How does scout-mcp handle API keys?

Most tools work without keys, but optional environment variables can be set to increase rate limits or enable additional sources, such as XAI_API_KEY for X/Twitter and GITHUB_TOKEN for GitHub.

What transport protocol does scout-mcp use?

It uses the Model Context Protocol over standard input/output (stdio) for communication with clients.

Can scout-mcp be run as a hosted service?

Yes, scout-mcp runs as a paid HTTP API at https://scout.hugen.tokyo using the x402 protocol with USDC micropayments.

How do I add scout-mcp to my MCP client configuration?

Clone the repo, build it, then add a command entry pointing to 'node /path/to/scout-mcp/build/index.js' in your MCP client's configuration.

Scout MCP

searchcodeacademicsocialblogs

MCP server for parallel multi-source search across code registries, academic indexes, social platforms, and tech blogs with JSON output.

Quick Install

Automated & IDE Setup

Copy the AI prompt to install this server into Claude Code, Cursor, or another agent — or use 1-click editor setup below.

Add to Cursor Add to VS Code

We couldn’t automatically confirm this listing starts correctly

We ran the install command below but it didn't respond within our test window — this can mean a slow first-time install rather than a real problem.

npx -y scout-cli

No response to initialize.

This is an experimental automated check and can have false negatives — missing environment variables, a slow cold install, etc. It doesn’t necessarily mean something’s wrong. Last checked 1mo ago.

Manual Client & Custom JSON ConfigExpand JSON ▾

Client Config & Setup

Choose your client or environment

Target File:~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bartonguestier1725-collab-scout-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "scout-cli"
      ]
    }
  }
}

💡 Paste the JSON block into your client's configuration file under mcpServers, then restart the application.

Overview

This MCP server enables searching 21 different platforms simultaneously, including GitHub, npm, PyPI, arXiv, Hacker News, Reddit, and various tech blogs. It returns normalized JSON results with consistent fields, allowing integration with MCP clients like Claude Desktop, VS Code, Cursor, or Cline. It supports optional API keys to increase rate limits or enable additional sources. The server communicates over stdio and can also run as a paid HTTP API with payment middleware.

Use cases

Search code repositories and packages across multiple registries

Retrieve academic papers from arXiv and Semantic Scholar

Query social platforms like Hacker News, Reddit, and X/Twitter

Fetch articles from developer blogs including Dev.to, Hashnode, Qiita, and Zenn

Aggregate multi-source search results in a single JSON response

Key features

Parallel search across 21 diverse platforms

Normalized JSON output with consistent fields

Supports optional API keys for higher rate limits and additional sources

Compatible with multiple MCP clients via stdio transport

Includes tools for single-source and multi-source aggregated searches

Capabilities & Tool Schemas (21)Self-reported

Inspect callable tools, capabilities, and parameters exposed to AI agents by Scout MCP.

hackernews_search

Stories, comments, polls

github_search

Repositories by keyword

github_repo_info

Single repo details

npm_search

Packages

pypi_search

Python packages

producthunt_search

Products by topic

Documentation Overview

scout-mcp

An MCP server that searches 21 platforms in parallel and returns structured JSON. Built with the Model Context Protocol SDK.

Connect it to Claude Desktop, VS Code, Cursor, or any MCP client and search code registries, academic papers, social platforms, and tech blogs from a single tool call.

Tools

Tool	Source	Notes
`hackernews_search`	Hacker News (Algolia)	Stories, comments, polls
`github_search`	GitHub	Repositories by keyword
`github_repo_info`	GitHub	Single repo details
`npm_search`	npm Registry	Packages
`pypi_search`	PyPI	Python packages
`producthunt_search`	Product Hunt	Products by topic
`x_search`	X / Twitter	AI-powered via xAI Grok (requires `XAI_API_KEY`)
`devto_search`	Dev.to	Articles
`hashnode_search`	Hashnode	Articles (GraphQL)
`lobsters_search`	Lobste.rs	Stories
`stackexchange_search`	StackExchange	Q&A across all sites
`arxiv_search`	ArXiv	Academic papers
`reddit_search`	Reddit	Posts and comments
`youtube_search`	YouTube	Videos (requires `YOUTUBE_API_KEY`)
`zenn_search`	Zenn	Japanese tech articles
`qiita_search`	Qiita	Japanese tech articles
`semantic_scholar_search`	Semantic Scholar	Academic papers
`lemmy_search`	Lemmy	Fediverse posts
`gitlab_search`	GitLab	Projects
`bazaar_search`	x402 Bazaar	x402 API directory
`scout_report`	Multi-source	Parallel search across selected sources

