Overview
What is MCP Server for SearXNG n8n Integration?
This MCP server enables n8n workflows to search via SearXNG, a self-hosted metasearch engine. It provides a "search" tool that accepts customizable parameters and returns results in multiple formats. It is designed for n8n users who want to integrate private, federated web search into their automation pipelines.
How to use MCP Server for SearXNG n8n Integration?
Install the n8n-nodes-mcp package in your n8n instance, then add an MCP node. In the Server Connection section, set Command to npx and Arguments to -y mcp-server-searxng-n8n --instance=https://your-searxng-instance.com. In the Operation section, select the search tool and provide a JSON object with search parameters (only q is required).
Key features of MCP Server for SearXNG n8n Integration
- Searches via a self-hosted SearXNG instance.
- Support for multiple search engines (e.g., Google, DuckDuckGo).
- Customizable categories, language, safesearch, and time range.
- Output formats: JSON, CSV, RSS, or HTML.
- Plugin and engine enable/disable controls.
- Image proxy support for result thumbnails.
Use cases of MCP Server for SearXNG n8n Integration
- Automate web search as part of n8n data enrichment workflows.
- Run multi‑engine searches and consolidate results in JSON.
- Generate RSS feeds from search queries for monitoring.
- Integrate privacy‑focused search into n8n AI chat tools.
- Fetch HTML versions of search result pages for scraping.
FAQ from MCP Server for SearXNG n8n Integration
What prerequisites are needed to use this server?
You need a running n8n instance, access to a SearXNG instance, and the n8n-nodes-mcp package installed.
How do I configure the MCP node for the SearXNG server?
Set the command to npx with arguments -y mcp-server-searxng-n8n --instance=<your-searxng-url>. Then select the search tool and provide a JSON object with query parameters.
What search parameters are supported?
The search tool accepts q (required), categories, engines, language, time_range, safesearch, image_proxy, enabled_plugins, disabled_plugins, enabled_engines, disabled_engines, and format (default JSON).
How do I change the output format?
Add a format parameter to the JSON arguments with value json, csv, rss, or html. Example: {"q": "example", "format": "html"}.
How can I develop or test the server locally?
Clone the repository, run npm install, then npm run build. Test with npm start -- --instance=https://your-searxng-instance.com.
