feat: add MCP marketplace with free search engine servers (DuckDuckGo, SearXNG)

Adds a "Quick Add Servers" section to the MCP settings view that lets users
install pre-configured free search engine MCP servers with one click:

- DuckDuckGo Search (via uvx duckduckgo-mcp-server) - no API key needed
- SearXNG (via npx mcp-searxng) - requires self-hosted instance URL
- Web Search (via npx web-search-mcp) - no API key needed

Implementation:
- New mcpMarketplaceCatalog with extensible server templates
- McpHub.addServer() method for programmatic server installation
- installMcpServer webview message type and handler
- McpMarketplace UI component with install buttons and env config
- i18n translations for marketplace strings
- Tests for catalog validation and UI component

Closes #12361

packages/types/src/vscode-extension-host.ts

@@ -451,6 +451,7 @@ export interface WebviewMessage {
 		| "checkpointDiff"
 		| "checkpointRestore"
 		| "deleteMcpServer"
+		| "installMcpServer"
 		| "codebaseIndexEnabled"
 		| "searchFiles"
 		| "toggleApiConfigPin"

src/core/webview/webviewMessageHandler.ts

@@ -1299,6 +1299,24 @@ export const webviewMessageHandler = async (provider: ClineProvider, message: We
 			}
 			break
 		}
+		case "installMcpServer": {
+			if (!message.serverName || !message.config) {
+				break
+			}
+
+			try {
+				provider.log(`Attempting to install MCP server from marketplace: ${message.serverName}`)
+				await provider.getMcpHub()?.addServer(message.serverName, message.config)
+				provider.log(`Successfully installed MCP server: ${message.serverName}`)
+
+				// Refresh the webview state
+				await provider.postStateToWebview()
+			} catch (error) {
+				const errorMessage = error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)
+				provider.log(`Failed to install MCP server: ${errorMessage}`)
+			}
+			break
+		}
 		case "restartMcpServer": {
 			try {
 				await provider.getMcpHub()?.restartConnection(message.text!, message.source as "global" | "project")

src/i18n/locales/en/mcp.json

@@ -24,5 +24,9 @@
 		"refreshing_all": "Refreshing all MCP servers...",
 		"all_refreshed": "All MCP servers have been refreshed.",
 		"project_config_deleted": "Project MCP configuration file deleted. All project MCP servers have been disconnected."
+	},
+	"marketplace": {
+		"installed": "Added MCP server: {{serverName}}",
+		"alreadyInstalled": "Server \"{{serverName}}\" already exists in your MCP settings."
 	}
 }

src/services/mcp/McpHub.ts

@@ -1708,6 +1708,56 @@ export class McpHub {
 		}
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Add a new MCP server to the global settings file.
+	 * Used by the MCP Marketplace to install pre-configured servers.
+	 */
+	public async addServer(serverName: string, serverConfig: Record<string, unknown>): Promise<void> {
+		try {
+			const configPath = await this.getMcpSettingsFilePath()
+
+			// Ensure the settings file exists and is accessible
+			try {
+				await fs.access(configPath)
+			} catch {
+				throw new Error("Settings file not accessible")
+			}
+
+			const content = await fs.readFile(configPath, "utf-8")
+			const config = JSON.parse(content)
+
+			if (!config || typeof config !== "object") {
+				throw new Error("Invalid config structure")
+			}
+
+			if (!config.mcpServers || typeof config.mcpServers !== "object") {
+				config.mcpServers = {}
+			}
+
+			// Check if server already exists
+			if (config.mcpServers[serverName]) {
+				vscode.window.showWarningMessage(t("mcp:marketplace.alreadyInstalled", { serverName }))
+				return
+			}
+
+			config.mcpServers[serverName] = serverConfig
+
+			const updatedConfig = {
+				mcpServers: config.mcpServers,
+			}
+
+			await safeWriteJson(configPath, updatedConfig, { prettyPrint: true })
+
+			// Trigger server connections update
+			await this.updateServerConnections(config.mcpServers, "global")
+
+			vscode.window.showInformationMessage(t("mcp:marketplace.installed", { serverName }))
+		} catch (error) {
+			this.showErrorMessage(`Failed to add MCP server ${serverName}`, error)
+			throw error
+		}
+	}
+
 	async readResource(serverName: string, uri: string, source?: "global" | "project"): Promise<McpResourceResponse> {
 		const connection = this.findConnection(serverName, source)
 		if (!connection || connection.type !== "connected") {

