MCP server Official

Fetch MCP Server

Q: Is the Fetch MCP server safe to point at internal networks?

The README cautions it can access local and internal IP addresses and may be a security risk.

Q: How does Fetch MCP read long pages?

It truncates output; use start_index to continue from a later character offset.

Q: How do I run the Fetch MCP server?

Use uvx mcp-server-fetch, or pip install mcp-server-fetch, or the mcp/fetch Docker image.

Reference MCP server that fetches a URL and returns its content as markdown, in chunks, for LLM use.

Author: Model Context Protocol
Works with: Any MCP client
License: MIT
Documented: Oct 2, 2026

Repository ↗ Official docs ↗

What Fetch MCP Server is

A Python MCP server that retrieves web pages and converts HTML to markdown. Responses are truncated, and start_index lets the model read a page in chunks.

What it does

Where Fetch MCP Server runs and what it adds, from its documentation

Fetch a URL and return markdown
Limit output with max_length (default 5000)
Page through long content with start_index
Return raw content when raw is true
Expose a fetch prompt

When to use it

Good fit

Letting an agent read a known web page
Reading long pages in chunks

Not for

Locked-down environments: README warns it can reach local/internal IP addresses
Production use without review: The root README says these are reference implementations meant as educational examples, not production-ready solutions.

How to install Fetch MCP Server

You need: uv/uvx or pip with Python; MCP Python SDK 1.x (mcp>=1.29.0,<2); Node.js optional

Install uv (recommended) or use pip/Docker
Run it with uvx mcp-server-fetch, or pip install mcp-server-fetch
Add the command to your MCP client config
Optionally install Node.js for a more robust HTML simplifier

Configuration example (from the official docs)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "fetch": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-server-fetch"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Permissions and security

What it can access

Network access to fetch any URL, including local/internal addresses

Security notes from the maintainers

README caution: can access local/internal IP addresses and may expose sensitive data
The root README says these are reference implementations meant as educational examples, not production-ready solutions.

Review the source before granting an agent access to credentials or production systems. We document what the maintainers state; we do not audit code.

Limitations

Responses are truncated by default
Port to MCP SDK 2.0 is in progress

Frequently asked questions

Is the Fetch MCP server safe to point at internal networks?

The README cautions it can access local and internal IP addresses and may be a security risk. source

How does Fetch MCP read long pages?

It truncates output; use start_index to continue from a later character offset. source

How do I run the Fetch MCP server?

Use uvx mcp-server-fetch, or pip install mcp-server-fetch, or the mcp/fetch Docker image. source

Related guides

Sources and gaps

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers/main/src/fetch/README.md readme, checked Oct 2, 2026
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers/main/README.md readme, checked Oct 2, 2026

Not stated by the maintainers: Hosts other than generic MCP clients are not individually named as supported for Claude Code/Cursor/Windsurf/Codex in this README; last_release date not visible in the checked README.