Quick start

Claude Desktop / VS Code / Cline

bash

git clone https://github.com/bartonguestier1725-collab/scout-mcp.git
cd scout-mcp && npm install && npm run build

Add to your MCP client config:

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "scout": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/scout-mcp/build/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Docker

Terminal

docker build -t scout-mcp .
docker run -i scout-mcp

The Dockerfile builds a minimal node:24-alpine image that runs the MCP server over stdio.

Configuration

All configuration is via environment variables. Most tools work without any keys. Optional keys unlock additional sources or raise rate limits.

Variable	Required	Description
`XAI_API_KEY`	For `x_search`	xAI API key for X/Twitter search
`GITHUB_TOKEN`	Recommended	Raises GitHub rate limit
`YOUTUBE_API_KEY`	For `youtube_search`	YouTube Data API v3 key
`PH_CLIENT_ID` / `PH_CLIENT_SECRET`	For `producthunt_search`	Product Hunt API credentials
`REDDIT_CLIENT_ID` / `REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET`	For `reddit_search`	Reddit API credentials
`QIITA_TOKEN`	Optional	Raises Qiita rate limit
`S2_API_KEY`	Optional	Semantic Scholar dedicated rate limit
`SE_API_KEY`	Optional	StackExchange dedicated rate limit

How it works

Each tool makes a direct API call to its source, parses the response, and returns normalized JSON with consistent fields (title, url, source, created_at, etc.). The scout_report tool runs multiple searches in parallel using Promise.allSettled, so one source failing doesn't block the others.

Transport: stdio (standard MCP transport). The server reads JSON-RPC messages from stdin and writes responses to stdout.

HTTP mode

scout-mcp also runs as a paid HTTP API at https://scout.hugen.tokyo via the x402 protocol (USDC micropayments on Base). This mode uses the same tool implementations but exposes them as REST endpoints with payment middleware.

License

MIT

Read the full README →View source on GitHub →

Related MCP Servers

View all in Search & Data Extraction View all alternatives

Adoption & maintenance

Factual signals from GitHub, npm, and our automated checks — not a rating.

GitHub stars

Stargazers on the source repository.

npm downloads

Package downloads in the last 30 days.

Last commit

3mo ago

Most recent push to the default branch.

Install check

Inconclusive

Didn't respond in our test window — often a slow first install.

Tools exposed

Callable tools this server registers over MCP.

Directory activity

2 views

Config copies, upvotes, and views on AllMCPs.

Reviews

No reviews yet — be the first to share how this listing worked for you.

Frequently Asked Questions about Scout MCP

It searches code registries (GitHub, npm, PyPI, GitLab), academic indexes (arXiv, Semantic Scholar), social platforms (Hacker News, Reddit, X/Twitter), tech blogs (Dev.to, Hashnode, Qiita, Zenn), and others like Product Hunt and StackExchange.

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Technical Specs & Signals

CategorySearch & Data Extraction

PricingFreemium

56Quality signal: Good · 56/100How this signal is calculated ▾

Server availabilityNot measured

Not scored for repo-hosted servers — we can't reach the running server, only its GitHub page. Hosted MCP endpoints are health-checked live.

Verified ownership10/20

Documentation & tools29/30

Adoption & activity3/15

Community engagement0/10

A guidance signal from public completeness & health data — not a user rating. New listings start lower and rise as they add docs, get verified, and grow adoption. Signals we can't observe for a listing are skipped, not counted against it.

Supply-chain signal

No high-severity advisories surfaced by our automated scan.

Critical 0High 0Medium 0Low 0

Scanned 24d ago via OSV.dev · scout-cli (npm)

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More in 🔎 Search & Data Extraction →Best MCP servers for Web Search & Scraping →Alternatives to Scout MCP →Install in Claude Desktop Install in Cursor Install in VS Code