages pass through Jina's hosted infrastructure, so avoid sending sensitive data in requests.

Jina AI Reader & Search + Claude Desktop FAQ

Where is the Claude Desktop config file?

Claude Desktop reads MCP servers from ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. Paste the Jina AI Reader & Search config there under the "mcpServers" key and restart the client.

Is Jina AI Reader & Search safe to use with Claude Desktop?

Pass the JINA_API_KEY as a Bearer token stored in your client's secret config, not in shared URLs or logs. Queries and fetched pages pass through Jina's hosted infrastructure, so avoid sending sensitive data in requests.

Do I need an API key?

Search and reranker tools require a free Jina API key. Some reading tools (like read_url) work without one, but at reduced rate limits.

Where do I get the key and is it free?

Get it at https://jina.ai; there is a free tier. Higher throughput and the search tools require the key in an Authorization: Bearer header.

Is this remote or local?

It is a hosted remote server at https://mcp.jina.ai/v1 over Streamable HTTP. There is nothing to install locally.

View repo Full Jina AI Reader & Search page