OUTDATED: New version of Claude supports Internet Access natively!
Claude doesn't currently support Internet access for their LLM. This guide demonstrates how to enable this feature for Claude Desktop by using the Brave Search API in conjunction with Model Context Protocol (MCP).
First, sign up for a Brave Search API account and activate the Free tier (with usage limits). Create an API key for your account.
Next, install Node.js and run the following command to install the required package globally:
1npm install -g @modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-searchLaunch Claude Desktop (note that MCP is not compatible with the web version). Navigate to Settings → Developer → Edit config, paste the following code, and save your changes:
1{
2 "globalShortcut": "Alt+Space",
3 "mcpServers": {
4 "brave_search": {
5 "command": "npx",
6
7 "args": ["@modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-search"],
8
9 "env": {
10 "BRAVE_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
11 }
12 }
13 }
14}Replace
YOUR_API_KEY_HERE with yours.Restart Claude Desktop and start a new chat. When prompted, click "Allow for This Chat" to enable MCP.
To trigger web searches, include phrases like "search the web for" or "find current information about" in your queries.
Test it by asking "What is the current price of bitcoin (BTC)?"
Read more:
servers
(There are other use cases with MCP).