Brave Search MCP server: add Brave Search search to Claude, Cursor & Cline

Install — Claude Desktop, Cursor, Cline

Add this to your MCP config. GROUNDROUTE_DEFAULT_ENGINE pins Brave Search as the preferred engine; the router still switches to a cheaper engine when quality is equivalent.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "groundroute": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@groundroute/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "GROUNDROUTE_API_KEY": "your-key",
        "GROUNDROUTE_DEFAULT_ENGINE": "brave"
      }
    }
  }
}

Get your API key at groundroute.ai/signup. BYOK: bring your own Brave Search key and route on it for free.

Brave Search pricing & limits

Why route Brave Search through GroundRoute?

In practice: GroundRoute sends the queries Brave Search is best at to Brave Search, and routes simpler lookups to cheaper engines that clear the quality bar — so you get Brave Search quality where it matters without paying Brave Search prices on every call.

Related

FAQ

What is the Brave Search MCP server?

An MCP server lets AI clients like Claude Desktop and Cursor call Brave Search search as a tool. GroundRoute wraps Brave Search (and 5 other engines) behind one MCP endpoint — you can pin Brave Search as the default or let the router choose the cheapest engine per query.

How do I add Brave Search search to Claude Desktop?

Add the GroundRoute server block to claude_desktop_config.json (see above) and set GROUNDROUTE_DEFAULT_ENGINE to "brave". Restart Claude Desktop. The search tool appears automatically.

Is Brave Search MCP free?

BYOK is free — bring your own Brave Search key. The managed tier has a free credit on signup. With GroundRoute you keep ~half the cache savings, so you never pay more than hitting Brave Search direct.

Brave Search vs multi-engine routing — which is better?

Brave Search is an independent web index with privacy. For queries in those classes it's often the right call. For other query types (plain web/news lookups), cheaper engines match quality at a fraction of the cost. Multi-engine routing lets you get Brave Search where it matters without paying Brave Search prices on every call.