brightdata

The Bright Data Web MCP server provides a ready-to-use bridge that lets your AI agents access the live web with Bright Data’s uninterrupted proxy network. It exposes a configurable MCP endpoint you can point your LLMs and agents at, allowing real-time browsing, web searches, and data retrieval without typical blocks or CAPTCHAs. The server supports the Bright Data toolset and enables you to enable/disable tool groups and specific tools via environment variables and mode flags. Typical usage involves running the MCP server locally or via hosted access, then configuring your client to route queries through the Bright Data MCP endpoint to gain up-to-date results from the live web.

Out of the box, you can run the server with npx to fetch the @brightdata/mcp package, supply your API token, and start making requests. The documentation highlights multiple modes (Rapid, Pro, Custom) and tool group selections so you can tailor tool availability to your needs—ranging from basic live search to advanced web data APIs and browser automation when you upgrade to Pro or Custom modes. If you’re prototyping, you can start with the hosted URL for zero setup and transition to a local setup by supplying your API token and running the npx command locally.

Prerequisites:

• Node.js (recommended LTS) and npm installed on your machine
• An API token from Bright Data (for authenticating requests)

Step-by-step:

1. Install prerequisites

• Ensure Node.js and npm are installed. Check versions:

node -v
npm -v

2. Run the MCP server locally with npx (no global install required)

• Use the example configuration from the README to start the server in your environment:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "Bright Data": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@brightdata/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "API_TOKEN": "<your-api-token-here>"
      }
    }
  }
}

3. Alternatively, run directly in your terminal (if you want to test quickly):

npx @brightdata/mcp

4. Provide your API token when prompted or set via environment variable API_TOKEN before starting.

5. Point your MCP client to the running server endpoint as documented by Bright Data (either the hosted URL or your local instance).

Notes and tips:

• The Free/Tier offers 5,000 requests per month; review pricing if you expect higher usage.
• Set the API_TOKEN environment variable securely; avoid embedding tokens in code.
• Pro Mode unlocks additional capabilities such as browser control and Web Data APIs; configure PRO_MODE or GROUPS/TOOLS as described in the docs.
• The default setup uses npx to fetch the MCP package at runtime, which is convenient for quick starts but you can also install locally if you prefer a persistent install.
• If you encounter network or CAPTCHA-related issues, verify your Bright Data token status and ensure your IP limits in the Bright Data dashboard are appropriate for your usage.