Web Scout MCP Server provides a privacy-conscious web search and content extraction service accessible via an MCP client. It exposes two core tools: DuckDuckGoWebSearch for performing fast, structured web searches through the DuckDuckGo engine, and UrlContentExtractor for fetching and extracting clean, readable text from web pages. The server is designed to handle multiple URLs in parallel and includes memory-optimized operation with intelligent rate limiting, making it suitable for embedding in larger workflows or client applications.

To use the server, install the MCP package and run the CLI either globally or locally. You can also configure your MCP client to launch the server using npx or a local installation. The provided tools can be invoked by your MCP client by referencing their input schemas (query and maxResults for DuckDuckGoWebSearch; one or more URLs for UrlContentExtractor). Example inputs are provided in the README, illustrating typical usage and structure.

Prerequisites:

• Node.js >= 18.0.0
• npm (or yarn)

Install options:

1. Global installation (recommended for quick use): npm install -g @pinkpixel/web-scout-mcp

   Run the server

   web-scout-mcp

2. Local installation (for project-based usage): mkdir my-project cd my-project npm init -y npm install @pinkpixel/web-scout-mcp

   Run via npx

   npx @pinkpixel/web-scout-mcp

3. Using via MCP config (as a client reference): Add to your MCP client config: { "mcpServers": { "web-scout": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@pinkpixel/web-scout-mcp@latest"] } } }

Notes:

• The server provides two MCP tools: DuckDuckGoWebSearch and UrlContentExtractor.
• You can refer to the README for exact input/output formats for each tool.
• If embedding the package yourself, consider setting WEB_SCOUT_DISABLE_AUTOSTART=1 to prevent automatic bootstrap when using createServer().

Tips and common considerations:

• Environment variables: WEB_SCOUT_DISABLE_AUTOSTART=1 can prevent automatic bootstrap when embedding the package and calling createServer().
• By default, running the published entrypoint (e.g., node dist/index.js or npx @pinkpixel/web-scout-mcp) bootstraps the stdio transport for MCP communication.
• The server supports parallel processing for multiple URLs and includes memory optimization to prevent crashes.
• If you encounter issues with starting via npx, ensure npm is up to date and your network allows package fetches from the npm registry.
• The MCP client config example in the README demonstrates how to wire the server into an MCP workflow; you can customize the server name (e.g., web-scout) to fit your project.
• Check the LICENSE and Node.js version requirements in the README to ensure compatibility.