Brightdata MCP vs ShadowCrawl
A side-by-side look at the Brightdata MCP and ShadowCrawl MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Brightdata MCP for search & data extraction work as a local process; choose ShadowCrawl for search & data extraction over a hosted endpoint. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Brightdata MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Search & Data Extraction domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You have the keys it needs:
API_TOKEN. - You want tools like
GROUPS, TOOLS, search_engine.
Choose ShadowCrawl when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Search & Data Extraction domain.
- You prefer a remote HTTP/SSE transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
CORTEX_SCOUT_TOOL_TIMEOUT_SECS, CORTEX_SCOUT_TOOL_TIMEOUT_SECS_SCRAPE_URL, CORTEX_SCOUT_TOOL_TIMEOUT_SECS_SEARCH_STRUCTURED, CORTEX_SCOUT_PORT, PORT, RUST_LOG.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Search & Data Extraction | Search & Data Extraction |
| Quality signal | 68/100 · Great | 44/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Remote HTTP/SSE |
| Auth | API key required | Not declared |
| Pricing | Freemium | Not declared |
| Required env vars | API_TOKEN | CORTEX_SCOUT_TOOL_TIMEOUT_SECSCORTEX_SCOUT_TOOL_TIMEOUT_SECS_SCRAPE_URLCORTEX_SCOUT_TOOL_TIMEOUT_SECS_SEARCH_STRUCTUREDCORTEX_SCOUT_PORTPORTRUST_LOG |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 2,677 | 70 |
| Directory activity | 3 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 6 | Not listed |
| Full listing | View Brightdata MCP | View ShadowCrawl |
Tools & capabilities
Brightdata MCP tools 6
GROUPSTOOLSsearch_enginescrape_as_markdowndiscovercustom
ShadowCrawl tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Brightdata MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"luminati-io-brightdata-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@brightdata/mcp"
],
"env": {
"API_TOKEN": "YOUR_API_TOKEN_HERE"
}
}
}
}
ShadowCrawl
{
"mcpServers": {
"shadowcrawl": {
"url": "https://api.openai.com/v1"
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Brightdata MCP is categorized under Search & Data Extraction and uses a local stdio subprocess. ShadowCrawl belongs to Search & Data Extraction and uses a remote HTTP/SSE transport. Pick Brightdata MCP for search & data extraction work and ShadowCrawl for search & data extraction.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
Brightdata MCP is listed as freemium — a free tier with paid plans. Auth: api key required. ShadowCrawl has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add luminati-io-brightdata-mcp and shadowcrawl as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Brightdata MCP has a quality signal of 68/100 (Great) with 3 views, 0 installs and 2,677 GitHub stars. ShadowCrawl has 44/100 (Fair) with 1 views, 0 installs and 70 GitHub stars.