MCP Directory

How to add Tavily to Claude Desktop

Production-ready MCP server for real-time web search, content extraction, site mapping, and crawling. Paste the config into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json and restart Claude Desktop.

Last updated June 15, 2026 · 2.1k★ · stdio · apikey · official

Claude Desktop config for Tavily

npx -y tavily-mcp@latest
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tavily": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "tavily-mcp@latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "TAVILY_API_KEY": "<your-tavily-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Setup steps

  1. 1Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config (this opens ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json).
  2. 2Paste the Tavily 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 Tavily's tools appear under the 🔌 tools menu.

Before you start

  • A Tavily API key from https://app.tavily.com (free account available, no credit card)
  • For local use: Node.js v20 or later with npx
  • An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or Cursor

What Tavily can do in Claude Desktop

tavily-search

Real-time web search optimized for AI agents.

tavily-extract

Extract clean, structured content from specific URLs.

tavily-crawl

Systematically crawl and explore a website.

tavily-map

Build a structured map of a website's URL structure.

Security

Needs a TAVILY_API_KEY which gates billable API usage; keep it secret and rotate if leaked. Crawl/extract tools fetch arbitrary remote pages, so validate any URLs you pass and treat returned content as untrusted.

Tavily + 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 Tavily config there under the "mcpServers" key and restart the client.

Is Tavily safe to use with Claude Desktop?

Needs a TAVILY_API_KEY which gates billable API usage; keep it secret and rotate if leaked. Crawl/extract tools fetch arbitrary remote pages, so validate any URLs you pass and treat returned content as untrusted.

Is there a free tier?

Yes. Tavily's free plan includes 1,000 API credits per month with no credit card required. Basic search costs 1 credit and advanced search costs 2 credits; unused credits do not roll over.

Can I use it without installing anything locally?

Yes. Tavily hosts a remote MCP server at mcp.tavily.com that you connect to over HTTP with your API key, so no local install is needed. A local stdio option via npx is also available.

How is it authenticated?

With a Tavily API key, passed either as the TAVILY_API_KEY environment variable (local) or in the remote URL query string. The remote server also supports optional OAuth.

View repo Full Tavily page