Firecrawl MCP server in Claude Code the web, from your terminal.
One CLI command or one .mcp.json entry gives Claude Code scrape, crawl, search, and extract tools backed by Firecrawl. Here's both routes, plus how to debug when the server doesn't register.
Firecrawl MCP Server (github.com/firecrawl/firecrawl-mcp-server, 6.5k stars) lets Claude Code search, scrape, and interact with the web — pulling a competitor's docs page as clean markdown, crawling a site, or extracting structured data mid-task without leaving the terminal.
Claude Code gives you two ways in: the `claude mcp add` CLI for personal setups, or a project-root .mcp.json for servers your whole team should share. Both are covered below.
Grab a Firecrawl API key first
The MCP server is a thin client over the Firecrawl API, so it needs an API key — the kind that starts with fc-. Create one free at firecrawl.dev. The npm package itself (firecrawl-mcp) is open source; the key just authenticates your scraping requests against Firecrawl's hosted service.
Route 1: the CLI one-liner
For your own machine, the fastest path is a single command: `claude mcp add firecrawl --env FIRECRAWL_API_KEY=fc-YOUR-API-KEY -- npx -y firecrawl-mcp`. That registers the server at local scope (just you, just this project). Add `--scope user` if you want Firecrawl available in every project on your machine.
Route 2: project-scoped .mcp.json
To share the server with everyone who clones the repo, commit a .mcp.json at the project root instead:
{
"mcpServers": {
"firecrawl": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "firecrawl-mcp"],
"env": {
"FIRECRAWL_API_KEY": "fc-YOUR-API-KEY"
}
}
}
}Verify the registration
Run `claude mcp list` to confirm the server is registered, or type `/mcp` inside a Claude Code session to see connection status and the tool list — you should see Firecrawl's scrape, search, crawl, map, and extract tools. Then just ask: "scrape https://example.com and summarize it."
For long agentic sessions it's worth knowing the server's tuning knobs: env vars like FIRECRAWL_RETRY_MAX_ATTEMPTS control automatic retries on rate limits, and FIRECRAWL_CREDIT_WARNING_THRESHOLD makes the server warn before your Firecrawl credits run dry — useful when Claude Code is crawling unattended. Add them to the same env block as the API key.
The server's full tool list is also published on its live Loomal listing at https://loomal.ai/marketplace/firecrawl-mcp-server.
Troubleshooting in Claude Code
Server registered but not connecting: check `/mcp` for the failure state, and remember Claude Code reads .mcp.json at session start — restart the session after editing. Project-scoped servers also require a one-time approval prompt the first time you open the project; if you dismissed it, run `claude mcp reset-project-choices` and reopen.
If npx is the problem (command not found, or hangs on first run while downloading), confirm Node 18+ is installed and on the PATH of the shell that launched claude. On Windows, stdio servers need the wrapper form: `cmd /c npx -y firecrawl-mcp`. A burst of 401 errors from the tools means the fc- key is wrong — env vars set in .mcp.json beat whatever is in your shell, so check the file first.
FAQ
How do I install Firecrawl in Claude Code?
Either run `claude mcp add firecrawl --env FIRECRAWL_API_KEY=fc-YOUR-KEY -- npx -y firecrawl-mcp`, or commit a .mcp.json at your project root with an mcpServers entry for firecrawl-mcp. The CLI route is personal; the .mcp.json route is shared with everyone who clones the repo.
Where does Claude Code store MCP configuration?
It depends on scope. Local- and user-scoped servers added via `claude mcp add` live in your user configuration; project-scoped servers live in a .mcp.json file at the repo root, which is designed to be checked into version control.
Firecrawl doesn't appear after I edited .mcp.json — why?
Claude Code reads .mcp.json when a session starts, so restart the session. Also check that you approved the project's MCP servers when prompted — Claude Code asks once per project for security, and a dismissed prompt looks identical to a broken config.
Do I pay anything to use this server?
The firecrawl-mcp package is free and open source. Scraping requests are billed by Firecrawl against your fc- API key per their plans — check firecrawl.dev for current limits and pricing.
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