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Web research

Wire Brave Search (or a similar managed MCP search server) into a project so agents can research the live web.

Goal

Declare a skill that requires @brave.search, run an MCP Brave Search server with ${BraveApiKey}, and expose a search tool. Then install and call it via MCP or capa sh.

capabilities.yaml

providers:
  - cursor

skills:
  - id: web-researcher
    type: inline
    def:
      description: Web research using Brave Search
      requires:
        - '@brave.search'
      content: |
        ---
        name: web-researcher
        description: Search the web for current information
        ---

        # Web Researcher

        Use brave.search when you need up-to-date web results.
        Prefer specific queries; pass count only when you need more than the default.

servers:
  - id: brave
    type: mcp
    def:
      cmd: npx
      args:
        - -y
        - "@modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-search"
      env:
        BRAVE_API_KEY: ${BraveApiKey}

tools:
  - id: search
    type: mcp
    def:
      server: "@brave"
      tool: brave_web_search

Skill requires uses @brave.search (server id + tool id). The tool entry maps that to the upstream MCP name brave_web_search.

Install

capa init          # if you do not already have a capabilities file
# paste or edit the YAML above into capabilities.yaml
capa install       # prompts for BraveApiKey via the web UI

Or supply the key from .env:

echo "BraveApiKey=your-api-key" > .env
capa install -e

Verify

capa status
capa sh brave --help
capa sh brave search --query "MCP protocol specification"

See also