Siftdog MCP Server

Siftdog is an open-source, self-hosted web search API for AI agents and LLM apps, and a drop-in replacement for the Tavily API. It serves the same /search, /extract, /crawl and /map endpoints with the same request and response shapes, so code written for Tavily (including the official Python SDK and the LangChain integration) works against your own server by changing only the base URL. It needs no search API key.

People who work with fastapi, searxng and tavily and want it reachable from Claude, Cursor, VS Code, or another MCP client. The project is written in Python.

VERIFIED ACTIVE

LAST COMMIT 2026-09-29 · ★ 2 · #46 OF 54 MAINTAINED SEARCH · VERIFIED 2026-09-30

MIT · Python servers · how we verify → /methodology

01 · Install Siftdog

before you install - you'll need

SEARXNG_URL

Environment variables documented in the project's README - it lists which are required and which have defaults.

Claude Code

claude mcp add khsarvar-siftdog -- uvx siftdog

Claude Desktop / Cursor / VS Code - add to config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "khsarvar-siftdog": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "siftdog"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Same JSON for Cursor. For VS Code, rename the top-level key from `mcpServers` to `servers`.

Using another client? Same JSON, different key

Claude Desktop · mcpServers

Cursor · mcpServers

VS Code · servers

Windsurf · mcpServers

Zed · context_servers

Cline · mcpServers

Roo Code · mcpServers

Continue · mcpServers

LibreChat · mcpServers

Gemini CLI · mcpServers

Codex CLI · mcp_servers

Full setup guides: every client.

02 · Evidence

Security posture

What to check before giving this server access to your agent - from the registry, GitHub, and our own probes. We don't score safety; we show what's verifiable.

runs as local process (stdio) - runs on your machine with your user's permissions

repo age created 2026-09-23 - young repo, little track record yet

license MIT - declared in the repository

pypi package siftdog - check the name against the project README before installing (PyPI has no namespace ownership)

registry namespace io.github.khsarvar is GitHub-verified and matches the repo owner

03 · What Siftdog can do

Prose above is summarized from the project's README and registry record - no invented capabilities.

Latest releases

v0.3.0 · 2026-09-28

Add Siftdog vs Tavily search benchmark · Publish the Siftdog vs Tavily benchmark results page · navigation bar, shared stylesheet, copy buttons · Rename project to Siftdog (0.3.0)

v0.2.1 · 2026-09-25

Add project site on GitHub Pages · Correct crw in the comparison table · Report SearXNG engine failures instead of returning empty results · Enable more SearXNG web engines by default · Release 0.2.1

v0.2.0 · 2026-09-25

install from PyPI and ghcr.io · Add trademark policy · Add MCP server (HTTP at /mcp and stdio) · Publish to the MCP Registry on release

04 · Who maintains Siftdog

Siftdog is maintained by khsarvar. We track 2 MCP servers from khsarvar - 1 actively maintained, 4 combined GitHub stars, oldest repo from Sep 2026. Full record: all servers from khsarvar.

Sifthound Self-hosted, Tavily-compatible web search, extract, crawl and map tools for AI agents. ★ 2

05 · Facts

repository: github.com/khsarvar/siftdog
website: https://siftdog.com/
category: search - ranked #46 of 54 actively-maintained search servers as of 2026-09-30.
release cadence: 4 releases in the last 90 days (latest 2026-09-28)
registry: io.github.khsarvar/siftdog (active, first published 2026-09-28)
packages: pypi:siftdog

06 · Siftdog FAQ

What is Siftdog?

Is Siftdog still maintained?

Yes - as of 2026-09-30, its last commit was 2026-09-29 and it shipped 4 releases in the last 90 days. We re-verify nightly.

How do I install Siftdog?

Run `uvx siftdog`. The README documents one environment variable (SEARXNG_URL) to set first. You can also paste the ready-made client config above.

Does Siftdog run locally?

Yes - it's a stdio server: it runs on your machine (via uvx) with your user's permissions. Your data stays local unless the server itself calls external APIs.

07 · Alternatives to Siftdog

Alternatives to Siftdog

Maintained search servers if Siftdog isn't the fit.

Pairs well with

Servers that cover what Siftdog doesn't - only shown when the pairing reason fits the companion.

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