What is the key difference between Brave Search MCP Server and MCP Local Rag?

Brave Search MCP Server belongs to the Search & Data Extraction category with local stdio execution, while MCP Local Rag belongs to the Search & Data Extraction category with local stdio execution.

How do I install Brave Search MCP Server or MCP Local Rag in Claude Desktop or Cursor?

Copy the mcpServers JSON configuration snippet provided on this page into your claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json file and restart your AI client.

Are Brave Search MCP Server and MCP Local Rag free or paid?

Brave Search MCP Server operates under a Freemium model (API Key required). MCP Local Rag operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Brave Search MCP Server lists 54 tools with 7 views and 1,434 GitHub stars. MCP Local Rag lists 6 tools with 2 views and 134 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Brave Search MCP Server and MCP Local Rag together in the same MCP host?

Yes! MCP hosts like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and VS Code support configuring multiple servers under the mcpServers object simultaneously.

Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison

Brave Search MCP Server vs MCP Local Rag

In-depth architectural comparison of the Brave Search MCP Server and MCP Local Rag MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.

At a Glance & Executive Verdict

Brave Search MCP Server

Search & Data Extraction · Local stdio

Quality: 61/100 (Good) | Auth: API Key required

MCP Local Rag

Search & Data Extraction · Local stdio

Quality: 53/100 (Good) | Auth: No auth required

Verdict Summary: Choose Brave Search MCP Server if you need specialized Search & Data Extraction tools running via a local process. Choose MCP Local Rag if your workspace requires Search & Data Extraction integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Brave Search MCP Server when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Search & Data Extraction domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: API Key required (Freemium).
You have access to required keys: BRAVE_MCP_TRANSPORT.
Primary tools included: query, country, search_lang.

Explore Brave Search MCP Server Details

Choose MCP Local Rag when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Search & Data Extraction domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
Primary tools included: Multi-engine search across 9+ backends, Multi-topic deep research, Semantic similarity ranking.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Brave Search MCP Server brave Search & Data Extraction	MCP Local Rag nkapila6 Search & Data Extraction
Summary	Web search capabilities using Brave's Search API	"primitive" RAG-like web search model context protocol (MCP) server that runs locally. No APIs needed.
Category & Scope	Search & Data Extraction

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Brave Search MCP Server Tools (54)

query

country

search_lang

ui_lang

count

offset

safesearch

freshness

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Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations

Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).

Brave Search MCP Server Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "brave-brave-search-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/inspector"
      ],
      "env": {
        "BRAVE_MCP_TRANSPORT": "YOUR_BRAVE_MCP_TRANSPORT_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

MCP Local Rag Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nkapila6-mcp-local-rag": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "--python=3.10",
        "--from",
        "git+https://github.com/nkapila6/mcp-local-rag",
        "mcp-local-rag"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Brave Search MCP Server is categorized under Search & Data Extraction and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, MCP Local Rag belongs to Search & Data Extraction using local stdio subprocess. Select Brave Search MCP Server when you need capabilities focused on search & data extraction and MCP Local Rag when you require tools for search & data extraction.

More alternatives to Brave Search MCP Server More alternatives to MCP Local Rag Search & Data Extraction category hub