name: brave-search
description: Perform an internet search using the official Brave Search MCP server. Use when the user asks to search with Brave, needs image/video/news/local search, or wants Brave's privacy-focused index.
argument-hint:
Brave Search Command
Perform an internet search using the official Brave Search MCP server.
Tool Binding
IMPORTANT: You MUST use the mcp__brave-search__brave_web_search tool for this command. Do NOT use the built-in WebSearch tool.
Prerequisites
- Brave Search MCP server configured in
.mcp.jsonusing@brave/brave-search-mcp-server BRAVE_API_KEYenvironment variable set (get one at https://brave.com/search/api/)
Arguments
query: The search terms (everything after/brave-search)
Behavior
When invoked:
- Execute exactly one
mcp__brave-search__brave_web_searchcall with the provided query — never fire multiple searches per invocation - Analyze the top results
- Provide a concise summary
- List sources with URLs
Examples
/brave-search latest Next.js features
/brave-search how to configure ESLint for TypeScript
/brave-search React Server Components best practices
Response Format
## Brave Search: [query]
### Results
[Summarized findings from search results]
### Sources
- [Title](URL)
- [Title](URL)
- [Title](URL)
When to Use
- When you specifically want Brave Search results
- For searches that may benefit from Brave's privacy-focused index
- When you need local search via
mcp__brave-search__brave_local_search
Error Handling
If the search fails:
- Verify
BRAVE_API_KEYis set correctly - Check that the MCP server is running (
/mcpto verify status) - Suggest using
/web-searchas a fallback
See Also
/web-search- Uses Claude's built-in WebSearch (no MCP required)internet-researcheragent - For deep, multi-query research using Brave Search