what is Bright Data MCP?
Bright Data MCP is an official server for the Model Context Protocol (MCP) that enables clients to reference public web data for decision-making.
how to use Bright Data MCP?
To use Bright Data MCP, set up an account on Bright Data, obtain your API key, create a Web Unlocker proxy zone, and configure your MCP server with the necessary environment variables.
key features of Bright Data MCP?
- Integration with various MCP clients like Claude Desktop and OpenAI Agents.
- Ability to query public web data for real-time information.
- Support for browser control tools for enhanced data scraping.
use cases of Bright Data MCP?
- Querying upcoming movie releases in a specific area.
- Retrieving real-time market cap information for companies.
- Accessing daily Wikipedia articles.
- Getting weather forecasts for specific locations.
FAQ from Bright Data MCP?
- What is the purpose of Bright Data MCP?
It allows clients to make informed decisions based on real-time public web data.
- Is there a cost associated with using Bright Data MCP?
New users receive free credits for testing, with pay-as-you-go options available.
- How do I troubleshoot timeouts?
Increase the timeout settings in your agent to accommodate slower loading pages.
Installation & Setup
Quick Installation with NPX
npx @brightdata/mcp
Environment Variables
API_TOKEN
: Your Bright Data API token (required)WEB_UNLOCKER_ZONE
: Custom zone name (optional, defaults to 'mcp_unlocker')BROWSER_AUTH
: Browser authentication for browser control tools (optional)
Configuring MCP Clients
Claude Desktop Configuration
-
Edit the Claude Desktop configuration file through VS code:
# macOS code "$HOME/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json" # Windows code %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
-
Add the Bright Data server configuration:
{ "mcpServers": { "Bright Data": { "command": "npx", "args": ["@brightdata/mcp"], "env": { "API_TOKEN": "<insert-your-api-token-here>", "WEB_UNLOCKER_ZONE": "<optional-zone-name>", "BROWSER_AUTH": "<optional-browser-auth>" } } } }
-
Save the file and restart Claude Desktop.
Other MCP Clients (Cursor, Windsurf, etc.)
Configure your MCP client to run the command npx @brightdata/mcp
with the required environment variables.
Available Tools
Web Search & Scraping
- search_engine: Search Google, Bing, or Yandex and get results in markdown format
- scrape_as_markdown: Extract webpage content as Markdown
- scrape_as_html: Extract webpage content as HTML
- session_stats: View tool usage statistics for the current session
Structured Data Extraction
- web_data_amazon_product: Extract structured Amazon product data
- web_data_amazon_product_reviews: Extract Amazon product reviews
- web_data_linkedin_person_profile: Extract LinkedIn person profiles
- web_data_linkedin_company_profile: Extract LinkedIn company profiles
Browser Control Tools (with BROWSER_AUTH)
- scraping_browser_navigate: Navigate to a URL
- scraping_browser_go_back: Go back to the previous page
- scraping_browser_go_forward: Go forward to the next page
- scraping_browser_links: Get all links on the current page
- scraping_browser_click: Click on an element
- scraping_browser_type: Type text into an element
- scraping_browser_wait_for: Wait for an element to appear
- scraping_browser_screenshot: Take a screenshot
- scraping_browser_get_html: Get the HTML content of the page
- scraping_browser_get_text: Get the text content of the page
Example Usage
Web Search Examples
Search for recent news about artificial intelligence
Web Scraping Examples
Scrape the content from https://example.com/article as markdown
Structured Data Examples
Extract product information from https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L5TNJHG
Browser Control Examples
Navigate to wikipedia.org, search for "machine learning", and take a screenshot of the results
Account Setup
- Create an account on brightdata.com (new users get free credit)
- Get your API key from the user settings page
- Create a Web Unlocker proxy zone called
mcp_unlocker
in your control panel - (Optional) For browser control tools:
- Create a "scraping browser" zone in your Brightdata control panel
- Copy the authentication string from the Scraping Browser overview tab
Troubleshooting
Timeouts When Using Tools
- Some web pages may take longer to load than others
- Set a high enough timeout in your agent settings (180s recommended)
- Adjust based on your specific needs and the websites you're accessing
Connection Issues
- Verify your API token is correct
- Ensure your Web Unlocker zone is properly configured
- Check that your Scraping Browser authentication is valid (if using browser tools)
Browser Tools Not Available
- Confirm that the BROWSER_AUTH environment variable is set correctly
- Verify that your Scraping Browser zone is active in the Bright Data control panel