{"passport":{"unfragile":{"@version":"1.0","version":"2026-05","artifact":{"id":"hn-46165251","slug":"serpapi-mcp-server","name":"SerpApi MCP Server","type":"mcp","url":"https://github.com/serpapi/serpapi-mcp","page_url":"https://unfragile.ai/serpapi-mcp-server","categories":["mcp-servers"],"tags":["hackernews","show-hn"],"pricing":{"model":"open_source","free":true,"starting_price":null},"status":"active","verified":false},"capabilities":[{"id":"hn-46165251__cap_0","uri":"capability://search.retrieval.google.search.api.integration.via.mcp.protocol","name":"google search api integration via mcp protocol","description":"Exposes SerpApi's Google Search endpoint through the Model Context Protocol (MCP), allowing LLM agents to execute web searches by sending structured search queries and receiving parsed SERP results. Implements MCP's tool-calling interface to translate natural language search intents into SerpApi HTTP requests, handling parameter serialization, API authentication via API key, and response parsing into structured JSON containing organic results, knowledge panels, and metadata.","intents":["I want my Claude/LLM agent to search the web for current information without making direct API calls","I need to integrate web search capabilities into an MCP-compatible application","I want to retrieve structured search results (titles, snippets, URLs) from Google without writing API wrapper code"],"best_for":["AI agent developers building Claude-based applications with web search requirements","Teams deploying MCP servers for LLM integration","Developers prototyping multi-tool LLM agents that need real-time web data"],"limitations":["Depends on SerpApi service availability and rate limits (typically 100 requests/month free tier)","Search results are point-in-time snapshots; no real-time indexing or custom ranking","Geographic and language parameters limited to SerpApi's supported combinations","No built-in caching layer — repeated identical queries consume API quota"],"requires":["SerpApi API key (free or paid account)","MCP-compatible client (Claude Desktop, or custom MCP host)","Network connectivity to SerpApi endpoints"],"input_types":["text (search query string)","structured parameters (location, language, num_results, etc.)"],"output_types":["JSON (organic results array with title/link/snippet)","JSON (knowledge panels, answer boxes, related searches)"],"categories":["search-retrieval","tool-use-integration"],"confidence":0.5,"matches":0,"success_rate":0},{"id":"hn-46165251__cap_1","uri":"capability://data.processing.analysis.structured.serp.result.parsing.and.normalization","name":"structured serp result parsing and normalization","description":"Transforms raw SerpApi JSON responses into normalized, structured output suitable for LLM consumption. Extracts and flattens nested result objects (organic results, knowledge panels, answer boxes, related searches) into consistent field schemas with standardized field names, types, and null-handling. Implements response filtering to surface only relevant fields (title, link, snippet, position) while discarding SerpApi metadata, reducing token consumption in LLM context windows.","intents":["I want search results formatted consistently regardless of query type or SerpApi response structure","I need to minimize token usage by filtering out unnecessary metadata from search results","I want to extract specific fields (URLs, snippets, positions) without parsing nested JSON structures"],"best_for":["LLM agents with constrained context windows (token budgets)","Applications requiring consistent result schemas across multiple search types","Developers building search-augmented RAG pipelines"],"limitations":["Normalization may lose SerpApi-specific fields (e.g., rating, review count) not in standard schema","No custom field mapping — uses fixed schema defined by MCP server implementation","Filtering is one-way; cannot reconstruct original SerpApi response from normalized output"],"requires":["Valid SerpApi API response (JSON)","MCP server running with parsing logic"],"input_types":["JSON (raw SerpApi response)"],"output_types":["JSON (normalized result objects with title, link, snippet, position fields)"],"categories":["data-processing-analysis","search-retrieval"],"confidence":0.5,"matches":0,"success_rate":0},{"id":"hn-46165251__cap_2","uri":"capability://tool.use.integration.multi.parameter.search.query.construction.with.validation","name":"multi-parameter search query construction with validation","description":"Provides a schema-based interface for constructing SerpApi search queries with parameter validation and type coercion. Accepts parameters like query string, location, language, number of results, and search type (web/news/images) through MCP tool arguments, validates against SerpApi's supported parameter ranges and enums, and constructs properly-formatted HTTP query strings. Implements sensible defaults (e.g., num_results=10) and parameter constraints (e.g., max 100 results per request) to prevent invalid API calls.","intents":["I want to specify search location, language, and result count without manually constructing query strings","I need validation to prevent invalid parameter combinations before hitting the SerpApi API","I want to search for news, images, or other content types beyond organic web results"],"best_for":["LLM agents that need to construct complex, multi-parameter searches