src/shared/__tests__/mcpMarketplaceCatalog.spec.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+import { mcpMarketplaceCatalog, type McpMarketplaceItem } from "../mcpMarketplaceCatalog"
+
+describe("mcpMarketplaceCatalog", () => {
+	it("should export a non-empty array of marketplace items", () => {
+		expect(mcpMarketplaceCatalog).toBeInstanceOf(Array)
+		expect(mcpMarketplaceCatalog.length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
+	})
+
+	it("should have unique names for each item", () => {
+		const names = mcpMarketplaceCatalog.map((item) => item.name)
+		const uniqueNames = new Set(names)
+		expect(uniqueNames.size).toBe(names.length)
+	})
+
+	it("each item should have required fields", () => {
+		for (const item of mcpMarketplaceCatalog) {
+			expect(item.name).toBeTruthy()
+			expect(item.displayName).toBeTruthy()
+			expect(item.description).toBeTruthy()
+			expect(item.category).toBeTruthy()
+			expect(item.config).toBeDefined()
+			expect(item.config.command).toBeTruthy()
+			expect(item.config.args).toBeInstanceOf(Array)
+		}
+	})
+
+	it("items with requiresSetup should have setupEnvKeys", () => {
+		const setupItems = mcpMarketplaceCatalog.filter((item) => item.requiresSetup)
+		for (const item of setupItems) {
+			expect(item.setupEnvKeys).toBeDefined()
+			expect(item.setupEnvKeys!.length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
+		}
+	})
+
+	it("should include DuckDuckGo search server", () => {
+		const ddg = mcpMarketplaceCatalog.find((item) => item.name === "ddg-search")
+		expect(ddg).toBeDefined()
+		expect(ddg!.config.command).toBe("uvx")
+		expect(ddg!.config.args).toContain("duckduckgo-mcp-server")
+		expect(ddg!.requiresSetup).toBeFalsy()
+	})
+
+	it("should include SearXNG server with setup required", () => {
+		const searxng = mcpMarketplaceCatalog.find((item) => item.name === "searxng")
+		expect(searxng).toBeDefined()
+		expect(searxng!.requiresSetup).toBe(true)
+		expect(searxng!.setupEnvKeys).toContain("SEARXNG_URL")
+	})
+})

src/shared/mcpMarketplaceCatalog.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+/**
+ * Pre-configured MCP server templates for one-click installation from the MCP Marketplace.
+ * Each entry defines a server configuration that can be written to the user's MCP settings file.
+ */
+
+export interface McpMarketplaceItem {
+	/** Unique key used as the server name in mcpServers config */
+	name: string
+	/** Human-readable display name */
+	displayName: string
+	/** Short description of what the server does */
+	description: string
+	/** Category tag for grouping */
+	category: "search" | "tools" | "data"
+	/** The MCP server configuration to write */
+	config: {
+		command: string
+		args: string[]
+		env?: Record<string, string>
+		alwaysAllow?: string[]
+	}
+	/** Whether the server requires user-provided env variables before installation */
+	requiresSetup?: boolean
+	/** Keys in env that need user customization (e.g. instance URLs) */
+	setupEnvKeys?: string[]
+	/** URL for more info / docs */
+	url?: string
+}
+
+export const mcpMarketplaceCatalog: McpMarketplaceItem[] = [
+	{
+		name: "ddg-search",
+		displayName: "DuckDuckGo Search",
+		description: "Free web search via DuckDuckGo. No API key required.",
+		category: "search",
+		config: {
+			command: "uvx",
+			args: ["duckduckgo-mcp-server"],
+			env: {
+				DDG_SAFE_SEARCH: "OFF",
+				DDG_REGION: "wt-wt",
+			},
+			alwaysAllow: ["search", "fetch_content"],
+		},
+		url: "https://pypi.org/project/duckduckgo-mcp-server/",
+	},
+	{
+		name: "searxng",
+		displayName: "SearXNG",
+		description: "Privacy-focused metasearch engine. Requires a self-hosted SearXNG instance URL.",
+		category: "search",
+		config: {
+			command: "npx",
+			args: ["-y", "mcp-searxng"],
+			env: {
+				SEARXNG_URL: "https://searxng.example.com",
+			},
+			alwaysAllow: ["searxng_web_search", "web_url_read"],
+		},
+		requiresSetup: true,
+		setupEnvKeys: ["SEARXNG_URL"],
+		url: "https://www.npmjs.com/package/mcp-searxng",
+	},
+	{
+		name: "web-search",
+		displayName: "Web Search (DuckDuckGo)",
+		description: "Lightweight web search via DuckDuckGo. No API key required. Uses npx.",
+		category: "search",
+		config: {
+			command: "npx",
+			args: ["-y", "github:tiagohanna123/web-search-mcp"],
+			alwaysAllow: [],
+		},
+		url: "https://github.com/tiagohanna123/web-search-mcp",
+	},
+]

