Google ResearcherSAFE
⚠️ DEPRECATED — Use https://github.com/zoharbabin/web-researcher-mcp instead
Overview
From the repository's own README, as read at the audited commit. Badges and raw HTML are left out.
⚠️ This project has been superseded by [`web-researcher-mcp`](https://github.com/zoharbabin/web-researcher-mcp). A complete rewrite in Go: same tools, but it cites real sources and stays honest — citation verification, retraction flagging, eight search providers behind one interface, and a single signed static binary. No Node.js, no npm.
Migrate in one line
Your API keys and tool calls don't change — only how the server is launched. Pick whichever you prefer (no Node required):
# macOS / Linux — installs the binary and registers it with Claude Code automatically: curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zoharbabin/web-researcher-mcp/main/install.sh | sh # Windows (PowerShell): powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -c "irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zoharbabin/web-researcher-mcp/main/install.ps1 | iex" # Python users (uv) — run with no install: uvx web-researcher-mcp
Before / after (MCP client config)
The config keeps the same shape — swap the command/args, keep your env:
// BEFORE — google-researcher-mcp (npx / Node)
{
"mcpServers": {
"google-researcher": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "google-researcher-mcp"],
"env": { "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_KEY": "...", "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_ID": "..." }
}
}
}
// AFTER — web-researcher-mcp (installed binary; or use "uvx" + args ["web-researcher-mcp"])
{
"mcpServers": {
"web-researcher": {
"command": "web-researcher-mcp",
"env": { "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_KEY": "...", "GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_ID": "..." }
}
}
}Don't run both at once — they register identical tool names. Remove thegoogle-researcherentry before addingweb-researcher.
→ [Full migration guide](https://github.com/zoharbabin/web-researcher-mcp/blob/main/docs/MIGRATION.md)
Your existing GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_KEY and GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_ID work unchanged.
Why the Rew
89aae67902daOBSERVED · 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 google-researcher-mcp --env GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_KEY=${GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_KEY} -- npx -y [email protected]Exposed tools (12)
12 read · 0 write · 0 destructive.
| Tool | Risk | Description |
|---|---|---|
competitive-analysis | read | Compare multiple companies or products across key dimensions |
comprehensive-research | read | Research a topic thoroughly using multiple sources, with synthesis and citations |
due-diligence-background | read | Background & reputational due diligence research on a company: automatically discovers subsidiaries, prior names, executives, then screens for security breaches, compliance violations, lawsuits, executive scandals, and security posture |
fact-check | read | Verify a claim using multiple authoritative sources |
google_search | read | |
literature-review | read | Conduct an academic literature review with proper citations |
news-briefing | read | Get a current news summary on a topic |
patent-portfolio-analysis | read | Analyze a company\ |
scrape_page | read | |
search_and_scrape | read | |
summarize-url | read | Extract and summarize content from a specific URL |
technical-deep-dive | read | In-depth technical investigation of a technology or concept |
Trust audit
SAFEgrade B · trust 87/100 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
- declared (3 observation(s))
- Network
- declared (6 observation(s))
- Shell
- none-observed
- Dependencies
- not all pinned
- Secrets in source
- none-found
Findings (17)
.mcpbignore
- [MCP Server README — OAuth 2.1 Authorization](../../README.md#oauth-21-authorization)
import { PersistentCache, HybridPersistenceStrategy } from '../../src/cache/index.js';import { PersistentEventStore } from '../../src/shared/persistentEventStore.js';const { createAppAndHttpTransport } = await import('../../src/server.js');it('should block AWS metadata endpoint (169.254.169.254)', async () => {await expect(validateUrlForSSRF('http://169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/')).rejects.toThrow(SSRFProtectionError);await expect(validateUrlForSSRF('http://metadata.google.internal/')).rejects.toThrow(SSRFProtectionError);await expect(validateUrlForSSRF('http://169.254.169.254/', opts)).resolves.toBeUndefined();validateUrlForSSRF('http://metadata.google.internal/', opts)await expect(validateUrlForSSRF('http://127.0.0.1/secret')).rejects.toThrow(SSRFProtectionError);await expect(validateUrlForSSRF('http://10.0.0.1/internal')).rejects.toThrow(SSRFProtectionError);await expect(validateUrlForSSRF('http://192.168.1.1/admin')).rejects.toThrow(SSRFProtectionError);await expect(validateUrlForSSRF('http://172.16.0.1/')).rejects.toThrow(SSRFProtectionError);await expect(validateUrlForSSRF('http://0.0.0.0/')).rejects.toThrow(SSRFProtectionError);@types/node, typescript
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zoharbabin/web-researcher-mcp/main/install.sh | sh
Gates applied: no_behavioural_pass.
89aae67902dafull audit observations/trust-audit/mcp-server/zoharbabin__google-researcher-1.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 | 89aae67902da | SAFE | B | 87 | first audit |
Questions
What is the Google Researcher MCP server?
⚠️ DEPRECATED — Use https://github.com/zoharbabin/web-researcher-mcp instead
What tools does Google Researcher expose?
12 in total: 12 read-only, 0 that write, and 0 that can delete or overwrite. Every one is listed on this page with its risk.
Is Google Researcher safe to connect to an agent?
The audit found nothing in the source that contradicts what it says it does, and graded it B (87/100). 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 Researcher need?
It reads CACHE_ADMIN_KEY, GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_API_KEY, OAUTH_AUDIENCE and OAUTH_ISSUER_URL 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 Researcher run?
It speaks stdio and streamable-http, so it runs as a local process your client starts. It is published on npm as google-researcher-mcp at 7.0.0.
How current is this page?
The grade is for one exact copy of the source (89aae67902da), read on 2026-10-08. The repository is watched and re-audited when it changes.