programmatically","Applications requiring location-aware or language-specific search results","Teams building search tools with user-facing parameter controls"],"limitations":["Parameter validation is limited to SerpApi's documented constraints; undocumented parameters are passed through without validation","No support for advanced SerpApi parameters (e.g., custom search engine, autocomplete) — only basic web/news/images search","Location and language parameters depend on SerpApi's supported combinations; unsupported pairs fail silently or return generic results"],"requires":["SerpApi API key","MCP client capable of passing structured tool arguments"],"input_types":["text (search query)","enum (search_type: web/news/images)","text (location, language)","integer (num_results)"],"output_types":["HTTP query string (passed to SerpApi)","JSON (validated parameter object)"],"categories":["tool-use-integration","data-processing-analysis"],"confidence":0.5,"matches":0,"success_rate":0},{"id":"hn-46165251__cap_3","uri":"capability://tool.use.integration.mcp.tool.registration.and.discovery","name":"mcp tool registration and discovery","description":"Registers SerpApi search capabilities as discoverable MCP tools with standardized tool schemas (name, description, input schema). Implements MCP's tool discovery protocol, allowing MCP clients (Claude Desktop, custom hosts) to enumerate available tools, inspect their parameters and descriptions, and invoke them with type-safe argument passing. Uses JSON Schema to define tool input parameters (query, location, language, num_results) with descriptions, types, and constraints, enabling clients to provide autocomplete and validation UI.","intents":["I want Claude or my MCP client to automatically discover and list available search tools","I need type-safe tool invocation with parameter validation at the client level","I want my LLM to understand what search parameters are available without reading documentation"],"best_for":["Claude Desktop users wanting plug-and-play web search without configuration","MCP server developers building multi-tool systems","Teams deploying standardized tool ecosystems across multiple LLM applications"],"limitations":["Tool discovery is static — cannot dynamically register new tools at runtime","JSON Schema validation is client-dependent; not all MCP clients enforce schema constraints","Tool descriptions are fixed strings; no dynamic help or context-aware documentation"],"requires":["MCP-compatible client (Claude Desktop 0.5+, or custom MCP host)","SerpApi MCP server running and accessible"],"input_types":["none (tool discovery is query-based)"],"output_types":["JSON (tool list with name, description, input schema)"],"categories":["tool-use-integration"],"confidence":0.5,"matches":0,"success_rate":0},{"id":"hn-46165251__cap_4","uri":"capability://safety.moderation.api.key.management.and.authentication","name":"api key management and authentication","description":"Manages SerpApi authentication by accepting and securely storing API keys, injecting them into outbound SerpApi requests as query parameters or headers. Implements environment variable loading (e.g., SERPAPI_API_KEY) to avoid hardcoding credentials in code or configuration files. Validates API key format before making requests and provides clear error messages when authentication fails (invalid key, quota exceeded, rate limited).","intents":["I want to authenticate with SerpApi without embedding API keys in my code","I need clear error messages when my API key is invalid or quota is exceeded","I want to rotate API keys without restarting the MCP server"],"best_for":["Production deployments requiring secure credential management","Teams using environment-based configuration (Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD)","Developers building multi-tenant MCP servers with per-user API keys"],"limitations":["API key is passed in plaintext in HTTP query parameters (SerpApi design); no end-to-end encryption","No built-in key rotation or expiration management — relies on external credential management systems","Environment variable loading is process-wide; no per-request key override"],"requires":["SerpApi API key (from https://serpapi.com)","Environment variable SERPAPI_API_KEY set, or API key passed at MCP server startup"],"input_types":["text (API key string)"],"output_types":["HTTP Authorization header or query parameter"],"categories":["safety-moderation","tool-use-integration"],"confidence":0.5,"matches":0,"success_rate":0},{"id":"hn-46165251__cap_5","uri":"capability://automation.workflow.error.handling.and.api.failure.recovery","name":"error handling and api failure recovery","description":"Implements error handling for SerpApi HTTP failures (4xx/5xx responses, network timeouts, rate limiting) by catching exceptions, parsing error responses, and returning human-readable error messages to the LLM. Distinguishes between client errors (invalid parameters, authentication failure) and server errors (SerpApi outage, rate limit exceeded), providing context-specific guidance. Implements exponential backoff retry logic for transient failures (5xx, timeouts) with configurable retry counts and delays.","intents":["I want clear error messages when a search fails so my agent can decide whether to retry or fall back","I need automatic retry logic for transient SerpApi failures without manual intervention","I want to distinguish between 