webview-ui/src/components/mcp/McpMarketplace.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,160 @@
+import React, { useState } from "react"
+import { VSCodeLink } from "@vscode/webview-ui-toolkit/react"
+
+import { vscode } from "@src/utils/vscode"
+import { useExtensionState } from "@src/context/ExtensionStateContext"
+import { useAppTranslation } from "@src/i18n/TranslationContext"
+import { Button } from "@src/components/ui"
+
+import { mcpMarketplaceCatalog, type McpMarketplaceItem } from "../../../../src/shared/mcpMarketplaceCatalog"
+
+const McpMarketplace = () => {
+	const { mcpServers: servers } = useExtensionState()
+	const { t } = useAppTranslation()
+
+	const installedServerNames = new Set(servers.map((s) => s.name))
+
+	return (
+		<div style={{ marginTop: "15px" }}>
+			<div
+				style={{
+					fontWeight: 500,
+					fontSize: "13px",
+					color: "var(--vscode-foreground)",
+					marginBottom: "6px",
+				}}>
+				{t("mcp:marketplace.title")}
+			</div>
+			<div
+				style={{
+					fontSize: "12px",
+					color: "var(--vscode-descriptionForeground)",
+					marginBottom: "10px",
+				}}>
+				{t("mcp:marketplace.description")}
+			</div>
+			<div style={{ display: "flex", flexDirection: "column", gap: "8px" }}>
+				{mcpMarketplaceCatalog.map((item) => (
+					<MarketplaceRow key={item.name} item={item} isInstalled={installedServerNames.has(item.name)} />
+				))}
+			</div>
+		</div>
+	)
+}
+
+const MarketplaceRow = ({ item, isInstalled }: { item: McpMarketplaceItem; isInstalled: boolean }) => {
+	const { t } = useAppTranslation()
+	const [envValues, setEnvValues] = useState<Record<string, string>>(() => {
+		const initial: Record<string, string> = {}
+		if (item.setupEnvKeys) {
+			for (const key of item.setupEnvKeys) {
+				initial[key] = item.config.env?.[key] ?? ""
+			}
+		}
+		return initial
+	})
+
+	const handleInstall = () => {
+		const config = { ...item.config }
+		if (item.requiresSetup && item.setupEnvKeys) {
+			config.env = { ...config.env }
+			for (const key of item.setupEnvKeys) {
+				if (envValues[key]) {
+					config.env[key] = envValues[key]
+				}
+			}
+		}
+		vscode.postMessage({
+			type: "installMcpServer",
+			serverName: item.name,
+			config,
+		})
+	}
+
+	return (
+		<div
+			className="rounded bg-vscode-textCodeBlock-background p-2"
+			style={{
+				opacity: isInstalled ? 0.6 : 1,
+			}}>
+			<div className="flex items-center justify-between gap-2">
+				<div className="flex-1 min-w-0">
+					<div className="flex items-center gap-1.5">
+						<span className="codicon codicon-search text-xs" />
+						<span className="font-medium text-[13px] text-vscode-foreground">{item.displayName}</span>
+						{item.requiresSetup && (
+							<span
+								className="text-[10px] px-1 py-0.5 rounded"
+								style={{
+									background: "var(--vscode-editorWarning-foreground)",
+									color: "var(--vscode-editor-background)",
+								}}
+								title={t("mcp:marketplace.requiresSetupHint", {
+									keys: item.setupEnvKeys?.join(", ") ?? "",
+								})}>
+								{t("mcp:marketplace.requiresSetup")}
+							</span>
+						)}
+					</div>
+					<div className="text-xs text-vscode-descriptionForeground mt-0.5">{item.description}</div>
+				</div>
+				<div className="flex items-center gap-2 shrink-0">
+					{item.url && (
+						<VSCodeLink href={item.url} style={{ fontSize: "11px" }}>
+							{t("mcp:marketplace.learnMore")}
+						</VSCodeLink>
+					)}
+					<Button
+						variant="secondary"
+						disabled={isInstalled}
+						onClick={handleInstall}
+						style={{ minWidth: "60px", fontSize: "12px" }}>
+						{isInstalled ? (
+							<>
+								<span className="codicon codicon-check mr-1" />
+								Added
+							</>
+						) : (
+							<>
+								<span className="codicon codicon-add mr-1" />
+								{t("mcp:marketplace.install")}
+							</>
+						)}
+					</Button>
+				</div>
+			</div>
+			{item.requiresSetup && item.setupEnvKeys && !isInstalled && (
+				<div className="mt-2 flex flex-col gap-1.5">
+					{item.setupEnvKeys.map((key) => (
+						<div key={key} className="flex items-center gap-2">
+							<label
+								className="text-[11px] text-vscode-descriptionForeground shrink-0"
+								style={{ minWidth: "90px" }}>
+								{key}:
+							</label>
+							<input
+								type="text"
+								value={envValues[key] ?? ""}
+								onChange={(e) =>
+									setEnvValues((prev) => ({
+										...prev,
+										[key]: e.target.value,
+									}))
+								}
+								placeholder={item.config.env?.[key] ?? ""}
+								className="flex-1 rounded px-1.5 py-0.5 text-xs"
+								style={{
+									background: "var(--vscode-input-background)",
+									color: "var(--vscode-input-foreground)",
+									border: "1px solid var(--vscode-input-border, transparent)",
+								}}
+							/>
+						</div>
+					))}
+				</div>
+			)}
+		</div>
+	)
+}
+
+export default McpMarketplace

