DuckDuckGo

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides web search capabilities through DuckDuckGo, with additional features for content fetching and parsing.

Features

• Web Search: Search DuckDuckGo with advanced rate limiting and result formatting
• Content Fetching: Retrieve and parse webpage content with intelligent text extraction
• Rate Limiting: Built-in protection against rate limits for both search and content fetching
• Error Handling: Comprehensive error handling and logging
• LLM-Friendly Output: Results formatted specifically for large language model consumption

Available Tools

Search Tool

Performs a web search on DuckDuckGo and returns formatted results.

Parameters:

• query: Search query string
• max_results: Maximum number of results to return (default: 10)
• region: (Optional) Region/language code to override the default. Leave empty to use the configured default region.

Region Code Examples:

• us-en: United States (English)
• cn-zh: China (Chinese)
• jp-ja: Japan (Japanese)
• de-de: Germany (German)
• fr-fr: France (French)
• wt-wt: No specific region

Example Usage:

• Search with default settings: search("python tutorial")
• Search with specific region: search("latest news", region="jp-ja") for Japanese news

Content Fetching Tool

Fetches and parses content from a webpage.

Parameters:

• url: The webpage URL to fetch content from
• start_index: Character offset to start reading from (for pagination)
• max_length: Maximum number of characters to return
• backend: Optional per-call override of the default fetch backend (httpx, curl, or auto). When omitted, uses whatever was set via --fetch-backend at server startup.

Fetch Backend (bypassing bot detection)

Some sites block the default httpx client because of its distinctive TLS fingerprint. An opt-in backend, curl (via curl_cffi), impersonates a real Chrome browser's TLS handshake and passes through those checks.

Backend options:

• httpx: Lightweight async HTTP (default)
• curl: Uses curl_cffi with Chrome 131 TLS impersonation (requires [browser] extra)
• auto: Tries httpx first; on 403 or Cloudflare challenge, retries with curl (requires [browser] extra)

Features in Detail

Rate Limiting

• Search: Limited to 30 requests per minute
• Content Fetching: Limited to 20 requests per minute
• Automatic queue management and wait times

Result Processing

• Removes ads and irrelevant content
• Cleans up DuckDuckGo redirect URLs
• Formats results for optimal LLM consumption
• Truncates long content appropriately

Content Safety

• SafeSearch Filtering: Configured at server startup via DDG_SAFE_SEARCH environment variable

  • Controlled by administrators, not modifiable by AI assistants
  • Filters inappropriate content based on the selected level
  • Uses DuckDuckGo's official kp parameter

• Region Localization:

  • Default region set via DDG_REGION environment variable
  • Can be overridden per search request by AI assistants
  • Improves result relevance for specific geographic regions