# Web Search API Eval (npm · websearch-api-eval-mcp)

Web search API benchmark for AI agents: You.com, Tavily, Exa, Parallel. Results and charts.

- Trust score: 63/100 (medium)
- Change this week: 0
- Registry status: active
- Liveness: live
- Owner verified: no
- Last scored: 2026-11-05

## Components

- remote · `websearch-api-eval.psberkeleymba.workers.dev`: 71/100, [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/psinglap-websearch-api-eval/websearch-api-eval.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/psinglap-websearch-api-eval/websearch-api-eval)
- npm · `websearch-api-eval-mcp`: 63/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/psinglap-websearch-api-eval/websearch-api-eval-mcp.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/psinglap-websearch-api-eval/websearch-api-eval-mcp)

## Channel facts

- Registry: `npm`
- Package: `websearch-api-eval-mcp`
- Version: `1.1.0`
- 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 2026-11-05.

- **Supply Chain Security**: 81/100
  - No malware found by supply-chain analysis.
  - CVE check failed: a known high-severity CVE affects zod 4.6.5, a direct dependency. A fixed version is available.
  - No install/post-install scripts declared.
  - 30 of 94 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 9 days ago).
  - Disclosure check failed: no security disclosure policy was found in the source repository.
- **Schema Quality & AI Usability**: 73/100
  - AI-judged instruction clarity (good).
  - Tool/resource definitions use about 1073 tokens (~89/item across 12 items; 12 tools + 0 resources), lean.
  - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples.
- **Stability & Change Management**: 0/100
  - Stability not yet verified: not enough scan history yet (needs a 30-day window).
- **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**: 75/100
  - No prompt-injection markers were found in the server instructions, tool names or descriptions we captured.
  - 0 of 1 tool(s) whose name or description implies an irreversible operation declare an MCP destructiveHint annotation; "run_live_search" implies "send" and declares readOnlyHint instead, contradicting what its own name says it does.
  - An AI judge read all 13 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.

**Unverified: 1 category.** A category scored 0 because we could not verify it: a data source with nothing on this package, evidence we could not reach, or a check we could not run. We only credit what we can confirm.

## Install

### How do I install the Web Search API Eval MCP server?

Web Search API Eval runs locally as an npm package, launched with npx -y websearch-api-eval-mcp. 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 psinglap-websearch-api-eval -- npx -y websearch-api-eval-mcp
```

### Cursor

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "psinglap-websearch-api-eval": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "websearch-api-eval-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "psinglap-websearch-api-eval": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "websearch-api-eval-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### Codex

```bash
codex mcp add psinglap-websearch-api-eval -- npx -y websearch-api-eval-mcp
```

### opencode

```json
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "psinglap-websearch-api-eval": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": [
        "npx",
        "-y",
        "websearch-api-eval-mcp"
      ],
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}
```

### OpenClaw

```bash
openclaw mcp add psinglap-websearch-api-eval --command npx --arg -y --arg websearch-api-eval-mcp
```

### Hermes

```yaml
mcp_servers:
  psinglap-websearch-api-eval:
    command: "npx"
    args: ["-y", "websearch-api-eval-mcp"]
```

### Netclaw

```json
{
  "McpServers": {
    "psinglap-websearch-api-eval": {
      "Transport": "stdio",
      "Command": "npx",
      "Arguments": [
        "-y",
        "websearch-api-eval-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### Vellum

```bash
assistant mcp add psinglap-websearch-api-eval -t stdio -c npx -a -y websearch-api-eval-mcp
```

### Other

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "psinglap-websearch-api-eval": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "websearch-api-eval-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

## 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.

### 2026-10-28 (score 63, +15)

- [security improvement] Malware scan: unverified → pass
- [functional regression] Security disclosure: unverified → fail

### 2026-10-27 (score 48)

First indexed and scored.

## MCP tools (12)

### `get_overall_results` (~75 tokens)

Overall results

Headline findings and the overall scorecard across all 30 queries (90 calls per API): accuracy, fully correct, precision@5, freshness, empty responses, failed calls, latency p50/p95, cost per correct answer. Also the per-use-case summary, which API fits which agent, and developer activation time.

### `get_scorecard` (~87 tokens)

Scorecard

Full metric scorecard for one use case (gtm, insurance, finance) or 'overall'. Metrics: search-only latency p50/p95 (server and client), calls under 1 s, accuracy, freshness (% in window, newest relevant result age), content in one call, tokens, search cost.

Input parameters:

- `use_case` (string, required): overall, gtm, insurance or finance

### `compare_providers` (~117 tokens)

Compare providers

Compare two or more of You.com, Tavily, Exa and Parallel side by side, overall or within one use case, optionally filtered to metrics whose name contains a keyword (e.g. 'latency', 'accuracy', 'fresh', 'cost', 'empty').

