Retrieval MCP Server - install, status & alternatives [2026]

01 · Install Retrieval

before you install - you'll need

Set MAX_RESULTS, DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_MS before connecting.

Docker

docker run -i --rm ghcr.io/role1776/mcp-retrieval:0.1.7

Claude Desktop - add to config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "role1776-mcp-retrieval": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "ghcr.io/role1776/mcp-retrieval:0.1.7"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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 container (OCI image) - can be sandboxed away from your filesystem · Claude Desktop extension (.mcpb bundle)

repo age created 2026-08-11 - young repo, little track record yet

license MIT - declared in the repository

registry namespace io.github.Role1776 is GitHub-verified and matches the repo owner

03 · What Retrieval can do

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

What you can build

With this server connected, an agent can run one or more queries in parallel and return per-query deduplicated, reranked snippets with links, run one or more image queries in parallel and return per-query deduplicated image results, and download one or more pages in parallel and return the main article text as Markdown.

The 3 tools it gives your agent

Extracted from the project's README - what MCP Retrieval lets an agent do.

web_search: - Runs one or more queries in parallel and returns per-query deduplicated, reranked snippets with links.
web_search_images: - Runs one or more image queries in parallel and returns per-query deduplicated image results.
web_scrape: - Downloads one or more pages in parallel and returns the main article text as Markdown.

Latest releases

v0.1.7 · 2026-08-17

relax Image validation rules and handle ErrNoRelevantImages as a non-fatal result state (@Role1776) · enforce English language for web and image search queries and fix scrape error handling in tests (@Role1776)

v0.1.6 · 2026-08-17

add URL validation constraints to ImageProps and update tests to include validation cases (@Role1776) · encapsulate domain entities by unexporting fields and introducing view-based mapping to DTOs (@Role1776)

v0.1.5 · 2026-08-15

remove cross-field validation for search limits to allow flexible configuration and add unit tests for limit logic in usecase (@Role1776)

04 · Who maintains Retrieval

MCP Retrieval is maintained by role1776. It's the only MCP server we track from this author; the repo dates to Aug 2026.

05 · Facts

repository: github.com/role1776/mcp-retrieval
website: https://github.com/Role1776/mcp-retrieval#readme
category: search - ranked #36 of 47 actively-maintained search servers as of 2026-08-25.
release cadence: 8 releases in the last 90 days (latest 2026-08-17)
registry: io.github.Role1776/mcp-retrieval (active, first published 2026-08-11 · 8 versions)
packages: oci:ghcr.io/role1776/mcp-retrieval:0.1.7 · mcpb:https://github.com/Role1776/mcp-retrieval/releases/download/v0.1.7/mcp-retrieval_0.1.7_darwin_amd64.mcpb · mcpb:https://github.com/Role1776/mcp-retrieval/releases/download/v0.1.7/mcp-retrieval_0.1.7_darwin_arm64.mcpb · mcpb:https://github.com/Role1776/mcp-retrieval/releases/download/v0.1.7/mcp-retrieval_0.1.7_linux_amd64.mcpb · mcpb:https://github.com/Role1776/mcp-retrieval/releases/download/v0.1.7/mcp-retrieval_0.1.7_linux_arm64.mcpb · mcpb:https://github.com/Role1776/mcp-retrieval/releases/download/v0.1.7/mcp-retrieval_0.1.7_windows_amd64.mcpb · mcpb:https://github.com/Role1776/mcp-retrieval/releases/download/v0.1.7/mcp-retrieval_0.1.7_windows_arm64.mcpb

06 · Retrieval FAQ

Is Retrieval still maintained?

Yes - as of 2026-08-25, its last commit was 2026-08-22 and it shipped 8 releases in the last 90 days. We re-verify nightly.

What can Retrieval do?

With this server connected, an agent can run one or more queries in parallel and return per-query deduplicated, reranked snippets with links, run one or more image queries in parallel and return per-query deduplicated image results, and download one or more pages in parallel and return the main article text as Markdown.

How do I install Retrieval?

Run `docker run -i --rm ghcr.io/role1776/mcp-retrieval:0.1.7`. The README documents 2 environment variables (MAX_RESULTS, DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_MS) to set first. Set MAX_RESULTS, DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_MS before connecting. You can also paste the ready-made client config above.

07 · Alternatives to Retrieval

Alternatives to Retrieval

Maintained search servers if Retrieval isn't the fit.

Pairs well with

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

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