Duckduckgo MCP Server

What zhsama/duckduckgo-mcp-server MCP server does

The zhsama/duckduckgo-mcp-server MCP server adds DuckDuckGo search to an MCP-compatible client. It exposes one search capability named duckduckgo_search, intended for agents that need to submit a web query and receive readable search results.

The tool requires a query string with a maximum length of 400 characters. Callers can also set count to request between 1 and 20 results; if omitted, the server uses 10. The safeSearch option accepts strict, moderate, or off, with moderate as the default. Results are returned as formatted Markdown.

This fits research, fact-finding, and discovery tasks where an agent needs to search the public web through DuckDuckGo. It does not describe tools for crawling pages, extracting structured content from a result, or managing search history.

How it works

The project is implemented in TypeScript and communicates with MCP clients over standard input and output. A client starts the server as a local process, sends tool calls through MCP, and receives the formatted search response. The README documents both an npm-based launch and a local launch using the built JavaScript entry point.

The service applies request limits of no more than one request per second and no more than 15,000 requests per month. These limits matter for agents that may issue repeated searches or run searches across many tasks. Applications should account for throttling and error handling rather than assuming unrestricted request volume.

Setup and configuration

The zhsama/duckduckgo-mcp-server MCP server requires Node.js 18 or newer and pnpm 8 or newer for project development. A local checkout can be prepared with pnpm install, built with pnpm run build, and started from the generated JavaScript entry point. pnpm run watch is available for development with automatic rebuilding.

For Claude Desktop, the README provides an online configuration that runs npx -y duckduckgo-mcp-server. It also shows a local configuration that invokes Node against the built build/index.js file. The Claude Desktop configuration file is stored under the standard application-support path on macOS or the application-data path on Windows.

No environment variables or credential settings are documented in the supplied material. The setup examples do not include an API key.

Tools and capabilities

• duckduckgo_search: searches DuckDuckGo using a required query.
• count: optionally controls the number of returned results from 1 through 20.
• safeSearch: optionally selects strict, moderate, or off filtering.
• Markdown output: formats the search response for client or agent consumption.
• Rate handling: documents per-second and monthly request ceilings.

Limitations and notes

The zhsama/duckduckgo-mcp-server MCP server exposes only the documented search tool. The supplied README does not claim support for page fetching, browser automation, site-specific crawling, result ranking controls, or additional search providers.

Queries are limited to 400 characters, and result requests are limited to 20 items. The documented maximum of one request per second and 15,000 requests per month may constrain batch workflows. For troubleshooting, the project recommends its pnpm run inspector script, which launches the MCP Inspector and provides a browser-accessible debugging URL.