PluginBench
MCP Server
Active
AGPL-3.0

fastCRW MCP Server

io.github.us/fastcrw

Open-source Rust web crawler and search engine for AI agents—scrape, crawl, map, and search with markdown or JSON output.

What is the fastCRW MCP server?

fastCRW is an open-source, self-hostable Rust crawler and search engine designed for AI agents. It converts URLs into clean markdown or structured JSON and supports scraping, crawling, mapping, searching, and extracting data from web pages. Available as a managed API with 1000 free credits or as a local binary.

fastCRW turns URLs into clean markdown or JSON output with a single engine for search, scrape, map, crawl, and extract operations. Run it locally as a Rust binary or use the managed API. It's optimized for AI agents and benchmarks show it recovers more accurate data than competitors while using minimal RAM (~14 MB).

How to install fastCRW

Copy-paste configuration for popular MCP clients.

transport: http
Config generated by PluginBench — verify against the source before use.
~/.cursor/mcp.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "fastcrw": {
      "url": "https://fastcrw.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Tools & capabilities

Tools this server exposes to the agent.

  • Scrape — Convert one URL to markdown, HTML, links, screenshots, or schema JSON
  • Crawl — Follow a bounded site crawl and collect its pages
  • Map — Discover URLs without scraping every page
  • Search — Search the web and optionally scrape selected results
  • Extract — Produce structured fields from one or many URLs

Use cases

  • Extract structured data from websites for AI training or analysis
  • Search the web and automatically scrape relevant results for context
  • Crawl entire websites to build knowledge bases or site maps
  • Convert web content to markdown for LLM processing
  • Monitor and extract data from multiple URLs in batch operations

fastCRW MCP server FAQ

What is fastCRW?

fastCRW is an open-source web crawler and search engine written in Rust. It converts URLs into clean markdown or JSON and supports scraping, crawling, mapping, searching, and extracting data. It's designed for AI agents and available as both a managed API and self-hosted binary.

Is fastCRW free?

Yes. The managed API offers 1000 free credits with no credit card required (sign up with GitHub). You can also run it locally as a self-hosted Rust binary at no cost.

How do I install fastCRW in Cursor or Claude?

Run `npx -y crw-mcp@latest install` to install the MCP server and CRW skill in your detected AI tools. Alternatively, run `crw setup` which includes this step. Manual setup instructions are available in the docs.

Do I need an API key?

For the managed API, yes—get a free API key at fastcrw.com/register. For local/self-hosted mode, no API key is needed; just install and run the Rust binary.

What formats can fastCRW output?

fastCRW outputs markdown, HTML, JSON (including schema), links, and screenshots. You can specify which formats you need when scraping.

Can I self-host fastCRW?

Yes. fastCRW is open-source (AGPL-3.0) and can be self-hosted. You control renderers, search, authentication, proxies, and capacity. Installation and self-hosting guides are in the documentation.

README (reference)

Source of truth, from the repository.

<p align="center"> <img src="docs/logo-animation.gif" alt="fastCRW" width="180" /> </p> <h1 align="center">fastCRW</h1> <p align="center"> Turn URLs into clean <strong>markdown</strong> or structured <strong>JSON</strong> with one engine for search, scrape, map, crawl, and extract. </p> <p align="center"> Run it locally as a small Rust binary or use the managed API. </p> <p align="center"> <a href="https://fastcrw.com/register"><strong>Get 1000 free credits →</strong></a> · <a href="#one-command-install"><strong>Install</strong></a> · <a href="https://docs.fastcrw.com"><strong>Docs</strong></a> </p> <p align="center"> <sub>No credit card. Continue with GitHub.</sub> </p> <p align="center"> <a href="https://crates.io/crates/crw-server"><img src="https://img.shields.io/crates/v/crw-server.svg" alt="crates.io"></a> <a href="https://pypi.org/project/crw/"><img src="https://img.shields.io/pypi/v/crw.svg?label=pypi" alt="PyPI"></a> <a href="https://www.npmjs.com/package/crw-mcp"><img src="https://img.shields.io/npm/v/crw-mcp.svg?label=npm%20mcp" alt="npm crw-mcp"></a> <a href="https://github.com/us/crw/actions/workflows/ci.yml"><img src="https://github.com/us/crw/actions/workflows/ci.yml/badge.svg?branch=main&event=push" alt="CI"></a> <a href="LICENSE"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/license-AGPL--3.0-blue.svg" alt="License"></a> <a href="https://github.com/us/crw/stargazers"><img src="https://img.shields.io/github/stars/us/crw?style=social" alt="GitHub Stars"></a> </p>

One-command install

curl -fsSL https://fastcrw.com/install | sh

Then point it at the Cloud:

crw setup

1000 free credits, no credit card. Managed proxies, JS rendering and search, with nothing to run or keep up to date. Get my free key →

The same command configures a fully local install if you would rather run it yourself. macOS and Linux, Intel and ARM. More install options →

What it does

OperationOutcome
ScrapeOne URL to markdown, HTML, links, screenshots, or schema JSON
CrawlFollow a bounded site crawl and collect its pages
MapDiscover URLs without scraping every page
SearchSearch the web and optionally scrape selected results
ExtractProduce structured fields from one or many URLs

See the full API →

Why fastCRW

On Firecrawl's own public 1,000-URL dataset, fastCRW recovered more truth than Crawl4AI and Firecrawl, matched the fastest median latency, and idled at ~14 MB RAM.

