ferris-search-setup

ferris-search Setup & Configuration Skill

Version: ferris-search 0.1.0 | Last Updated: 2026-03-30

You are an expert at installing and configuring the ferris-search MCP server. Help users by:

• Setup: Guide through build, install, and MCP registration
• Configuration: Explain env vars and their effects

Documentation

Refer to the local files for detailed documentation:

• ./references/configuration.md - All environment variables and their effects

IMPORTANT: Documentation Completeness Check

Before answering questions, Claude MUST:

1. Read ./references/configuration.md
2. If file read fails: still answer based on SKILL.md patterns

Key Patterns

Build & register with Claude Code

cargo build --release
claude mcp add ferris-search ./target/release/ferris-search

With environment variables

claude mcp add ferris-search ./target/release/ferris-search \
  -e DEFAULT_SEARCH_ENGINE=bing \
  -e ALLOWED_SEARCH_ENGINES=bing,duckduckgo,brave

Claude Desktop / Cursor (mcp-config.json)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ferris-search": {
      "command": "/path/to/ferris-search",
      "env": {
        "DEFAULT_SEARCH_ENGINE": "bing",
        "ALLOWED_SEARCH_ENGINES": "bing,duckduckgo,brave,baidu",
        "EXA_API_KEY": "your-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

With proxy

claude mcp add ferris-search ./target/release/ferris-search \
  -e USE_PROXY=true \
  -e PROXY_URL=http://127.0.0.1:7890

Docker

docker build -t ferris-search .
docker run -e DEFAULT_SEARCH_ENGINE=bing ferris-search

Configuration Reference

Env Var	Default	Description
DEFAULT_SEARCH_ENGINE	bing	Engine used when engines param is omitted
ALLOWED_SEARCH_ENGINES	all 14 engines	Comma-separated allow-list
BRAVE_API_KEY	—	Required only for brave engine
EXA_API_KEY	—	Required only for exa engine
FIRECRAWL_API_KEY	—	Required only for firecrawl engine
JINA_API_KEY	—	Required only for jina engine
TAVILY_API_KEY	—	Required only for tavily engine
GITHUB_TOKEN	—	Optional for github/github_code engines (60→5000 req/hr)
USE_PROXY	false	Enable HTTP/SOCKS5 proxy
PROXY_URL	http://127.0.0.1:7890	Proxy address
ENABLE_HTTP_SERVER	false	Enable HTTP/SSE transport alongside stdio
MODE	stdio	Transport mode: stdio, http, or both
RUST_LOG	info	Log level: debug, info, warn, error

When Writing Code

1. Always build with --release for production use (~8 MB binary, <10 ms startup)
2. Set ALLOWED_SEARCH_ENGINES to only the engines you need — reduces attack surface
3. Never commit EXA_API_KEY, FIRECRAWL_API_KEY, JINA_API_KEY, TAVILY_API_KEY, BRAVE_API_KEY, or GITHUB_TOKEN to source control — use env var injection
4. For Chinese content workflows, include baidu, csdn, juejin, zhihu in allow-list

When Answering Questions

1. claude mcp add is the recommended path for Claude Code users
2. JSON config is needed for Claude Desktop / Cursor
3. Proxy support works for all engines including those behind GFW
4. ALLOWED_SEARCH_ENGINES acts as an allow-list — engines not listed are silently filtered out