ZenRows MCP

Model Context Protocol server for the ZenRows Universal Scraper API.
Give any MCP-compatible AI assistant the ability to scrape any webpage — including JavaScript-rendered content and anti-bot protected sites.

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Quick Start

Claude Code

claude mcp add zenrows -e ZENROWS_API_KEY=YOUR_API_KEY -- npx -y @zenrows/mcp

Or ask your AI assistant naturally once configured:

Scrape https://example.com and summarize the content.

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Tool

scrape

Fetches a webpage and returns its content as clean markdown (default), plaintext, raw HTML, PDF, structured JSON, or a screenshot. See the ZenRows API docs for full parameter reference.

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
url	string	required	Webpage URL to scrape
js_render	boolean	false	Enable JS rendering for SPAs and dynamic content
premium_proxy	boolean	false	Use residential proxies to bypass anti-bot systems
proxy_country	string	—	ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code (e.g. US, GB). Requires premium_proxy
response_type	markdown | plaintext | pdf | html	markdown	Output format. html returns raw source (ZenRows default when no param is sent). Ignored when autoparse, css_extractor, outputs, or screenshot params are set
autoparse	boolean	—	Auto-extract structured JSON from the page
css_extractor	string	—	JSON map of CSS selectors: {"title":"h1","price":".price"}
outputs	string	—	Comma-separated data types to extract as JSON: emails, headings, links, menus, images, videos, audios. Use * for all
screenshot	boolean	—	Capture an above-the-fold screenshot. Returns an image
screenshot_fullpage	boolean	—	Capture a full-page screenshot. Returns an image
screenshot_selector	string	—	Capture a screenshot of a specific element via CSS selector
wait_for	string	—	CSS selector to wait for before capturing. Requires js_render
wait	number	—	Milliseconds to wait after load (max 30000). Requires js_render
js_instructions	string	—	JSON array of browser actions. Requires js_render

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When to use which options

Content doesn't appear or page is blank → Enable js_render: true. The page likely uses React, Vue, or Angular.

Getting 403 or blocked errors → Add premium_proxy: true. For geo-restricted content, also set proxy_country.

Content loads after a delay or interaction → Use wait_for (CSS selector) or wait (milliseconds) with js_render: true. → For clicks or form inputs before scraping, use js_instructions.

Only need specific data, not the full page → Use css_extractor with a JSON map of selectors for precise extraction. → Use autoparse for structured pages like products or articles. → Use outputs to pull links, emails, images, or other content types.

Need to verify what the page looks like → Use screenshot or screenshot_fullpage for visual debugging. → Use screenshot_selector to capture a specific element.

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Installation

Claude Desktop

Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zenrows": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@zenrows/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "ZENROWS_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Code

claude mcp add zenrows -e ZENROWS_API_KEY=YOUR_API_KEY -- npx -y @zenrows/mcp

Or add to your project's .mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zenrows": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@zenrows/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "ZENROWS_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global) or .cursor/mcp.json (project):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zenrows": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@zenrows/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "ZENROWS_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

Edit ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zenrows": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@zenrows/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "ZENROWS_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Code (GitHub Copilot)

Edit .vscode/mcp.json in your project:

{
  "servers": {
    "zenrows": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@zenrows/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "ZENROWS_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Zed

Edit ~/.config/zed/settings.json:

{
  "context_servers": {
    "zenrows": {
      "command": {
        "path": "npx",
        "args": ["-y", "@zenrows/mcp"],
        "env": {
          "ZENROWS_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

JetBrains IDEs

Go to Settings → Tools → AI Assistant → Model Context Protocol and add:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zenrows": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@zenrows/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "ZENROWS_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

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Examples

Once configured, ask your AI assistant naturally:

Scrape the pricing page at https://zenrows.com/pricing and summarize the plans.

Fetch https://example.com/ — it's a React SPA, so enable JS rendering.

Get the top 5 results from https://www.scrapingcourse.com/ecommerce/ and extract just the product names and prices.

Take a full-page screenshot of https://news.ycombinator.com to see the current layout.

Scrape https://protected-site.com — it keeps blocking me, use premium proxies.

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Development

git clone https://github.com/ZenRows/zenrows-mcp
cd zenrows-mcp
npm install
cp .env.example .env   # add your API key
npm run dev            # run with .env loaded (requires Node 20.6+)
npm run build          # compile to dist/
npm run inspect        # open MCP inspector UI