MCP server

Search1API runs a hosted MCP server at:

https://mcp.search1api.com/mcp

Point an OAuth-aware MCP client at it and Search1API will advertise the authorization flow automatically. Clients that do not support OAuth discovery can continue using an API key. Either way, the model can search the web, read pages and check what's trending without you writing an integration.

Tools it exposesCopy Anchor Link

Crawl a siteCopy Anchor Link

deepcrawl (added in 0.11.0) starts a deepcrawl task with JSON results and returns the pages as citable results with title, URL, and Markdown text, plus page counts and the URLs that failed.

• Inputs: url, max_pages (default 10, at most 50), include_paths, exclude_paths, type (sitemap or all), and task_id.
• It waits about 45 seconds. If the crawl is still running, the result holds a task_id; calling deepcrawl again with that task_id collects the pages without starting a new task and costs no credits.
• Page text is capped at 8,000 characters per page and 80,000 in total. When text is cut, result_url points to the full JSON result.
• Each started task costs 20 credits, however many pages it reads.

Display selected sourcesCopy Anchor Link

The remote endpoint and search1api-mcp 0.8.0+ over stdio expose render_results alongside the data tools. Keep the same connection URL:

https://mcp.search1api.com/mcp

search, news and ask retrieve results without automatically displaying cards. When a source list helps the task, the model can select, combine and pass existing results to render_results:

{
  "title": "Selected sources",
  "results": [
    {
      "id": "https://s1.dev/docs",
      "title": "Search1API documentation",
      "url": "https://s1.dev/docs"
    }
  ]
}

results is required and accepts 0–50 entries. Each entry requires title and an HTTP(S) url; id, a source snippet in text (up to 2,000 characters), and original metadata are optional. The list title is optional and defaults to Results. Preserve original source titles and links. Whole crawled pages are not needed to draw cards.

The tool returns structuredContent with title, total, and results, plus a complete readable source list in content. MCP Apps clients can display the cards; clients without UI or structured-output support still receive the titles, links and snippets as text. An empty list succeeds with “No results to display.”

Rendering and expanding cards do not search, fetch pages or consume search credits. A successful tool response confirms that results were prepared, not that the host displayed them. Ordinary cited answers and intermediate research do not require a rendering call.

There is no UI URL parameter to configure. Keep existing OAuth or API-key authentication, and reconnect or refresh tool discovery if render_results is missing. Both transports return the same structured JSON and text list; the client decides whether to load the UI. Source-card display has been verified in ChatGPT desktop and Claude web, desktop and mobile. UI availability depends on the host and its version. Directory connections may need host review before newly added tools appear. For local stdio, upgrade to 0.8.0+ and restart the MCP connection.

Connect your clientCopy Anchor Link

Claude directory (recommended for Claude)Copy Anchor Link

Search1API is published as both a connector and a plugin. Both use this hosted MCP server and the same hosted tools; the plugin adds an Agent Skill. See the Claude guide for a comparison and installation steps.

• Add Search1API connector: add it to Claude, then sign in with your Search1API account through OAuth. This provides the hosted MCP tools in Claude web, desktop, and mobile.
• Install Search1API plugin: add the plugin, then connect Search1API. It bundles the same MCP tools with an Agent Skill and supports Claude apps, Cowork, and Claude Code. Plugins require a paid Claude plan.

Plugins added to your Claude account sync to Claude Code v2.1.273 or later when signed in with the same account. For a direct MCP connection in Claude Code instead:

claude mcp add --transport http search1api https://mcp.search1api.com/mcp

Run /mcp in Claude Code and sign in when prompted. Use the API-key fallback below if you prefer an API key.

OAuth 2.1 (preferred)Copy Anchor Link

For a client that supports OAuth discovery, start with the endpoint only:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "search1api": {
      "url": "https://mcp.search1api.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

The exact outer configuration key varies by client, but the server URL is the same. On the first connection, the server returns a WWW-Authenticate challenge pointing to:

https://mcp.search1api.com/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource/mcp

The client can then discover Search1API's authorization server, dynamically register, and use Authorization Code + PKCE. The account owner signs in and approves access in the browser. A client that requests offline_access can refresh its access token for long-running sessions.

