Summary
Connects Claude and other MCP clients to ZenRows' scraping infrastructure to fetch content from any website without hitting bot detection. You get two tool families: a single `scrape` call that returns Markdown, HTML, JSON, or screenshots via the Universal Scraper API, and 30+ `browser_*` tools for full automation like clicking, form filling, and session management through their Scraping Browser. Works as either a remote HTTPS server or local stdio process. Useful when you need an AI to pull live data from sites that would normally block automated requests, or when you want to hand off the proxy rotation and anti-bot headaches to managed infrastructure instead of wrestling with Playwright or Puppeteer yourself.
Fastest browser for AI agents to run web automation tasks, always free.
Download Free life-time →
Notes, actions and memory. Without a meeting bot. First month 100% off.
Download for free →
belt cli automatically finds the best tools and skills for your agent. image, video, music, tts...
one prompt install →
Connect your Claude agent to live crypto prices and trading routes via 1inch
Get the MCP →
Block distracting apps from your iPhone permanently without a 3rd party app. Free and open source.
Block now (100% free) →Tools
Public tool metadata for what this MCP can expose to an agent.
1 tools
scrapeScrape any webpage and return its content using ZenRows. Use this tool to fetch webpage content for analysis. By default it returns clean markdown, which is ideal for LLM processing. When to enable options: - js_render: page uses React/Vue/Angular, loads content dynamically, o...14 params
Scrape any webpage and return its content using ZenRows. Use this tool to fetch webpage content for analysis. By default it returns clean markdown, which is ideal for LLM processing. When to enable options: - js_render: page uses React/Vue/Angular, loads content dynamically, o...
Parameters* required
autoparsebooleanAutomatically extract structured data from the page into JSON. Best for product pages, articles, and listings.
css_extractorstringExtract specific elements using CSS selectors. JSON object mapping names to selectors, e.g. '{"title":"h1","price":".price-tag"}'. Returns JSON instead of full page content.
js_instructionsstringJSON array of browser interactions to run before scraping. Requires js_render=true. Example: [{"click":"#load-more"},{"wait":1000},{"wait_for":".results"}]
js_renderbooleanEnable JavaScript rendering via headless browser. Required for SPAs (React, Vue, Angular) and pages that load content dynamically.default: false
outputsstringComma-separated list of data types to extract as structured JSON. Available: emails, headings, links, menus, images, videos, audios. Use '*' for all types. Returns JSON instead of full page content.
premium_proxybooleanUse premium residential proxies to bypass anti-bot protection. Required for heavily protected sites. Implies higher credit cost.default: false
proxy_countrystringCountry for geo-targeted scraping. ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code (e.g. 'US', 'GB', 'DE'). Requires premium_proxy=true.
response_typestringOutput format. 'markdown' (default) preserves structure and is ideal for LLMs. 'plaintext' strips all formatting for pure text extraction. 'pdf' returns a PDF of the page. 'html' returns the raw HT...one of
markdown · plaintext · pdf · htmldefault: markdownscreenshotbooleanCapture an above-the-fold screenshot of the page. Returns an image instead of text content. Useful for visual verification or debugging.
screenshot_fullpagebooleanCapture a full-page screenshot including content below the fold. Returns an image instead of text content.
screenshot_selectorstringCapture a screenshot of a specific element using a CSS selector. Example: ".product-card". Returns an image instead of text content.
urlstringThe webpage URL to scrape
waitintegerMilliseconds to wait after page load before capturing content. Max 30000 (30s). Requires js_render=true.
wait_forstringCSS selector to wait for before capturing. Use when key content loads after the initial page render. Requires js_render=true.
Zenrows MCP Server
The Zenrows MCP (Model Context Protocol) server is the standard way AI systems use Zenrows' web data infrastructure. A single connection gives your AI assistant, agent, or application reliable, real-time access to the live web, including the protected web.
📚 Full documentation: docs.zenrows.com/mcp/overview
Why Zenrows MCP
- Reach sites that normally block bots. Get reliable access to protected sites at scale, without building anti-bot handling yourself.
- Managed web data infrastructure. Proxy rotation, headless browser orchestration, anti-bot handling, and session management run on Zenrows' infrastructure.
- Plug into any AI you already use. Works with any MCP client, including AI assistants, agent frameworks, AI SDKs, IDE plugins, and custom applications.
- Plain English, no scraping code. Describe the task naturally and the AI picks the right tool. No selectors, no proxy management, no anti-bot tuning.
