Google Custom SearchSAFE
An mcp server for searching against google custom search api
Overview
From the repository's own README, as read at the audited commit. Badges and raw HTML are left out.
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides web search capabilities through Google's Custom Search API. This server enables Language Learning Models (LLMs) to perform web searches using a standardized interface.
🌟 Features
- Seamless integration with Google Custom Search API
- Model Context Protocol (MCP) compliant server implementation
- Type-safe implementation using TypeScript
- Environment variable configuration
- Input validation using Zod
- Configurable search results (up to 10 per query)
- Formatted search results including titles, URLs, and descriptions
- Error handling and validation
- Compatible with Claude Desktop and other MCP clients
📋 Prerequisites
Before you begin, ensure you have:
- A Google Cloud Project with Custom Search API enabled
- Visit Google Cloud Console
- Enable the Custom Search API
- Create API credentials
- A Custom Search Engine ID
- Visit Programmable Search Engine
- Create a new search engine
- Get your Search Engine ID
- Local development requirements:
- Node.js (v18 or higher)
- npm (comes with Node.js)
🚀 Quick Start
- Clone the repository:
git clone https://github.com/limklister/mcp-google-custom-search-server.git cd mcp-google-custom-search-server
- Install dependencies:
npm install
- Create a .env file:
GOOGLE_API_KEY=your-api-key GOOGLE_SEARCH_ENGINE_ID=your-search-engine-id
- Build the server:
npm run build
- Start the server:
npm start
🔧 Configuration
Environment Variables
705005e2b459OBSERVED · 2026-10-08Connect
Built from this server's own package name, version and transport as found in its source — not copied from anyone's documentation, so it cannot drift against a page we do not control. Replace the environment placeholders with a token scoped to the least it needs.
claude mcp add mcp-google-custom-search-server --env GOOGLE_API_KEY=${GOOGLE_API_KEY} -- npx -y [email protected]{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-google-custom-search-server": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"[email protected]"
],
"env": {
"GOOGLE_API_KEY": "${GOOGLE_API_KEY}"
}
}
}
}Exposed tools (1)
1 read · 0 write · 0 destructive.
| Tool | Risk | Description |
|---|---|---|
search | read | Search the web using Google Custom Search API |
Trust audit
SAFEgrade B · trust 89/100 Nothing in the source contradicts what it says it does. Grade A is reserved for packages that have also passed the behavioural sandbox.
| Layer | What it checks | Result |
|---|---|---|
| L0 | Provenance & inventory | PASS |
| L1 | Static analysis of the code | PASS |
| L2 | Instruction surface (what it tells the agent) | PASS |
| L3 | Class-specific surface | PASS |
| L4 | Behavioural (sandbox) | SKIPPED |
What the source does
- Filesystem
- none-observed
- Network
- none-observed
- Shell
- none-observed
- Dependencies
- not all pinned
- Secrets in source
- none-found
Findings (1)
@modelcontextprotocol/sdk, @googleapis/customsearch, dotenv, zod, @jest/globals, @types/jest, @types/node, jest
Gates applied: no_behavioural_pass.
705005e2b459full audit observations/trust-audit/mcp-server/limklister__google-custom-search.json · Report an issue / request a re-scanAudit history
Every audit this server has had. A grade with a past is a grade somebody is still checking.
| Date | Source | Verdict | Grade | Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-08 | 705005e2b459 | SAFE | B | 89 | first audit |
Questions
What is the Google Custom Search MCP server?
An mcp server for searching against google custom search api
What tools does Google Custom Search expose?
1 in total: 1 read-only, 0 that write, and 0 that can delete or overwrite. Every one is listed on this page with its risk.
Is Google Custom Search safe to connect to an agent?
The audit found nothing in the source that contradicts what it says it does, and graded it B (89/100). Grade A is held back for packages that have also passed a sandboxed behavioural run, which is why a clean server reads B.
What credentials does Google Custom Search need?
It reads GOOGLE_API_KEY from the environment. Give it a token scoped to the least it needs — an agent that can be talked into calling a tool can be talked into calling it with your credentials.
How does Google Custom Search run?
It speaks stdio, so it runs as a local process your client starts. It is published on npm as mcp-google-custom-search-server at 1.0.0.
How current is this page?
The grade is for one exact copy of the source (705005e2b459), read on 2026-10-08. The repository is watched and re-audited when it changes.