API key fallbackCopy Anchor Link

Create a key at app.s1.dev, then use the configuration for your client. The dashboard's MCP page can generate these examples with the key filled in.

claude mcp add --transport http search1api https://mcp.search1api.com/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_SEARCH1API_KEY"

Install via Smithery (optional)Copy Anchor Link

Prefer a one-click install? Search1API is listed on Smithery, which supports 20+ MCP clients (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, Gemini CLI, and more). A search1api agent skill is also available for hosts that support skills.

How auth worksCopy Anchor Link

The hosted server accepts either an OAuth access token or a Search1API API key in the Authorization: Bearer <credential> header. OAuth tokens and API keys use the same Search1API account credits, billing, and rate limits.

When no credential is present, the server returns a 401 challenge with its protected-resource metadata URL. Invalid or expired OAuth tokens return the same challenge with error="invalid_token", allowing a compatible client to refresh or repeat authorization.

For legacy clients that cannot send headers, the server also accepts an API key in the ?apiKey=<key> query parameter. The header wins when both are present.

Query-parameter auth means your key travels in a URL, where it can end up in logs and shell history. Prefer OAuth or a bearer header whenever the client supports one of them.

Protocol supportCopy Anchor Link

The hosted server implements the Model Context Protocol revision 2026-07-28, published on 28 July 2026. That revision removes protocol-level sessions and the initialize handshake: every request carries its own protocol version and client capabilities in _meta, and the server identifies itself in each result.

A request on 2026-07-28 needs two things beyond the ordinary JSON-RPC body:

• an Mcp-Method header matching the method in the body;
• a _meta object carrying io.modelcontextprotocol/protocolVersion, io.modelcontextprotocol/clientInfo, and io.modelcontextprotocol/clientCapabilities.

Call server/discover to read the supported versions, capabilities, and server identity before sending anything else:

curl -sS -X POST https://mcp.search1api.com/mcp \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_SEARCH1API_KEY" \
  -H "Mcp-Method: server/discover" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "id": 1,
    "method": "server/discover",
    "params": {
      "_meta": {
        "io.modelcontextprotocol/protocolVersion": "2026-07-28",
        "io.modelcontextprotocol/clientInfo": { "name": "my-client", "version": "1.0.0" },
        "io.modelcontextprotocol/clientCapabilities": {}
      }
    }
  }'

It answers with the supported revisions and the server identity:

{
  "result": {
    "supportedVersions": ["2026-07-28"],
    "capabilities": {
      "tools": { "listChanged": true },
      "resources": { "listChanged": true }
    },
    "resultType": "complete",
    "_meta": {
      "io.modelcontextprotocol/serverInfo": {
        "name": "search1api-server",
        "version": "0.5.1"
      }
    }
  }
}

Swap the Mcp-Method header and the method field for tools/list and the same envelope returns the tools above.

Running it locally insteadCopy Anchor Link

The server also runs over stdio, straight from npm:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "search1api": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "search1api-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "SEARCH1API_KEY": "YOUR_SEARCH1API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Version 0.9.0 includes every tool above, including send_feedback, and the bundled MCP Apps view. To upgrade a global installation, run npm install -g search1api-mcp@latest; for an npx configuration, use search1api-mcp@latest as above and restart your client.

The local stdio package uses an API key. There is no network hop to us for the MCP protocol itself, but its API calls still go to api.search1api.com.

Server iconCopy Anchor Link

Both transports advertise the square Search1API logo through standard serverInfo.icons. Clients choose whether to display it. The icon is a public 512×512 PNG served from the MCP origin, without authentication.

BillingCopy Anchor Link

MCP tool calls are ordinary API calls: they spend the same credits at the same rates as calling the endpoints yourself. See Credits and limits.

Source: github.com/superagents-lab/search1api-mcp