# search-rotation (npm · search-rotation)

MCP server for web search and page extraction across the free tiers of several providers

- Trust score: 69/100 (medium)
- Registry status: active
- Liveness: live
- Owner verified: no
- Last scored: 2026-09-27

## Components

- npm · `search-rotation`: 69/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/robin-bially-search-rotation/search-rotation.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/robin-bially-search-rotation/search-rotation)

## Channel facts

- Registry: `npm`
- Package: `search-rotation`
- Version: `0.5.0`
- 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 2026-09-27.

- **Supply Chain Security**: 63/100
  - No malware found by supply-chain analysis.
  - Known CVEs could not be checked: the version this server declares is not published in its registry.
  - No install/post-install scripts declared.
  - Dependency health could not be checked: the version this server declares is not published in its registry.
- **Provenance & Transparency**: 97/100
  - Source repository is publicly reachable at the declared URL.
  - Cryptographically verified build provenance (signed, bound to robin-bially/search-rotation-mcp).
  - Clear OSI-approved license (MIT).
  - Actively maintained (last published 0 days ago).
  - Disclosure check failed: no security disclosure policy was found in the source repository.
- **Schema Quality & AI Usability**: 72/100
  - AI-judged instruction clarity (excellent).
  - Context-footprint check failed: tool/resource definitions use about 1159 tokens (~231/item across 5 items; 5 tools + 0 resources), over budget; trim descriptions and params.
  - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples.
- **Stability & Change Management**: 0/100
  - Stability check failed: the tool surface changed between 0.4.11 and 0.5.0: 2 tool removals, 0 breaking changes, 3 additions.
- **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 5 captured tool definition(s), and no name or description among them implies an irreversible operation.
  - An AI judge read all 5 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 search-rotation MCP server?

search-rotation runs locally as an npm package, launched with npx -y search-rotation. 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 robin-bially-search-rotation -- npx -y search-rotation
```

### Cursor

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "robin-bially-search-rotation": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "search-rotation"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "robin-bially-search-rotation": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "search-rotation"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### Codex

```bash
codex mcp add robin-bially-search-rotation -- npx -y search-rotation
```

### opencode

```json
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "robin-bially-search-rotation": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": [
        "npx",
        "-y",
        "search-rotation"
      ],
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}
```

### OpenClaw

```bash
openclaw mcp add robin-bially-search-rotation --command npx --arg -y --arg search-rotation
```

### Hermes

```yaml
mcp_servers:
  robin-bially-search-rotation:
    command: "npx"
    args: ["-y", "search-rotation"]
```

### Netclaw

```json
{
  "McpServers": {
    "robin-bially-search-rotation": {
      "Transport": "stdio",
      "Command": "npx",
      "Arguments": [
        "-y",
        "search-rotation"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### Vellum

```bash
assistant mcp add robin-bially-search-rotation -t stdio -c npx -a -y search-rotation
```

### Other

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "robin-bially-search-rotation": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "search-rotation"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

## 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.

### 2026-09-27 (score 69, 0)

- [security regression] Stability: unverified → fail
- [security improvement] Known CVEs: unverified → pass
- [functional regression] Schema quality: pass → fail
- [functional improvement] Dependency health: unverified → 0.85
- [functional] Schema quality: good → excellent
- [functional] Package version: 0.4.11 → 0.5.0

### 2026-09-26 (score 69)

First indexed and scored.

## MCP tools (5)

### `search_web` (~360 tokens)

Web Search

Search the web through a rotating pool of search providers (Tavily, Firecrawl, Parallel, Exa, Google PSE, DuckDuckGo) with automatic failover when one errors, is rate-limited or has no local quota left. Use it when the answer depends on current web pages and no URL is known yet; use fetch_url to read a page whose URL is already known. Returns numbered results (title, URL, snippet, publication date when the provider supplies one) and names the provider that answered plus every failed attempt, so failover stays visible. Time filters keep rotation inside the providers that implement them and fail explicitly instead of searching without the filter; if every eligible provider fails, the tool returns an error listing each provider's reason. The engine parameter only prefers a provider and leaves failover active.

Input parameters:

- `endDate` (string): End date YYYY-MM-DD (through this date, subject to provider boundary semantics). Cannot combine with timeRange.
- `engine` (string): Preferred engine id from get_engine_status; only moves that engine to the front, failover to the others stays active. Engines without implemented support for the time filter are skipped even when pre…
- `numResults` (integer): Optional result count (1–20). Omit to use the dashboard setting: a custom count or the provider default.
- `query` (string, required): Search query
- `startDate` (string): Start date YYYY-MM-DD. May be used alone or with endDate; cannot combine with timeRange.
- `timeRange` (string): Relative UTC date window: day=1, week=7, month=30, year=365 days through today. Cannot combine with startDate/endDate; day precision, not rolling hours.