webview-ui/src/components/mcp/McpView.tsx

@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import McpToolRow from "./McpToolRow"
 import McpResourceRow from "./McpResourceRow"
 import McpEnabledToggle from "./McpEnabledToggle"
 import { McpErrorRow } from "./McpErrorRow"
+import McpMarketplace from "./McpMarketplace"
 
 const McpView = () => {
 	const { mcpServers: servers, alwaysAllowMcp, mcpEnabled } = useExtensionState()
@@ -133,6 +134,7 @@ const McpView = () => {
 								{t("mcp:refreshMCP")}
 							</Button>
 						</div>
+						<McpMarketplace />
 						<div
 							style={{
 								marginTop: "15px",

webview-ui/src/components/mcp/__tests__/McpMarketplace.spec.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,135 @@
+import React from "react"
+import { render, fireEvent, screen } from "@/utils/test-utils"
+
+import { vscode } from "@src/utils/vscode"
+
+import McpMarketplace from "../McpMarketplace"
+
+vi.mock("@src/i18n/TranslationContext", () => ({
+	useAppTranslation: () => ({
+		t: (key: string, params?: Record<string, string>) => {
+			const translations: Record<string, string> = {
+				"mcp:marketplace.title": "Quick Add Servers",
+				"mcp:marketplace.description":
+					"Install popular free MCP servers with one click. No API keys required (unless noted).",
+				"mcp:marketplace.install": "Add",
+				"mcp:marketplace.requiresSetup": "Requires setup",
+				"mcp:marketplace.learnMore": "Learn more",
+			}
+			if (key === "mcp:marketplace.requiresSetupHint" && params) {
+				return `This server requires you to configure ${params.keys} in the MCP settings file after installation.`
+			}
+			return translations[key] || key
+		},
+	}),
+}))
+
+vi.mock("@src/utils/vscode", () => ({
+	vscode: {
+		postMessage: vi.fn(),
+	},
+}))
+
+vi.mock("@src/context/ExtensionStateContext", () => ({
+	useExtensionState: () => ({
+		mcpServers: [],
+	}),
+}))
+
+vi.mock("@vscode/webview-ui-toolkit/react", () => ({
+	VSCodeLink: function MockVSCodeLink({ children, href }: { children?: React.ReactNode; href?: string }) {
+		return <a href={href}>{children}</a>
+	},
+}))
+
+describe("McpMarketplace", () => {
+	beforeEach(() => {
+		vi.clearAllMocks()
+	})
+
+	it("renders the marketplace title and description", () => {
+		render(<McpMarketplace />)
+
+		expect(screen.getByText("Quick Add Servers")).toBeInTheDocument()
+		expect(
+			screen.getByText("Install popular free MCP servers with one click. No API keys required (unless noted)."),
+		).toBeInTheDocument()
+	})
+
+	it("renders all catalog items", () => {
+		render(<McpMarketplace />)
+
+		expect(screen.getByText("DuckDuckGo Search")).toBeInTheDocument()
+		expect(screen.getByText("SearXNG")).toBeInTheDocument()
+		expect(screen.getByText("Web Search (DuckDuckGo)")).toBeInTheDocument()
+	})
+
+	it("shows 'Requires setup' badge for servers that need configuration", () => {
