# Google Custom Search MCP (npm · mcp-google-custom-search)

MCP server for Google Custom Search: web and image search via a Programmable Search Engine.

- Trust score: 78/100 (medium)
- Change this week: +4
- Registry status: active
- Liveness: live
- Owner verified: no
- Last scored: 2026-09-21

## Components

- npm · `mcp-google-custom-search`: 78/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/a1-x-tech-mcp-google-custom-search/mcp-google-custom-search.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/a1-x-tech-mcp-google-custom-search/mcp-google-custom-search)

## Channel facts

- Registry: `npm`
- Package: `mcp-google-custom-search`
- Version: `0.1.0`
- Transport: `stdio`

## Trust breakdown

How this component scores in each security and reliability category. Every signal is checked automatically from public evidence about the published package, including repeated runs of it in an isolated sandbox, and we only credit what we can confirm. Scores are 0–100 per category. Scoring method: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring (what has changed: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring/changelog)

Scored 2026-09-21.

- **Supply Chain Security**: 98/100
  - No malware found by supply-chain analysis.
  - No known CVEs affecting this package version or its production dependencies.
  - No install/post-install scripts declared.
  - 31 of 96 dependencies flagged as unhealthy.
- **Provenance & Transparency**: 45/100
  - Source repository is publicly reachable at the declared URL.
  - Provenance check failed: no build-provenance attestation is published.
  - Clear OSI-approved license (MIT).
  - Actively maintained (last published 21 days ago).
  - Disclosure check failed: no security disclosure policy was found in the source repository.
- **Schema Quality & AI Usability**: 61/100
  - AI-judged instruction clarity (excellent).
  - Context-footprint check failed: tool/resource definitions use about 2149 tokens (~716/item across 3 items; 3 tools + 0 resources), over budget; trim descriptions and params.
  - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples.
- **Stability & Change Management**: 73/100
  - Stability observed for 22 of 30 days with no destabilising changes; credit accrues until the full window elapses.
- **Tool Coverage**: 100/100
  - 100% of tools have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the tool's name).
  - 100% of tool parameters carry a description.
- **Tool Safety**: 100/100
  - No prompt-injection markers were found in the server instructions, tool names or descriptions we captured.
  - We read all 3 captured tool definition(s), and no name or description among them implies an irreversible operation.
  - An AI judge read all 4 captured unit(s) of tool text and found none that tries to manipulate the model reading it.
- **Capabilities**: 100/100
  - Implements a supported MCP spec version (2025-11-25); the latest is 2026-07-28.

## Install

### How do I install the Google Custom Search MCP server?

Google Custom Search MCP runs locally as an npm package, launched with npx -y mcp-google-custom-search. Ready-made configuration for Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Codex and 5 more is on this page, copied from each client's own documentation.

### Claude

```bash
claude mcp add a1-x-tech-mcp-google-custom-search -- npx -y mcp-google-custom-search
```

### Cursor

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "a1-x-tech-mcp-google-custom-search": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-google-custom-search"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "a1-x-tech-mcp-google-custom-search": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-google-custom-search"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### Codex

```bash
codex mcp add a1-x-tech-mcp-google-custom-search -- npx -y mcp-google-custom-search
```

### opencode

```json
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "a1-x-tech-mcp-google-custom-search": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": [
        "npx",
        "-y",
        "mcp-google-custom-search"
      ],
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}
```

### OpenClaw

```bash
openclaw mcp add a1-x-tech-mcp-google-custom-search --command npx --arg -y --arg mcp-google-custom-search
```

### Hermes

```yaml
mcp_servers:
  a1-x-tech-mcp-google-custom-search:
    command: "npx"
    args: ["-y", "mcp-google-custom-search"]
```

### Netclaw

```json
{
  "McpServers": {
    "a1-x-tech-mcp-google-custom-search": {
      "Transport": "stdio",
      "Command": "npx",
      "Arguments": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-google-custom-search"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### Vellum

