Local Research MCP Server
A free, private research assistant for AI development environments that searches the web and scrapes content using DuckDuckGo and Python. This MCP server gives AI assistants the ability to access real-time information while keeping all processing local for complete privacy.
Compatible with:
- Claude Desktop - Anthropic's official desktop app
- Claude Code - Anthropic's CLI tool for developers
- Gemini CLI - Gemini's CLI tool
- Cline - VS Code extension for AI-powered coding
- Any MCP-compatible client
Features
- 🔍 Free Web Search: Uses DuckDuckGo's search API without requiring API keys
- 📄 Content Extraction: Intelligently extracts clean text from web pages
- 🔒 Privacy-First: All processing happens locally on your machine
- ⚡ Fast Integration: Works seamlessly with Claude Desktop via MCP
- 🛠️ Zero Dependencies: No external services or subscriptions required
Quick Start
Prerequisites
- Python 3.10 or higher
- One of the compatible AI environments:
- Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Google CLI, Cline, or other MCP client
- Basic command line knowledge
Installation
-
Clone this repository:
git clone https://github.com/Unlock-MCP/local-research-server.git cd local-research-server -
Set up the environment:
uv init uv venv source .venv/bin/activate # On Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate -
Install dependencies:
uv add "mcp[cli]" duckduckgo-search trafilatura -
Test the server:
python research_server.py
Configuration
Choose your AI environment:
Claude Desktop
Add this to your config file:
- macOS:
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json - Windows:
%APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
{
"mcpServers": {
"local-researcher": {
"command": "uv",
"args": [
"--directory",
"/path/to/your/local-research-server",
"run",
"python",
"research_server.py"
]
}
}
}
Claude Code
Add this to your CLAUDE.md file or use the CLI:
claude --mcp-server local-researcher="uv --directory /path/to/your/local-research-server run python research_server.py"
Google AI Studio / Gemini CLI
Configure via your MCP client settings or environment variables.
Cline (VS Code)
Add to your Cline MCP server configuration in VS Code settings.
Replace /path/to/your/local-research-server with the full path to this directory.
Usage
After configuration, restart your AI environment. Connection indicators vary by platform:
- Claude Desktop: Look for the plug icon (🔌)
- Claude Code: Server status shown in CLI output
- Other platforms: Check your MCP client's connection status
Ask your AI assistant research questions like:
- "What are the latest developments in AI research this week?"
- "Research current renewable energy trends in Europe"
- "Find recent cybersecurity threat reports"
Your AI assistant will automatically use the local server to fetch real-time information.
How It Works
The server implements a single MCP tool that:
- Searches the web using DuckDuckGo's free API
- Scrapes content from the top search results
- Extracts clean, readable text using Trafilatura
- Returns formatted content to Claude for analysis
All processing happens locally with no data sent to external services except for the public web searches.
Architecture
AI Client (Claude Desktop/Code/Gemini/Cline)
↓ (MCP Protocol)
Local Research Server
↓ (Search API)
DuckDuckGo Search
↓ (HTTP Requests)
Target Websites
↓ (Content Extraction)
Clean Text → AI Assistant
Configuration Options
The server accepts these parameters for the research tool:
query(string): The search query or research topicnum_results(int): Number of search results to process (default: 3)
Security Features
- Input Validation: Sanitizes search queries
- Rate Limiting: Polite delays between web requests
- Error Handling: Graceful failure handling
- Local Processing: No external data dependencies
Business Applications
This research server is ideal for:
- Content Creation: Research-backed article writing
- Market Analysis: Real-time competitor and industry research
- Due Diligence: Company and investment research
- Regulatory Monitoring: Tracking compliance requirements
Extending the Server
Consider these enhancements:
- Add RSS feed integration
- Implement search result caching
- Add domain filtering capabilities
- Include publication date extraction
- Add multiple search engine support
Troubleshooting
Common Issues
Server not connecting:
- Verify the absolute path in your AI client config
- Restart your AI environment completely
- Check that Python dependencies are installed
No search results:
- Verify internet connection
- Check DuckDuckGo service status
- Try different search queries
Content extraction failing:
- Some websites block scraping
- Try different search terms for varied sources
- Check the console output for specific errors
Contributing
We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guide for details.
License
MIT License - see LICENSE for details.
Related Projects
- MCP Docs Server - Local documentation access
- Remote MCP Server - Enterprise database access
- UnlockMCP Website - MCP tutorials and resources