+		render(<McpMarketplace />)
+
+		// SearXNG requires setup
+		expect(screen.getByText("Requires setup")).toBeInTheDocument()
+	})
+
+	it("shows input fields for servers that require setup env keys", () => {
+		render(<McpMarketplace />)
+
+		// SearXNG requires SEARXNG_URL
+		expect(screen.getByDisplayValue("https://searxng.example.com")).toBeInTheDocument()
+	})
+
+	it("sends installMcpServer message when Add button is clicked", () => {
+		render(<McpMarketplace />)
+
+		// Click the first "Add" button (DuckDuckGo Search)
+		const addButtons = screen.getAllByText("Add")
+		fireEvent.click(addButtons[0])
+
+		expect(vscode.postMessage).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+			type: "installMcpServer",
+			serverName: "ddg-search",
+			config: {
+				command: "uvx",
+				args: ["duckduckgo-mcp-server"],
+				env: {
+					DDG_SAFE_SEARCH: "OFF",
+					DDG_REGION: "wt-wt",
+				},
+				alwaysAllow: ["search", "fetch_content"],
+			},
+		})
+	})
+
+	it("sends installMcpServer with custom env values for servers requiring setup", () => {
+		render(<McpMarketplace />)
+
+		// Change the SEARXNG_URL input value
+		const urlInput = screen.getByDisplayValue("https://searxng.example.com")
+		fireEvent.change(urlInput, { target: { value: "https://my-searxng.local" } })
+
+		// Click the Add button for SearXNG (second Add button)
+		const addButtons = screen.getAllByText("Add")
+		fireEvent.click(addButtons[1])
+
+		expect(vscode.postMessage).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+			type: "installMcpServer",
+			serverName: "searxng",
+			config: {
+				command: "npx",
+				args: ["-y", "mcp-searxng"],
+				env: {
+					SEARXNG_URL: "https://my-searxng.local",
+				},
+				alwaysAllow: ["searxng_web_search", "web_url_read"],
+			},
+		})
+	})
+
+	it("renders learn more links for servers with URLs", () => {
+		render(<McpMarketplace />)
+
+		const learnMoreLinks = screen.getAllByText("Learn more")
+		// All 3 catalog items have URLs
+		expect(learnMoreLinks.length).toBe(3)
+	})
+})

webview-ui/src/i18n/locales/en/mcp.json

@@ -60,5 +60,20 @@
 		"running": "Running",
 		"completed": "Completed",
 		"error": "Error"
+	},
+	"marketplace": {
+		"title": "Quick Add Servers",
+		"description": "Install popular free MCP servers with one click. No API keys required (unless noted).",
+		"install": "Add",
+		"installed": "Server \"{{serverName}}\" has been added to your MCP settings.",
+		"alreadyInstalled": "Server \"{{serverName}}\" already exists in your MCP settings.",
+		"requiresSetup": "Requires setup",
+		"requiresSetupHint": "This server requires you to configure {{keys}} in the MCP settings file after installation.",
+		"category": {
+			"search": "Search",
+			"tools": "Tools",
+			"data": "Data"
+		},
+		"learnMore": "Learn more"
 	}
 }