<p align="center"> <a href="BENCHMARKS.md"> <img src=".github/benchmarks/bench-radar.svg" alt="fastCRW compared with Crawl4AI and Firecrawl on truth-recall, unique recoveries, median latency, download size, and recall depth" width="100%"> </a> </p> <p align="center"><sub><a href="BENCHMARKS.md">Methodology, full numbers, and how to reproduce it</a></sub></p>

Choose how you use it

CLI

crw https://example.com            # scrape, works right after install
crw search "rust async runtime"    # search, after `crw setup`

Python SDK

Using Cloud? Get an API key, then export it once:

export CRW_API_KEY="crw_live_..."
pip install crw
from crw import CrwClient

client = CrwClient()
page = client.scrape("https://example.com", formats=["markdown"])

print(page["markdown"])
<details> <summary><strong>Node.js</strong></summary>
npm install crw-sdk
import { CrwClient } from "crw-sdk";

const client = new CrwClient();

const page = await client.scrape("https://example.com", {
  formats: ["markdown"],
});

console.log(page.markdown);
</details>

Local mode and more SDK examples → · REST API →

MCP for AI agents

npx -y crw-mcp@latest install

Installs the CRW skill and MCP server in your detected AI tools. crw setup can also do this step, so either path is enough. Manual setup →

Choose where it runs

Managed APILocal / self-hosted
Best forZero infrastructure and managed scalingData control, private networks, or custom infrastructure
StartCreate an API key, then crw setupInstall and run crw <URL>
OperationsManaged proxies, billing, and hosted capabilitiesYou choose renderers, search, auth, proxies, and capacity

Capabilities and response shapes can differ by deployment: /v1/capabilities · response shapes

Self-hosting guide →

Learn more

Contributing

The workspace requires Rust 1.85 or newer:

git clone https://github.com/us/crw
cd crw
make check-fast

Read the contributor guide →

Engine and MCP server: AGPL-3.0. Python and TypeScript SDKs: MIT. Embedding license: hello@fastcrw.com.

Star History

<a href="https://www.star-history.com/?repos=us%2Fcrw&type=date&legend=top-left"> <picture> <source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="https://api.star-history.com/chart?repos=us/crw&type=date&theme=dark&legend=top-left&sealed_token=Pe6pRWL7lqTM-St9eo-Cmpk5kYNyuyun0krw9eVZQFIrm3g_R2h46IW6wfNalPXquMsWSNCgKqiar1YVo9MGy2IZmN5Lz6rjZcjBCw6bCcRHORKORFRi9A" /> <source media="(prefers-color-scheme: light)" srcset="https://api.star-history.com/chart?repos=us/crw&type=date&legend=top-left&sealed_token=Pe6pRWL7lqTM-St9eo-Cmpk5kYNyuyun0krw9eVZQFIrm3g_R2h46IW6wfNalPXquMsWSNCgKqiar1YVo9MGy2IZmN5Lz6rjZcjBCw6bCcRHORKORFRi9A" /> <img alt="Star History Chart" src="https://api.star-history.com/chart?repos=us/crw&type=date&legend=top-left&sealed_token=Pe6pRWL7lqTM-St9eo-Cmpk5kYNyuyun0krw9eVZQFIrm3g_R2h46IW6wfNalPXquMsWSNCgKqiar1YVo9MGy2IZmN5Lz6rjZcjBCw6bCcRHORKORFRi9A" /> </picture> </a> <details> <summary>Contributors</summary> <!-- contributors:start --> <p align="center"> <a href="https://github.com/us" title="us"><img src="https://github.com/us.png?size=96" width="48" height="48" alt="us"/></a> <a href="https://github.com/santhreal" title="santhreal"><img src="https://github.com/santhreal.png?size=96" width="48" height="48" alt="santhreal"/></a> <a href="https://github.com/AsheTheWings" title="AsheTheWings"><img src="https://github.com/AsheTheWings.png?size=96" width="48" height="48" alt="AsheTheWings"/></a> <a href="https://github.com/adambenhassen" title="adambenhassen"><img src="https://github.com/adambenhassen.png?size=96" width="48" height="48" alt="adambenhassen"/></a> <a href="https://github.com/paoloantinori" title="paoloantinori"><img src="https://github.com/paoloantinori.png?size=96" width="48" height="48" alt="paoloantinori"/></a> <a href="https://github.com/mj520" title="mj520"><img src="https://github.com/mj520.png?size=96" width="48" height="48" alt="mj520"/></a> </p> <!-- contributors:end --> </details>

<sub>Please respect website policies. Crawl and map follow robots.txt by default.</sub>

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