```bash
assistant mcp add a1-x-tech-mcp-google-custom-search -t stdio -c npx -a -y mcp-google-custom-search
```

### Other

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "a1-x-tech-mcp-google-custom-search": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-google-custom-search"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

## Changelog

Every change recorded for this component, newest first. Days that predate change tracking, or that we cannot explain, say so: "we were watching and nothing happened" and "we were not watching" are different claims.

### 2026-09-21 (score 78, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 70 to 73. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 21 days of observed history at the previous scan, 22 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-09-19 (score 77, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 63 to 67. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 19 days of observed history at the previous scan, 20 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-09-17 (score 76, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 57 to 60. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 17 days of observed history at the previous scan, 18 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-09-15 (score 75, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 50 to 53. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 15 days of observed history at the previous scan, 16 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-09-13 (score 74, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 43 to 47. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 13 days of observed history at the previous scan, 14 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-09-10 (score 73, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 33 to 37. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 10 days of observed history at the previous scan, 11 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-09-08 (score 72, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 27 to 30. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 8 days of observed history at the previous scan, 9 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-09-07 (score 71, +4)

- [functional improvement] Stability: unverified → 0.27

## MCP tools (3)

### `search` (~777 tokens)

Web search

Web search through your Google Programmable Search Engine (Custom Search JSON API). Returns query, total_results (Google's estimate — it can shrink while paging), search_time_seconds, corrected_query (spelling suggestion; results are still for the original query), next_start/previous_start page cursors, and items[] with title, url, display_link, snippet, mime/file_format and (with include_pagemap) pagemap metadata. Coverage is the engine's configuration: an engine listing specific sites searches only those; open-web search needs "Search the entire web" enabled in its control panel — results still differ from google.com. Max 10 results per call and 100 per query: paginate by passing next_start as start. Each call costs one unit of the daily quota (free tier 100/day), so prefer one precise query over many broad ones. Note: this is Programmable Search, NOT Google Search Console — it cannot report how your own site is indexed or ranked.

Input parameters:

- `country` (string): Geolocation bias — rank results as if searching from this country, e.g. "de". Soft signal.
- `country_restrict` (string): Hard filter — only documents Google attributes to this country, e.g. "DE".
- `date_restrict` (string): Only results from the last N days/weeks/months/years: "d7", "w2", "m6", "y1", ...
- `engine_id` (string): Programmable Search Engine id (cx) to search with, overriding the configured GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_ENGINE_ID. Omit to use the configured engine.
- `exact_terms` (string): A phrase every result must contain.
- `exclude_terms` (string): A word or phrase no result may contain.
- `file_type` (string): Only files of this type, e.g. "pdf", "xlsx", "svg".
- `filter_duplicates` (boolean): Google's duplicate-content filter (default on). false returns near-duplicate results too.
- `include_pagemap` (boolean): Attach each result's raw pagemap (OpenGraph/metatags/thumbnails and other structured page data). Verbose — leave off unless you need page metadata.
- `interface_language` (string): Interface language used to interpret the query, e.g. "de". Improves non-English relevance.
- `language` (string): Only results in this language, e.g. "en", "de", "zh-CN".
- `num` (integer): Results per page, 1..10 (API maximum 10; default 10).
- `or_terms` (string): Space-separated words — each result must contain at least one of them.
- `query` (string, required): The search query, Google syntax included (quotes, site:, filetype:, OR, -exclusions).
- `rights` (string): License filter: cc_publicdomain, cc_attribute, cc_sharealike, cc_noncommercial, cc_nonderived (combine with |).
- `safe` (string): Safe search: active filters adult content, off (the API default) does not.
- `site_search` (string): A site or domain to include or exclude, e.g. "example.com" — pair with site_search_filter.
- `site_search_filter` (string): include = only results from site_search, exclude = everything but it. Default include.
- `sort` (string): Sort expression, e.g. "date" for newest-first. Omit for relevance (usually better).
- `start` (integer): 1-based index of the first result — use next_start/previous_start from the previous page. The API serves at most 100 results per query, so start + num - 1 must stay <= 100 (enforced: a wider window i…

### `search_images` (~815 tokens)

Image search

Image search through your Google Programmable Search Engine (searchType=image). Works only when the engine has "Image search" enabled in its control panel — otherwise the API answers 400. Each item's url is the image file itself; image.context_url is the page hosting it, with width/height/byte_size and a thumbnail_url (plus its dimensions) for previews. Everything else matches the search tool: same filters (language/country, safe search, site include/exclude, date_restrict, file_type, rights — use rights for reusable images), same pagination (max 10 per call, 100 per query, paginate via next_start), same quota (one unit per call). Image-only filters: size (icon..huge), type (clipart/face/lineart/stock/photo/animated), color_type (mono/gray/color/trans) and dominant_color.

