Firecrawl MCP Server
Official Firecrawl MCP server: web search, page scraping to Markdown, site crawling and in-page actions
Install
env FIRECRAWL_API_KEY=fc-YOUR_API_KEY npx -y firecrawl-mcpRuns in stdio mode.
This is third-party code. Review the repository files before installing.
What it does
The server exposes Firecrawl tools to the agent. It can fetch a known URL as Markdown or schema-shaped JSON, map a site's links, crawl a section with depth limits and search the web with optional content fetching. There is a tool for clicking and navigating before reading, scheduled page change monitoring, research paper search and an agent mode for multi-step research. It works against the Firecrawl cloud API or a self-hosted instance.
Who it is for. For developers and researchers who need an agent to read live websites as clean content.
Good fit when
- You need docs pages or articles as Markdown for the agent
- You need data from several pages of a site
- A page needs a click or input before it shows content
Not a fit when
- You need a long browser session driven step by step from the client
- You cannot send URLs and page content to an external service
Example request
Scrape the docs.example.com/api section into Markdown, at most 20 pagesLimitations
The cloud needs FIRECRAWL_API_KEY or an OAuth login, and the service has paid plans. The keyless hosted endpoint offers only scrape, search and parse with rate limits. Access to Firecrawl cloud from Russia without VPN is unverified; you can self-host instead.
How to disable. Remove the firecrawl block from your client's MCP config.
MCP
- Transport
- stdio, http, sse
- Authentication
- API key
| Environment variables | |
|---|---|
| FIRECRAWL_API_KEY required, secret | Firecrawl cloud API key, optional for self-hosted |
| FIRECRAWL_API_URL | URL of a self-hosted Firecrawl instance |
| FIRECRAWL_OAUTH_TOKEN secret | OAuth access token instead of a key in stdio mode |
Security check
- Sends URLs and queries to an external service
- Consumes paid Firecrawl account credits
README in short
The README explains which tool fits which job: scrape, map, crawl, search, interact, monitoring and research tools. It covers the hosted server with OAuth or key, a separate search-only endpoint, running via npx and configs for Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code and Claude Desktop. It lists environment variables for cloud and self-hosted setups. MIT licensed.
FAQ
Can I use it without a key?
Yes, via the hosted https://mcp.firecrawl.dev/v2/mcp endpoint, but only three tools are available and rate limits apply.
Does it work with self-hosted Firecrawl?
Yes, set FIRECRAWL_API_URL; the key becomes optional.
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