### `fetch_url` (~142 tokens)

Fetch URL

Fetch one web page and return its main content as Markdown, rotating across extraction providers (Jina Reader, Firecrawl, Parallel, Tavily, Exa) with failover. Use it to read a URL the user or a previous search_web result already names; it does not discover links or crawl a site. Only http and https URLs are accepted. The result names the provider that succeeded, lists failed attempts and truncates content beyond 50,000 characters with a marker; if every provider fails, the tool returns an error listing each provider's reason.

Input parameters:

- `url` (string, required): Absolute http(s) URL of the page to fetch, including scheme and host

### `get_engine_status` (~171 tokens)

Engine Status

Read this server's local engine configuration: enabled state, configured rotation order, per-capability access (keyless, configured key, or key/extra credentials still required), local usage counters and the quota source per engine. Use it before update_engine_config for valid engine ids, and as the machine-readable answer when you need to know which providers are active, how much quota is left or why a provider is skipped — the dashboard is the human-facing view of the same installation. The tool performs no search and no fetch: it is not a live health check, stored errors are historical observations, and a disabled engine is a configuration state, not proof that a key is missing. Provider balances can come from a cached lookup that the dashboard refreshes; unknown provider limits are reported as null rather than zero or unlimited.

### `open_dashboard` (~137 tokens)

Open Dashboard

Open the local dashboard of this server in a browser on the machine running the server, for a human: it is the only place to enter API keys and provider credentials, strict-free mode, port and access token, and it shows the interactive usage, quota and request-history views. Use it for those credential and network settings and when a person should look at the data; read configuration with get_engine_status and change engines with update_engine_config instead, because their results are machine-readable and this call only launches a browser. The browser opens on the server host, not on the client's machine, and a server started with --no-dashboard returns an error.

### `update_engine_config` (~349 tokens)

Update Engine Config

Change the local engine configuration: enable or disable engines, set the search and fetch rotation order, and set monthly or daily call limits per engine. Use it when the user wants a provider switched on or off, reordered or capped; call get_engine_status first for valid ids, current order and access modes. The tool writes the shared configuration file of this installation, so the change applies to later searches of every client without a restart. API keys are not accepted here: an engine that still needs a key or extra credentials cannot be enabled until they are set in the dashboard (open_dashboard). Returns the effective per-engine configuration, or an error naming the offending ids — on error nothing is written.

Input parameters:

- `dailyLimits` (object): Per engine id: cap for locally counted calls per day, or null to remove the override. Applies to providers whose quota period is counted per day.
- `enabled` (object): Per engine id (see get_engine_status): true enables, false disables. Enabling an engine whose access mode is api_key_required or extra_configuration_required fails until the credential exists in the…
- `fetchOrder` (array): Complete fetch rotation: every fetch-capable engine id exactly once, the first entry is tried first.
- `monthlyLimits` (object): Per engine id: cap for locally counted calls per month, or null to remove the override and fall back to the provider default. The cap drives rotation and strict-free ordering; it does not change the…
- `searchOrder` (array): Complete search rotation: every search-capable engine id exactly once, the first entry is queried first. Fetch-only engines are not part of this order and keep their place behind it.

## Diagnostics

Captured diagnostic sections: Provenance. The full working is on the page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/robin-bially-search-rotation/search-rotation#diagnostics

## Score history

- 2026-09-27: 69
- 2026-09-26: 69

## Common questions

### What is the search-rotation MCP server?

search-rotation is an MCP server listed in the public MCP registry as io.github.robin-bially/search-rotation. MCP server for web search and page extraction across the free tiers of several providers. This page covers its npm package (search-rotation).

### Is the search-rotation MCP server safe to use?

search-rotation scores 69 out of 100 on VerifyMCP. It declares no install or post-install scripts. Its build provenance is signed and verified. 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 search-rotation MCP server expose?

search-rotation exposes 5 tools: search_web, fetch_url, get_engine_status, open_dashboard, update_engine_config. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 1,159 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.

### Is the search-rotation MCP server still maintained?

search-rotation is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 27 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 search-rotation MCP server under?

search-rotation 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/search-rotation
- Socket report: https://socket.dev/npm/package/search-rotation
- Repository: https://github.com/robin-bially/search-rotation-mcp
- Changelog RSS feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/robin-bially-search-rotation/search-rotation.xml
- Changelog JSON feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/robin-bially-search-rotation/search-rotation.json
- HTML version of this page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/robin-bially-search-rotation/search-rotation