MCP server for UnSearch — open-source verifiable web retrieval API for AI agents. Exposes web search, content extraction, research synthesis, and claim verification tools with signed citation envelopes.
UnSearch MCP Server has 4 tools with reasonable naming and solid parameter schemas, but falls short in several critical areas. Tool descriptions are present and moderately detailed (90-180 chars), meeting baseline length requirements. All tools have input schemas with typed parameters and descriptions. However, output schemas are completely undocumented, the tool descriptions mention returned data (citations, verdicts, confidence scores) but the actual response structure is not specified anywhere in the provided source. Error handling guidance is minimal. The server lacks tool annotations (readOnlyHint, destructiveHint, idempotentHint) required by current spec. Parameter descriptions are adequate but could be more actionable (e.g., 'engines' parameter defaults are listed but rationale for those defaults is not explained).
Scrape and extract structured content from one or more URLs. Returns raw text/markdown plus a signed citation envelope per URL.
Run a multi-step research query and return a synthesized answer with sources. Each source carries a signed citation envelope.
Search the open web and return ranked results. Each result includes a signed citation envelope (url, fetched_at, content_sha256, snapshot_key, signature) so the retrieval is replayable and auditable.
Verify a claim against a source URL. Returns a verdict, confidence score, and evidence spans with signed citations.
Output schemas completely undocumented. Tool descriptions mention returned fields (signed citations, confidence scores, verdicts) but no formal response schema is provided. LLMs cannot reliably parse outputs or plan downstream tool calls without knowing the structure of returned objects.
No tool annotations present. The 'search', 'extract', 'research', and 'verify_claim' tools are all read-only operations, but readOnlyHint is not declared in the tool definitions. Current MCP spec (2026-07-28) requires tool annotations for agent safety and planning.
'max_results' parameter (search) and 'max_sources' parameter (research) lack numeric bounds. Descriptions do not specify minimum/maximum values. Unbounded integers invite LLMs to pass absurd values (e.g., max_results=10000) that may exceed API rate limits or cause timeouts.
| Scored | Grade | Overall | Spec posture | Rubric |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-23 | C | 68 | 2026-07-28+ | v2 |
Error handling guidance is absent. No tool description explains what errors can occur, when to retry, or how to recover (e.g., if a URL fails to extract, what should the agent do?). Descriptions lack recovery guides like 'pattern:recovery-guide'.
'engines' parameter (search) defaults to ["google", "bing", "duckduckgo"] but no description explains why those specific engines, when to override, or what other engines are available. The parameter description is generic.
Parameter 'depth' in research and verify_claim tools uses enums (e.g., 'quick'|'standard'|'deep'|'comprehensive') but no description explains the resource cost, latency impact, or accuracy differences between depth levels. LLMs cannot reason about cost-benefit tradeoffs.