Bright Data MCP

Overview

The Web MCP by Bright Data is the official Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides an all-in-one solution for public web access. It enables LLMs, AI agents, and apps to search the web in real-time, extract data from any website, navigate and interact with pages – without getting blocked, rate-limited, or served CAPTCHAs.

Powered by Bright Data’s global proxy network and scraping infrastructure.

Features

• Real-time web search with AI-optimized results and geo-targeting.
• Clean scraping to Markdown (including JavaScript-rendered pages).
• Browser automation and navigation (Pro mode).
• 60+ specialized tools for structured data extraction (e-commerce, social media, finance, code packages, etc.).
• AI-ranked discover search.
• Automatic anti-bot protection and proxy rotation.
• Tool groups and custom tool selection.

Modes

• Rapid Mode (default, free tier): Web search, scrape_as_markdown, discover tool. 5,000 requests/month.
• Pro Mode: All 60+ tools including browser control and web_data_* APIs (pay-as-you-go).
• Custom Mode: Whitelist specific tool groups or individual tools via environment variables.

Use Cases

• Real-time research and fact-checking agents.
• Competitor monitoring, price tracking, and lead generation.
• Autonomous browsing and form interaction.
• Structured data extraction from e-commerce, social, finance, and app stores.
• Up-to-date code/package intelligence (npm, PyPI).

MCP Setup

Prerequisites: Bright Data account required. Valid API token (Admin permissions recommended for automatic zone creation). Node.js for local/self-hosted runs.

Access Requirements: API token required (token-based authentication via environment variable or URL query parameter). No browser OAuth or sign-in.

Transport: HTTP (hosted endpoint) or stdio (via npx for CLI clients).

Docs URL: https://brightdata.com/ai/mcp-server, https://github.com/brightdata/brightdata-mcp, https://brightdata.com/blog/ai/claude-code-web-mcp

Hosted Option (no install): https://mcp.brightdata.com/mcp?token=YOUR_API_TOKEN_HERE

Local Run: npx @brightdata/mcp (set API_TOKEN env var)

Claude Code (exact command from official blog):

claude mcp add brightData \
  --env API_TOKEN=<YOUR_BRIGHT_DATA_API_KEY> \
  --env PRO_MODE=true \
  -- npx -y @brightdata/mcp

(Windows PowerShell version uses -- -- npx -y @brightdata/mcp)

Claude Desktop (exact config block from GitHub README):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "Bright Data": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@brightdata/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "API_TOKEN": "<your-api-token-here>",
        "PRO_MODE": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor / Windsurf / Other coding agents: Use the same npx configuration pattern or hosted HTTP URL as shown in GitHub README examples for coding agents. No unique per-client commands documented beyond the general MCP config.

Verification: In supported clients, run /mcp to confirm connection to the brightData server.

Notes: Free tier (Rapid mode) includes only base tools. Pro mode incurs usage-based charges. Environment variables control mode and limits. Source: Official GitHub README (https://github.com/brightdata/brightdata-mcp) and Claude Code integration guide (https://brightdata.com/blog/ai/claude-code-web-mcp).