Input parameters:

- `color_type` (string): mono = black & white, trans = transparent background.
- `country` (string): Geolocation bias — rank results as if searching from this country, e.g. "de". Soft signal.
- `country_restrict` (string): Hard filter — only documents Google attributes to this country, e.g. "DE".
- `date_restrict` (string): Only results from the last N days/weeks/months/years: "d7", "w2", "m6", "y1", ...
- `dominant_color` (string): Prefer images dominated by this color.
- `engine_id` (string): Programmable Search Engine id (cx) to search with, overriding the configured GOOGLE_CUSTOM_SEARCH_ENGINE_ID. Omit to use the configured engine.
- `exact_terms` (string): A phrase every result must contain.
- `exclude_terms` (string): A word or phrase no result may contain.
- `file_type` (string): Only files of this type, e.g. "pdf", "xlsx", "svg".
- `filter_duplicates` (boolean): Google's duplicate-content filter (default on). false returns near-duplicate results too.
- `include_pagemap` (boolean): Attach each result's raw pagemap (OpenGraph/metatags/thumbnails and other structured page data). Verbose — leave off unless you need page metadata.
- `interface_language` (string): Interface language used to interpret the query, e.g. "de". Improves non-English relevance.
- `language` (string): Only results in this language, e.g. "en", "de", "zh-CN".
- `num` (integer): Results per page, 1..10 (API maximum 10; default 10).
- `or_terms` (string): Space-separated words — each result must contain at least one of them.
- `query` (string, required): The search query, Google syntax included (quotes, site:, filetype:, OR, -exclusions).
- `rights` (string): License filter: cc_publicdomain, cc_attribute, cc_sharealike, cc_noncommercial, cc_nonderived (combine with |).
- `safe` (string): Safe search: active filters adult content, off (the API default) does not.
- `site_search` (string): A site or domain to include or exclude, e.g. "example.com" — pair with site_search_filter.
- `site_search_filter` (string): include = only results from site_search, exclude = everything but it. Default include.
- `size` (string): Image size class, from icon to huge.
- `sort` (string): Sort expression, e.g. "date" for newest-first. Omit for relevance (usually better).
- `start` (integer): 1-based index of the first result — use next_start/previous_start from the previous page. The API serves at most 100 results per query, so start + num - 1 must stay <= 100 (enforced: a wider window i…
- `type` (string): Kind of image.

### `raw_request` (~192 tokens)

Raw Custom Search API call

Escape hatch: performs a GET against any Custom Search JSON API path and returns the raw, unnormalized response envelope (queries.request/nextPage, searchInformation, promotions, context, items[] with htmlSnippet/htmlTitle/formattedUrl and the full pagemap). Use it for parameters the typed tools don't expose (lowRange/highRange, c2coff, hq, fields) — e.g. path "customsearch/v1?q=test&num=3&fields=items(title,link)". The API key is added automatically (in a header, never the URL) and the configured engine id is filled in when the path has no cx parameter. The API has GET endpoints only, so nothing here can modify data.

Input parameters:

- `path` (string, required): API path with query string, relative to https://customsearch.googleapis.com — e.g. "customsearch/v1?q=hello&num=3".

## Diagnostics

Captured diagnostic sections: Provenance, Dependencies. The full working is on the page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/a1-x-tech-mcp-google-custom-search/mcp-google-custom-search#diagnostics

## Score history

- 2026-09-21: 78
- 2026-09-20: 77
- 2026-09-19: 77
- 2026-09-18: 76
- 2026-09-17: 76
- 2026-09-16: 75
- 2026-09-15: 75
- 2026-09-14: 74
- 2026-09-13: 74
- 2026-09-12: 73
- 2026-09-11: 73
- 2026-09-10: 73
- 2026-09-09: 72
- 2026-09-08: 72
- 2026-09-07: 71
- 2026-09-06: 67
- 2026-09-05: 67
- 2026-09-04: 67
- 2026-09-03: 67
- 2026-09-02: 67
- 2026-09-01: 67
- 2026-08-31: 67
- 2026-08-30: 52

## Common questions

### What is the Google Custom Search MCP server?

Google Custom Search MCP is listed in the public MCP registry as io.github.A1-x-Tech/mcp-google-custom-search. MCP server for Google Custom Search: web and image search via a Programmable Search Engine. This page covers its npm package (mcp-google-custom-search).

### Is the Google Custom Search MCP server safe to use?

Google Custom Search MCP scores 78 out of 100 on VerifyMCP. We found no known CVEs affecting it as of 21 September 2026. It declares no install or post-install scripts. That is a record of what we were able to check automatically, not an endorsement. The category breakdown on this page shows every signal behind the number, including the ones we could not confirm.

### What tools does the Google Custom Search MCP server expose?

Google Custom Search MCP exposes 3 tools: search, search_images, raw_request. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 1,784 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.

### Is the Google Custom Search MCP server still maintained?

Google Custom Search MCP is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 21 September 2026. Those dates come from our own scans of the registry and the channel itself, not from anything the publisher announced.

### What licence is the Google Custom Search MCP server under?

Google Custom Search MCP declares the MIT licence, which is OSI-approved. That covers the source only, and says nothing about the cost of any service it calls.

## Links

- npm package: https://www.npmjs.com/package/mcp-google-custom-search
- Socket report: https://socket.dev/npm/package/mcp-google-custom-search
- Repository: https://github.com/A1-x-Tech/mcp-google-custom-search
- Changelog RSS feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/a1-x-tech-mcp-google-custom-search/mcp-google-custom-search.xml
- Changelog JSON feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/a1-x-tech-mcp-google-custom-search/mcp-google-custom-search.json
- HTML version of this page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/a1-x-tech-mcp-google-custom-search/mcp-google-custom-search