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Quick Start Guide

Get Your AI Assistant Searching the Web in 5 Minutes

This guide shows you the fastest way to connect RivalSearchMCP to your AI assistant. No technical knowledge needed!

What You Need

  • An AI assistant that supports MCP (Cursor, Claude Desktop, VS Code, etc.)
  • Basic internet connection
  • 5 minutes of your time

Step 1: Choose Your AI Assistant

For Cursor Users (Easiest)

  1. Click this button: Add to Cursor

  2. Cursor will open and ask if you want to add RivalSearchMCP

  3. Click "Yes" or "Add"
  4. You're done!

For Claude Desktop

  1. Open Claude Desktop
  2. Go to Settings → MCP Servers
  3. Click Add Server
  4. Enter: https://RivalSearchMCP.fastmcp.app/mcp
  5. Click Save
  6. Restart Claude Desktop

For VS Code

  1. Open VS Code
  2. Create .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace
  3. Add this: 
    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "RivalSearchMCP": {
      "url": "https://RivalSearchMCP.fastmcp.app/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Step 2: Test Your Connection

Simple Test

Ask your AI assistant: "What's the latest news about artificial intelligence?"

Before RivalSearchMCP: "I can't access current information"

After RivalSearchMCP: Your AI searches the web and gives you current articles!

What to Look For

  • Your AI should start searching the web
  • It should give you current information
  • It should mention sources or websites

Step 3: Try Different Types of Searches

Current Information

  • "What's the current price of Bitcoin?"
  • "What's the weather like in New York right now?"
  • "What are the latest iPhone 15 reviews?"

Research Topics

  • "Research renewable energy trends in 2024"
  • "Find information about machine learning applications"
  • "What are the best restaurants in San Francisco?"

Website Analysis

  • "Analyze the website techcrunch.com"
  • "What's on the homepage of example.com?"
  • "Find contact information on company.com"

What Your AI Can Do Now

Search Capabilities

  • Google Search - Find current information
  • Multi-Engine Search - Search across multiple sources
  • Content Extraction - Read and summarize websites
  • Trend Analysis - Get Google Trends data

Research Tools

  • Website Traversal - Explore website structures
  • Content Analysis - Analyze articles and documents
  • Comprehensive Research - Multi-source research workflows

Troubleshooting

"I can't search the web"

  • Make sure you clicked "Yes" when Cursor asked to add RivalSearchMCP
  • Try restarting your AI assistant
  • Check that the server URL is correct

"Tool not available"

  • Ask: "What tools do you have available?"
  • If RivalSearchMCP isn't listed, the connection failed
  • Try the connection steps again

"Still not working"

  • Use the live server URL: https://RivalSearchMCP.fastmcp.app/mcp
  • Check your internet connection
  • Report an issue

Pro Tips

Get Better Results

  • Be specific: "Find the latest AI news from the past week" instead of "AI news"
  • Ask for analysis: "Search for electric car reviews and tell me which ones are best"
  • Request sources: "Find information about climate change and include your sources"

Combine Tools

  • Search + Analysis: "Search for renewable energy news and analyze the trends"
  • Website + Content: "Explore techcrunch.com and find the latest startup news"

Next Steps

Now that your AI can search the web:

  1. Explore the features - Try different types of searches
  2. Learn more - Check the User Guide
  3. See examples - Look at Basic Usage
  4. Get help - Report issues if needed

Need Help?

Ready to test? Ask your AI assistant to search for something current!