What scrapi MCP server does
The scrapi MCP server gives an MCP client a way to fetch readable content from a web URL. It sends the requested page to Scrapi and returns content prepared for language-model processing rather than raw page HTML. Markdown output can preserve headings, lists, and links, while text output provides a plain-text version.
The service also identifies page metadata such as title, author, publication date, and images when available. Its documented processing removes advertisements, navigation, and scripts. JavaScript rendering is supported for single-page applications, and the service includes automatic retries for HTTP 429 responses using the server-provided Retry-After value.
How it works
The exposed MCP operation is scrape_url. It requires a url string and accepts an optional format value. The format defaults to markdown; text selects plain-text extraction. A typical request supplies a public article or page URL and asks the agent to use the returned content for tasks such as summarization or analysis.
The server can run over stdio or Streamable HTTP. Stdio starts the package through npx or a locally built Node.js entry point. HTTP clients can use the hosted endpoint at https://scrapi.ai/mcp, or an operator can run a local HTTP instance. The hosted and self-hosted modes use an MCP endpoint rather than exposing a separate scraping API to the client.
Setup and configuration
Running the scrapi MCP server requires a Scrapi MCP account and API key. The documented setup creates an account through Scrapi’s website and provides an MCP dashboard with an API key. Node.js 20 or newer is needed for the stdio installation path; the hosted Streamable HTTP endpoint does not require Node.js on the client side.
The standard configuration runs npx -y @scrapi.ai/mcp-server and passes SCRAPI_API_KEY in the environment. The key can also be supplied with the package’s --api-key argument. Source installation involves cloning the repository, running npm install, and building with npm run build, after which the generated Node.js entry point can be configured.
For self-hosted HTTP, the package provides an HTTP command and starts on port 3000 by default, with the MCP route at /mcp. PORT and HOST can change the listener settings. A /health endpoint is available for checking the local service.
Tools and capabilities
The scrapi MCP server documents one tool:
scrape_url: Fetches a webpage and returns cleaned content.
url: Required string containing the page to retrieve.
format: Optional value of markdown or text; Markdown is the default.
The returned page may include metadata and content formatted for LLM input. JavaScript rendering, clutter removal, retry handling, and anti-bot processing are part of the Scrapi service described by the project. Account usage includes credit tracking and usage analytics through MCP keys, according to the README.
Limitations and notes
Scraping requires a valid Scrapi MCP account and API key, and usage is tied to the account’s credit allowance. The README describes a Free plan with 500 credits per month, but does not specify how many credits individual requests consume or guarantee that every URL can be retrieved.
The stdio path depends on Node.js, while HTTP avoids that client-side requirement. Claude Desktop needs the mcp-remote proxy when connecting to the hosted HTTP endpoint. Client configuration and restart steps vary by application, so the relevant MCP configuration must be added to the selected client before the tool becomes available.