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Broken / unreliable MCP servers — skip list

reference mcpblocklistweb-toolsreferenceservices

Broken / unreliable MCP servers — skip list

Tested 2026-06-28 during compression-research session. Each MCP listed below failed in some way. Do NOT add these to .mcp.json, ~/.claude.json, .agents/*/mcp.json, or any other config without re-testing first.

Removed from Smithery toolbox 2026-06-28

These 3 were uninstalled from the chirag127 Smithery toolbox via smithery mcp remove. They will not appear in agent tool lists anymore. Do not re-add without verifying the underlying issue is resolved.

MCP Why removed Re-add condition
exa (Exa Search) Free-tier exhausted; needs paid API key. Violates no-card-on-file rule. Only if user funds a paid Exa key
ghostrouter-ghostrouter-web Crypto micropayment paywall (USDC per call). Hard veto. Never re-add
pinkpixel-dev-web-scout-mcp (Web Scout / DDG) Returns empty results consistently for valid queries that worked on other engines. Test 5 queries return non-empty; if all pass, re-add

Re-add via: smithery mcp add <name> after verifying.

Web search MCPs — broken / conditional (still in toolbox)

MCP Failure mode Verdict Re-eval condition
mcp__chirag127__tavily_* "Connection not found: tavily" until ToolSearch loaded schemas; even then rate-limited on first call Conditional — works after ToolSearch load + once-per-day rate window Try after 24h cooldown
mcp__chirag127__brave_brave_web_search "Connection not found: brave" — same ToolSearch pattern Conditional — works after ToolSearch Try after 24h

Web search MCPs — working

MCP Notes
mcp__chirag127__keenable-web-search_search_web_pages Default. Returned 9-10 quality hits per query; filters by date; arxiv + blog mix
mcp__chirag127__linkupplatform-linkup-mcp-server_linkup-search Deep search worked; returns 97KB+ payloads with full content from multiple sources
mcp__chirag127__oevortex-ddg-search_web-search Returned 8 hits cleanly; fast
mcp__searxng__searxng_web_search Failed earlier with JSON-parse error but reportedly works; retry
mcp__fetch__fetch Reliable for single-URL markdown extraction
mcp__chirag127__parallel-search_web_search_preview Untested this session — try next
mcp__chirag127__axel-belfort-web-search_web_search_query Untested
mcp__chirag127__apify_apify--rag-web-browser Untested
mcp__chirag127__ref-tools-ref-tools-mcp_ref_search_documentation Docs search — different role, not generic web

Security flags — working but with known vulnerabilities

MCP CVE / Advisory Risk Mitigation
open-websearch (npm pkg in ~/.claude.json) CVE-2026-42260 — SSRF Bracketed IPv6 literals + non-resolving hostnames bypass isPrivateOrLocalHostname check in fetchWebContent tool. SSRF non-blind (response streamed to MCP caller). Kept active per user decision 2026-06-28. Don't use it on untrusted URLs. Patch when upstream releases fix. Check npm view open-websearch versions quarterly.

Order to try web search (fastest to most-thorough)

  1. mcp__chirag127__keenable-web-search_search_web_pages — default
  2. mcp__chirag127__oevortex-ddg-search_web-search — fast fallback
  3. mcp__chirag127__linkupplatform-linkup-mcp-server_linkup-search (depth: deep) — when need comprehensive
  4. mcp__fetch__fetch — when you have a specific URL
  5. Retry tavily / brave after a ToolSearch load + 24h cooldown

Other broken / abandoned MCPs noted

MCP Issue
DesignSync Disconnected mid-session (system-reminder confirmed) — server died

Re-evaluation cadence

Test quarterly:

  1. Try the conditionally-broken ones (tavily, brave, exa) with fresh API keys
  2. Try pinkpixel-ddg to see if results came back
  3. Try searxng with a fresh JSON-parse retry

If any becomes reliable for 5+ test queries, remove from this list and add to the working set in .agents/claude/rules/never-use-native-web-tools.md.