Quick start
Zenrows MCP supports two transport options. Both expose the same set of tools and capabilities. Pick the one that fits your client.
Remote MCP server
Use the hosted Zenrows MCP server when your AI application calls an LLM API directly. The server runs on Zenrows' infrastructure, so there is nothing to install, configure, or update.
Server URL:
https://mcp.zenrows.com/mcp
Transport: Streamable HTTP
Authentication: OAuth or API key as Bearer token. Pass your Zenrows API key in the Authorization header on every request (or complete OAuth in clients that support it).
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ZENROWS_API_KEY
Most MCP clients accept this through an authorization shorthand field on the tool config and forward it as the Bearer token automatically. Some clients use a free-form headers field instead. Either approach works.
Remote MCP does not auto-create accounts. Use OAuth “Create Free account” in the client, or pass an existing API key.
Example: OpenAI Responses API
import os
from openai import OpenAI
ZENROWS_API_KEY = os.environ["ZENROWS_API_KEY"]
client = OpenAI(api_key=os.environ["OPENAI_API_KEY"])
response = client.responses.create(
model="gpt-5",
tools=[
{
"type": "mcp",
"server_label": "zenrows",
"server_description": "Web scraping MCP server for accessing live web content.",
"server_url": "https://mcp.zenrows.com/mcp",
"authorization": ZENROWS_API_KEY,
"require_approval": "never",
}
],
input="Visit https://news.ycombinator.com/ and summarize the three most recent posts.",
)
print(response.output_text)
For the full walkthrough with framework-specific examples, see the Remote MCP server docs.
Local MCP server
Use the local stdio configuration when your MCP client runs the server as a local subprocess instead of calling a remote URL. This is the standard setup for desktop AI tools and IDE plugins, including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code, Zed, and JetBrains IDEs.
Package: @zenrows/mcp on npm
Authentication:
ZENROWS_API_KEYenvironment variable, or- Key previously stored in
~/.zenrows/secrets.json, or - Auto-signup (default): if neither is set, stdio provisions a Free plan account via
POST /api/agent/signup, persists the key + claim metadata under~/.zenrows/(secrets.json+account.json, mode0600), and prints a claim URL on stderr. Opt out withZENROWS_AUTO_SIGNUP=false.
Requirements: Node.js installed (for npx to work).
Configuration (with your own key):
{
"mcpServers": {
"zenrows": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@zenrows/mcp"],
"env": {
"ZENROWS_API_KEY": "YOUR_ZENROWS_API_KEY"
}
}
}
}
Zero-config (auto-signup):
{
"mcpServers": {
"zenrows": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@zenrows/mcp"]
}
}
}
The exact location of this config varies by client. See the per-client setup guides for the file path for your client.
Tools
The Zenrows MCP exposes these tool families:
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
scrape | Full-page content → Markdown, plain text, HTML, PDF, or screenshot (plus helper outputs). |
extract | Structured JSON (extract=auto, autoparse, or css_extractor) + optional stealth flags. extract=auto is open beta (currently free; billing may apply later). |
batch_create / batch_status / batch_results / batch_cancel / batch_wait | Cloud Batch API fan-out (async.api.zenrows.com). Beta; may return BATCH_ACCESS_DENIED. Not browser_batch. |
browser_* | 30+ tools for full browser automation (navigation, clicks, forms, JS, cookies, tabs, sessions). |
The AI selects the right tool from your prompt. You don't call tools directly in code.
See the full tool reference for every tool, parameter, and return value.
Development
git clone https://github.com/ZenRows/zenrows-mcp
cd zenrows-mcp
npm install
cp .env.example .env # Optional: add your API key (stdio can auto-signup)
npm run dev # Run with .env loaded (requires Node.js 20.6+)
npm run build # Compile to dist/
npm run inspect # Open the MCP inspector UI
Pull requests and issues are welcome.
Resources
License
Featured
Fastest browser for AI agents to run web automation tasks, always free.
Download Free life-time →Notes, actions and memory. Without a meeting bot. First month 100% off.
Download for free →belt cli automatically finds the best tools and skills for your agent. image, video, music, tts...
one prompt install →Connect your Claude agent to live crypto prices and trading routes via 1inch
Get the MCP →Block distracting apps from your iPhone permanently without a 3rd party app. Free and open source.
Block now (100% free) →Configuration
ZENROWS_API_KEY*secretYour ZenRows API key from https://app.zenrows.com/account/settings