Input parameters:

- `metric_filter` (string): Optional keyword to keep only matching metrics
- `providers` (array, required): Two or more of: You.com, Tavily, Exa, Parallel
- `use_case` (string): overall, gtm, insurance or finance

### `recommend_provider` (~89 tokens)

Recommend a provider

Which web search API fits an agent, based on this benchmark: live voice/chat turns, deep research, semantic or long-tail queries, docs lookups, or a specific use case (GTM, insurance, finance). Returns the guidance with the supporting numbers.

Input parameters:

- `agent_need` (string): What the agent does, e.g. 'voice agent answering in under a second' or 'finance research'

### `list_questions` (~63 tokens)

List questions

The 30 benchmark questions (G1-G10 GTM, I1-I10 insurance, F1-F10 finance): ID, what the agent is asked, the search call and freshness.

Input parameters:

- `use_case` (string): all, gtm, insurance or finance

### `get_question` (~80 tokens)

Get a question

One benchmark question by ID (e.g. G3, I4, F5): the task, search call, parameters, answer key with sources, and what each API returned with its accuracy score (0-2, mean of 3 runs).

Input parameters:

- `id` (string, required): Question ID, e.g. G3, I4 or F5

### `get_charts` (~94 tokens)

Charts

The published graphs: overall scorecard, key metrics and per-query grids for GTM, insurance and finance, and developer activation. Without chart_id, lists them with titles and image links; with chart_id, also returns the image.

Input parameters:

- `chart_id` (string): e.g. overall_scorecard, finance_key_metrics, gtm_query_grid, time_steps_activation
- `use_case` (string): Filter the list

### `get_methodology` (~53 tokens)

Methodology

How the benchmark was run and graded: query design, identical request parameters, 3 runs per query, latency timing, SimpleQA and FreshQA grading, the 10 metrics and the standards they follow, and limits.

### `how_to_run_locally` (~39 tokens)

Run it yourself

How to rerun this benchmark on your own machine with your own API keys, including on your own queries. Nothing runs on this server.

### `search` (~47 tokens)

Search the benchmark

Search the Web Search API Eval benchmark (results, questions, methodology, charts, how to run). Returns matching document IDs, titles and URLs.

Input parameters:

- `query` (string, required): What to look for

### `fetch` (~43 tokens)

Fetch a benchmark document

Full text of one benchmark document by its ID (for example question-F5, scorecard-finance, overall, methodology).

Input parameters:

- `id` (string, required): Document ID from search

### `run_live_search` (~149 tokens)

Run a live search test

Send one query to You.com, Tavily, Exa and Parallel right now, using the API keys set in your own environment (YDC_API_KEY, TAVILY_API_KEY, EXA_API_KEY, PARALLEL_API_KEY; providers without a key are skipped). Returns each provider's client-side latency, result count and top results. Calls use your own provider credits.

Input parameters:

- `max_results` (integer): Results per provider (1-10)
- `providers` (array): Subset of You.com, Tavily, Exa, Parallel (default: all with a key)
- `query` (string, required): The search query, e.g. one of the benchmark's search calls

## Diagnostics

Captured diagnostic sections: Provenance, Vulnerabilities, Dependencies. The full working is on the page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/psinglap-websearch-api-eval/websearch-api-eval-mcp#diagnostics

## Score history

- 2026-11-05: 63
- 2026-11-04: 63
- 2026-11-03: 63
- 2026-11-02: 63
- 2026-11-01: 63
- 2026-10-31: 63
- 2026-10-30: 63
- 2026-10-29: 63
- 2026-10-28: 63
- 2026-10-27: 48

## Common questions

### What is the Web Search API Eval MCP server?

Web Search API Eval is an MCP server listed in the public MCP registry as io.github.psinglap/websearch-api-eval. Web search API benchmark for AI agents: You.com, Tavily, Exa, Parallel. Results and charts. This page covers its npm package (websearch-api-eval-mcp).

### Is the Web Search API Eval MCP server safe to use?

Web Search API Eval scores 63 out of 100 on VerifyMCP. We recorded 1 known advisory against it as of 5 November 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 Web Search API Eval MCP server expose?

Web Search API Eval exposes 12 tools: get_overall_results, get_scorecard, compare_providers, recommend_provider, list_questions, and 7 more. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 936 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.

### Is the Web Search API Eval MCP server still maintained?

Web Search API Eval is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 5 November 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 Web Search API Eval MCP server under?

Web Search API Eval 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/websearch-api-eval-mcp
- Socket report: https://socket.dev/npm/package/websearch-api-eval-mcp
- Repository: https://github.com/psinglap/websearch-api-eval
- Website: https://psinglap.github.io/websearch-api-eval/
- Changelog RSS feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/psinglap-websearch-api-eval/websearch-api-eval-mcp.xml
- Changelog JSON feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/psinglap-websearch-api-eval/websearch-api-eval-mcp.json
- HTML version of this page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/psinglap-websearch-api-eval/websearch-api-eval-mcp