'invalid query' and 'API quota exceeded' errors"],"best_for":["Production agents requiring resilience to API failures","Applications with fallback search strategies (e.g., try SerpApi, then local search)","Teams monitoring API health and quota usage"],"limitations":["Retry logic is synchronous; blocks the MCP request until retries are exhausted","No circuit breaker pattern — will continue retrying even during extended SerpApi outages","Rate limit detection is heuristic-based (HTTP 429 status); SerpApi may use other signals (response headers) not captured"],"requires":["Network connectivity to SerpApi","Timeout configuration (default 30s)"],"input_types":["HTTP response (status code, body)"],"output_types":["JSON error object with code, message, and retry guidance"],"categories":["automation-workflow","safety-moderation"],"confidence":0.5,"matches":0,"success_rate":0},{"id":"hn-46165251__cap_6","uri":"capability://automation.workflow.request.logging.and.observability","name":"request logging and observability","description":"Logs all SerpApi requests and responses (query, parameters, result count, latency, status code) to enable debugging and monitoring. Implements structured logging (JSON format) with timestamps, request IDs, and error details, allowing integration with observability platforms (CloudWatch, Datadog, ELK). Provides metrics on API usage (requests per minute, average latency, error rates) for quota tracking and performance optimization.","intents":["I want to debug why a search returned unexpected results by reviewing the exact query and parameters sent","I need to monitor API quota usage and latency to optimize costs","I want to track which searches are being performed for analytics or compliance"],"best_for":["Production deployments requiring audit trails and compliance logging","Teams optimizing API costs and monitoring quota usage","Developers debugging agent behavior and search result quality"],"limitations":["Logging is server-side only; clients cannot access request logs directly","No built-in log retention or archival — logs are ephemeral unless persisted externally","Structured logging format is fixed; no custom field mapping"],"requires":["Logging infrastructure (stdout, file, or external service)","Log parsing/aggregation tools for analysis"],"input_types":["HTTP request/response objects"],"output_types":["JSON log entries with timestamp, request_id, query, status, latency"],"categories":["automation-workflow","safety-moderation"],"confidence":0.5,"matches":0,"success_rate":0}],"trust":{"score":36,"verified":false,"data_access_risk":"high","permissions":["SerpApi API key (free or paid account)","MCP-compatible client (Claude Desktop, or custom MCP host)","Network connectivity to SerpApi endpoints","Valid SerpApi API response (JSON)","MCP server running with parsing logic","SerpApi API key","MCP client capable of passing structured tool arguments","MCP-compatible client (Claude Desktop 0.5+, or custom MCP host)","SerpApi MCP server running and accessible","SerpApi API key (from https://serpapi.com)"],"failure_modes":["Depends on SerpApi service availability and rate limits (typically 100 requests/month free tier)","Search results are point-in-time snapshots; no real-time indexing or custom ranking","Geographic and language parameters limited to SerpApi's supported combinations","No built-in caching layer — repeated identical queries consume API quota","Normalization may lose SerpApi-specific fields (e.g., rating, review count) not in standard schema","No custom field mapping — uses fixed schema defined by MCP server implementation","Filtering is one-way; cannot reconstruct original SerpApi response from normalized output","Parameter validation is limited to SerpApi's documented constraints; undocumented parameters are passed through without validation","No support for advanced SerpApi parameters (e.g., custom search engine, autocomplete) — only basic web/news/images search","Location and language parameters depend on SerpApi's supported combinations; unsupported pairs fail silently or return generic results","builder identity is not verified yet","no observed match outcomes yet"],"rank_breakdown":{"adoption":0.46,"quality":0.24,"ecosystem":0.46,"match_graph":0.25,"freshness":0.52,"weights":{"adoption":0.25,"quality":0.25,"ecosystem":0.15,"match_graph":0.23,"freshness":0.12}},"observed_outcomes":{"matches":0,"success_rate":0,"avg_confidence":0,"top_intents":[],"last_matched_at":null},"maintenance":{"status":"active","updated_at":"2026-06-17T09:51:04.691Z","last_scraped_at":"2026-05-04T08:10:01.171Z","last_commit":null},"community":{"stars":null,"forks":null,"weekly_downloads":null,"model_downloads":null,"model_likes":null}},"distribution":{"claim_url":"https://unfragile.ai/submit?claim=serpapi-mcp-server","compare_url":"https://unfragile.ai/compare?artifact=serpapi-mcp-server"}},"signature":"tBwdSXeToW5Enp4OHn9uC4VL2LBkGRR//AmexsgY6mSpiGtXc9pA6RGe9zKBOQAVgrMuA3usSflYnI4TsmfQBQ==","signedAt":"2026-06-22T07:49:07.787Z","signedBy":"unfragile.ai","version":1},"_links":{"self":"https://unfragile.ai/api/v1/passport/serpapi-mcp-server","artifact":"https://unfragile.ai/serpapi-mcp-server","verify":"https://unfragile.ai/api/v1/verify?slug=serpapi-mcp-server","publicKey":"https://unfragile.ai/api/v1/trust-passport-public-key","spec":"https://unfragile.ai/trust","schema":"https://unfragile.ai/schema.json","docs":"https://unfragile.ai/docs"}}