DuckDuckGo Search MCP Server (SSL-Fix Edition)

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides web search capabilities through DuckDuckGo, with additional features for content fetching and parsing. This fork includes configurable SSL verification for corporate proxy environments.

Features

• Web Search: Search DuckDuckGo with advanced rate limiting and result formatting
• Content Fetching: Retrieve and parse webpage content with intelligent text extraction
• Rate Limiting: Built-in protection against rate limits for both search and content fetching
• Error Handling: Comprehensive error handling and logging
• LLM-Friendly Output: Results formatted specifically for large language model consumption
• 🆕 Configurable SSL Verification: Works in corporate environments with SSL inspection/proxies

Installation

Installing via uv

Install directly from PyPI using uv:

uv pip install duckduckgo-mcp-server-ssl-fix

Installing via pip

pip install duckduckgo-mcp-server-ssl-fix

Configuration

SSL Verification Settings

This package supports configurable SSL verification through environment variables:

Option 1: Disable SSL Verification (for corporate proxies)

export DDG_DISABLE_SSL_VERIFY=true

⚠️ Security Note: Only disable SSL verification in trusted corporate environments with SSL inspection.

Option 2: Use Custom Certificate

export DDG_SSL_CERT_PATH=/path/to/your/corporate/cert.pem

Option 3: Default (Secure)

If neither environment variable is set, standard SSL verification is used.

Usage

Running with Claude Code

Add to your Claude Code MCP configuration:

macOS/Linux: ~/.config/claude/claude_desktop_config.json Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "ddg-search": {
            "command": "uvx",
            "args": ["duckduckgo-mcp-server-ssl-fix"],
            "env": {
                "DDG_DISABLE_SSL_VERIFY": "true"
            }
        }
    }
}

For Claude Code CLI configuration, create/edit ~/.config/claude-code/settings.json:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "duckduckgo": {
            "command": "uvx",
            "args": ["duckduckgo-mcp-server-ssl-fix"],
            "env": {
                "DDG_DISABLE_SSL_VERIFY": "true"
            }
        }
    }
}

Running with Claude Desktop

1. Download Claude Desktop
2. Create or edit your Claude Desktop configuration:
   • On macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
   • On Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Add the following configuration:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "ddg-search": {
            "command": "uvx",
            "args": ["duckduckgo-mcp-server-ssl-fix"],
            "env": {
                "DDG_DISABLE_SSL_VERIFY": "true"
            }
        }
    }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop

Testing the Package

You can test the package directly:

# Test with SSL verification disabled
DDG_DISABLE_SSL_VERIFY=true uvx duckduckgo-mcp-server-ssl-fix

# Test with custom certificate
DDG_SSL_CERT_PATH=/path/to/cert.pem uvx duckduckgo-mcp-server-ssl-fix

# Test with default SSL verification
uvx duckduckgo-mcp-server-ssl-fix

Available Tools

1. Search Tool

async def search(query: str, max_results: int = 10) -> str

Performs a web search on DuckDuckGo and returns formatted results.

Parameters:

• query: Search query string
• max_results: Maximum number of results to return (default: 10)

Returns: Formatted string containing search results with titles, URLs, and snippets.

2. Content Fetching Tool

async def fetch_content(url: str) -> str

Fetches and parses content from a webpage.

Parameters:

• url: The webpage URL to fetch content from

Returns: Cleaned and formatted text content from the webpage.

Features in Detail

Rate Limiting

• Search: Limited to 30 requests per minute
• Content Fetching: Limited to 20 requests per minute
• Automatic queue management and wait times

Result Processing

• Removes ads and irrelevant content
• Cleans up DuckDuckGo redirect URLs
• Formats results for optimal LLM consumption
• Truncates long content appropriately

Error Handling

• Comprehensive error catching and reporting
• Detailed logging through MCP context
• Graceful degradation on rate limits or timeouts

SSL Configuration

Three modes of operation:

1. Secure (Default): Full SSL verification using system certificates
2. Custom Certificate: Specify your organization's root certificate
3. Disabled Verification: For corporate proxies with SSL inspection (less secure)

Troubleshooting

SSL Certificate Errors

If you see errors like:

[SSL: CERTIFICATE_VERIFY_FAILED] certificate verify failed

This typically means you're behind a corporate proxy with SSL inspection. Solutions:

1. Disable SSL Verification (quick fix):

   export DDG_DISABLE_SSL_VERIFY=true
   

2. Use Corporate Certificate (more secure):

   export DDG_SSL_CERT_PATH=/path/to/corporate/cert.pem
   

3. Export Certificate from Browser:

   • Open your browser's certificate manager
   • Find your organization's root certificate
   • Export as PEM format
   • Use the path with DDG_SSL_CERT_PATH

Differences from Original

This fork adds:

• Configurable SSL verification via environment variables
• Support for custom SSL certificates
• Corporate proxy-friendly defaults
• Enhanced documentation for SSL issues

Contributing

Issues and pull requests are welcome! Some areas for potential improvement:

• Additional search parameters (region, language, etc.)
• Enhanced content parsing options
• Caching layer for frequently accessed content
• Additional rate limiting strategies

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Credits

Based on the original duckduckgo-mcp-server by Nick Clyde.