You want your AI agent to research the live web, but every search API wants its own key. Here's how to give Claude or Cursor web research with Deep Research MCP — the search runs on the platform, so there's no separate key.
Step by step
Start the MCP server on Apify
Open the Deep Research MCP actor and run it in Standby mode to get your MCP endpoint URL.
Connect your agent
Add the /mcp endpoint to Claude Desktop, Cursor, or any MCP client's config.
Ask it to research
Your agent now has web_search, read_url, and deep_research tools. Ask a question and it pulls live sources.
Get a cited dossier
deep_research returns sources with relevance scores, published dates, and query-relevant highlights — your agent writes the synthesis with [n] citations.
What you get
An AI agent that researches the live web and returns citation-ready answers — without you managing an OpenAI, Tavily, or Perplexity key.
Try it free to start
Run Deep Research MCP on Apify — pay only for results, no subscription. New to Apify? It's free to start.
Open on Apify →FAQ
Do I need an OpenAI or Tavily key?
No. The agent does the synthesis; the server does search + reading.
Which clients work?
Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, and any MCP client.